Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Charleston, SC

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362 FXUS62 KCHS 210527 AFDCHS Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Charleston SC 127 AM EDT Fri Jun 21 2024 .SYNOPSIS... A tropical wave will approach the Southeast coast tonight and shift inland along the northeast Florida and southeast Georgia coastline on Friday. High pressure will then become the primary weather feature into the middle of next week. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM THIS MORNING/...
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Showers in advance of AL92 will continue to increase in coverage on the coastal waters overnight, as coastal convergence strengthens in response to an east-northeast low level jet of 25-30 kt, some higher Theta-E air coming in from the east, and a slight decrease in heights aloft. While most of that activity will remain in the Atlantic, some of the showers will brush onshore late, where we do have 20-30% PoPs over the coastal counties. Even this could be overdone given the strength of the dry air in place. That aforementioned dry air will be enough to allow for some continued radiational cooling effects far inland, where lows will dip to the mid and upper 60s under mostly clear skies. Over the coastal corridor, a slow increase in clouds and winds remaining at least 5-10 mph and 15-20 mph along the coast, allows for lows just down into the lower and middle 70s.
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&& .SHORT TERM /6 AM THIS MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY/... Friday and Friday night: The forecast for Friday will really hinge on the tropical disturbance (AL92) and its progression inland during the first part of the day. While the disturbance could still strengthen and possibly develop into a Tropical Depression, the impacts really don`t change much either way. The main impact will come in the form of increased shower and thunderstorm activity as the envelope of deep tropical moisture spreads inland. We expect to see scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms load up across the coastal waters and then rotate onshore through the mid to late morning hours. The best rain chances will be along the immediate coast, especially the southeast Georgia coast which will be closer to the center of circulation. As the day progresses, the best coverage should shift inland and also shrink to the southwest, favoring the southeast Georgia coast and all of interior southeast Georgia. Rainfall amounts from this increased coverage will be highly dependent on where individual shower/storm elements pass as this will not be a large shield of precipitation. No significant change to expected amounts, with 0.25-0.50 along the coastal corridor with some potential for locally higher amounts along the immediate coast (especially the GA coast). There are no severe weather concerns. Winds will again be breezy thanks to the onshore flow on the northside of the circulation, but gusts will be less than previous days. High temperatures should mostly top out in the upper 80s, with low 90s possible for interior southeast Georgia. Overnight, rain chances should diminish, though we could still see isolated to scattered development across southeast Georgia, closer to the remnant circulation. Saturday and Sunday: We will begin to transition back to a more typical summertime pattern with the subtropical high extending into the area from the east. However, there will still be the remnant circulation from the disturbance across south Georgia as well as the nearby deeper moisture profiles. The Saturday time period is now within the hi-res model window and the overall consensus is for the best convective coverage to be across southeast Georgia closer to the remnant circulation and associated deeper moisture. Therefore, the forecast has 60-70 percent chances in the afternoon hours for southeast Georgia. For Sunday, we should transition to a more typical diurnal thunderstorm pattern with 40-50 percent chances everywhere. Neither day looks to be particularly supportive of severe thunderstorms, though you can never count out boundary interactions producing a stronger storm. Temperatures will begin a warming trend over the weekend, with highs getting back into the low to even mid 90s. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... The early to middle part of next week looks hot with a return to more typical diurnal coverage of showers and thunderstorms. The forecast generally has rain chances peaking in the afternoon and evening, then gradually transitioning to favor the Atlantic coastal waters through the overnight hours. High temperatures are forecast to rise into the mid to upper 90s, which will push heat index values considerably higher than they have been. In fact, we expect to see widespread 100-105 degree heat index values each afternoon Monday through Wednesday. As the highest dew points reside within the coastal corridor, we could see heat index values rise to around 108- 110, and we might have to consider Heat Advisories. && .AVIATION /06Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
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KCHS/KJZI/KSAV: No concerns through about 12-13Z, then some showers will start to develop as the tropical disturbance in the Atlantic gets closer. Eventually the showers will become more scattered or numerous in coverage, with even the risk of a few t-storms. Brief flight restrictions can certainly occur in any of the convection, but for now we show VFR weather. The showers and t-storms will decrease in coverage late day/early evening, but a few could still linger into tonight as the remnants of the disturbance are found near the Florida-Georgia border. All sites will experience gusty easterly winds today, but less than recent days. Extended Aviation Outlook: Conditions should mostly be VFR. There could be brief rounds of flight restrictions each afternoon and evening with showers and thunderstorms.
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&& .MARINE...
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Overnight: Pressure gradient will remain tight tonight between inland high pressure and a tropical wave approaching the Southeast coast. Northeast winds will generally average in the 15-20 knot range with higher gusts to 25 knots. Seas will build to 5-7 feet out 20 nm and 7-8 ft beyond. These conditions will support a continuation of Small Craft Advisories through the night across all marine zones outside of the Charleston Harbor. For the Harbor, winds will be more in the 10-15 kt range. Friday through Tuesday: A tropical disturbance is expected to shift onshore on Friday somewhere along the northeast Florida and southeast Georgia coast. The circulation around this feature will drive elevated northeasterly to easterly flow across the waters into Friday evening. Seas should peak early Friday, then gradually diminish through Friday night. Ongoing Small Craft Advisories remain in effect, with ending times spanning the afternoon through the evening as seas relax. Thereafter, conditions across the local waters will transition to a more typical summertime pattern. Southerly to southwesterly flow will tend to be strongest along the land/sea interface with the diurnal sea breeze and sea will typically be in the 2-4 ft range. Rip Currents: Persistent onshore flow and lingering elevated seas will again produce a High Risk of rip currents at all beaches on Friday. Lifeguards continued to indicate hazardous swimming conditions at area beaches, and these conditions are expected to continue through Friday. As we get into Saturday, winds and seas will relax and overall conditions should improve. However, we will advertise a Moderate Risk of rip currents for Saturday.
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&& .TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING... Tide levels will continue to be elevated through Friday thanks to persistent onshore flow and elevated seas. However, astronomical tide values aren`t particularly high which will reduce the overall coastal flooding risk. The Friday evening high tide (~8:30 pm) will be elevated but should fall short of the threshold for minor coastal flooding. && .CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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GA...High Risk for Rip Currents through this evening for GAZ117-119-139- 141. SC...High Risk for Rip Currents through this evening for SCZ048>051. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 4 PM EDT this afternoon for AMZ350- 352. Small Craft Advisory until 7 PM EDT this evening for AMZ354. Small Craft Advisory until 11 PM EDT this evening for AMZ374.
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&& $$ NEAR TERM... SHORT TERM...BSH LONG TERM...BSH AVIATION... MARINE...