Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Charleston, SC

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928 FXUS62 KCHS 132011 AFDCHS Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Charleston SC 411 PM EDT Thu Jun 13 2024 .SYNOPSIS... A stationary front will meander near or just off the coast through the end of the week. A weak cold front will drop into the forecast area early this weekend before high pressure spreads in from the north. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM FRIDAY MORNING/...
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Isolated to scattered showers, with a few rumbles of thunder still possible, continue manly across coastal areas mid afternoon. Despite peak heating currently, CIN is too great inland to allow for convective initiation, and increasing upper subsidence aloft later this afternoon as the shortwave through passes overhead will further discourage new shower/storm formation. Mainly dry conditions expected by sunset as H5 heights begin to slowly increase. Weak low to mid level moisture advection continues mainly along the coast as the surface low offshore continues to deepen while riding northward over the Gulf Stream. At least scattered cloud coverage and persistent weak winds continues through the overnight hours near the coast, while inland areas are more likely to experience clearing with come locations possibly decoupling. General expectation is that favorable radiation cooling (inland) and ample BL moisture areas (coast) will not overlap, keeping the fog threat low. Likewise, temps dip into the mid 60s for locations that do clear and radiate well, while lows are likely closer to mid 70s for the beaches.
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&& .SHORT TERM /6 AM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY/...
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Friday: The mid-levels will initially consist of a weak trough stretching from off the Southeast Coast into the eastern Gulf of Mexico. As time progresses, this trough will shift further offshore, then lift to the northeast. At the surface, a stationary front will be just off our coast in the morning, gradually shifting further away into the evening and overnight. Additionally, a dry cold front will approach from the northwest late at night. Though, it`s not expected to reach our area. The highest PWATs should remain offshore during the day, with drier air likely over a large portion of our area. The synoptic models have trended drier, pointing to isolated to maybe scattered convection across GA. This is also in line with the CAMs. So we kept slight chance POPs along our GA coastline during the afternoon, and low POPs across our SC coastline. Soundings indicate limited instability, so probabilities are higher for showers as opposed to thunderstorms. Anything that does develop will dissipate in the evening, with the overnight being dry. Highs will peak in the lower to mid 90s for most areas, except cooler at the beaches. Lows will be in the lower to mid 70s. Saturday: A mid-level trough offshore will continue to move away while ridging gradually builds over the Southeast. A weak cold front will be located just to our north at daybreak. It`s expected to slowly shift south during the day and weaken, likely stalling around the Savannah River during the evening and overnight. Moisture increases around the front, with PWATs possibly rising to 1.75 by late afternoon. The combination of the increasing moisture, lift from the front, and a somewhat robust afternoon sea breeze could generate isolated to maybe scattered convection in the afternoon. This will be highly dependent on how much mid-level dry air is in place. We have slight chance POPs, but these may need to be raised. Any remaining convection should shift towards the coast during the evening, then remain along the immediate coast overnight. Highs will be in the mid to upper 90s for most areas, except cooler at the beaches. Lows will be in the lower to mid 70s. Sunday: The mid-levels will consist of High pressure mainly over the Southeast. At the surface, a stationary front should be located over our GA counties in the morning. It`s expected to shift south and dissipate in the afternoon as High pressure to our north and northeast tries to build into our area. There should be enough moisture and lift near the front to generate scattered convection, so we have chance POPs across most our our area, with lower POPs generally across the Charleston Tri- County. Though, the dry air moving in from the north will determine how much convection is able to develop or not develop. Highs will again reach into the low to mid 90s away from the immediate coast.
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&& .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... Anticyclonic flow aloft, mainly across the Southeastern U.S., will prevail through early next week. Surface high pressure located along the New England coast will advect modestly dry air into the area despite the onshore flow, although some Atlantic moisture could move in far south into Southeast Georgia. The forecast features isolated showers in the afternoon/evening each day through early next week. Thunderstorms chances look slim at this juncture with little instability to work with and little to no forcing with a fairly strong capping inversion in place. Convection chances could increase if additional moisture advection occurs, which for this time of year, is pretty easy to have happen. Temperatures should sit around normal or slightly above normal due to increased insolation. && .AVIATION /19Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
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Scattered showers and a few thunderstorms will continue along the east of I-95 through mid-afternoon, with coverage diminishing late afternoon and mainly dry conditions expected by sunset as upper subsidence develops. Localized downpours and some gusty winds are possible, but coverage of any stronger convective elements will be very limited. Low level moisture advection continues overnight as low pressure passes off the coast, but with persistent mixing and without a significant subsidence inversion to trap moisture in the BL there is no clear signal for prevailing sub- VFR conditions. At least scattered cloud coverage likely continues into the night for coastal areas (including the TAF sites), while clearing is more likely inland. Extended Aviation Outlook: Mainly VFR. There will be low probabilities of brief flight restrictions due to afternoon/evening convection.
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&& .MARINE...
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Low pressure offshore will gradually deepen as it rides up the Gulf Stream tonight. Moderate NE winds persist. Showers and a few storms remain possible over the waters into the evening, but coverage and storms will be limited. Seas remain 3-5 through the evening, diminishing to 2-4 ft late in a mix of southeast and northeast windswells. Rip Currents: A Moderate Risk of rip currents continues at all of our beaches through this evening. Friday: Gusty NE winds in the morning will become onshore in the afternoon. Additionally, a SE swell around 2 ft near 7 seconds should impact the beaches along with a potentially moderate to strong longshore current. This could lead to rip currents. Hence, there is a Moderate Risk for our GA beaches, especially Tybee Island. Extended Marine: A stationary front will be just off our coast Friday morning, gradually shifting further away into the evening and Friday night. Additionally, a dry cold front will approach from the northwest late Friday night. The cold front is expected to slowly shift south Saturday and weaken, likely stalling around the Savannah River during the evening and Saturday night. The front is expected to shift south and dissipate Sunday afternoon as High pressure to our north and northeast tries to build into our area. Wind speeds will average 10-15 kt with seas 2-4 ft.
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&& .CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...None. SC...None. MARINE...None. && $$ NEAR TERM... SHORT TERM... LONG TERM... AVIATION... MARINE...