Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Charleston, SC

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613 FXUS62 KCHS 140241 AFDCHS Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Charleston SC 1041 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/... The only major change made for the late evening update was to increase cloud cover along parts of the lower South Carolina coast for the next several hours. The rest of the forecast is on track. Two waves of low pressure will pass offshore overnight along a stalled frontal boundary. Drier, low mean theta-e air will slowly work south through the night as these lows pass by. KCLX shows isolated showers slowly diminishing with time with the better focus shifting south. As drier air works in from the north, the risk for isolated showers will remain mostly confined to the Georgia coast overnight as northeast winds slowly back. Breezy conditions along the beaches will persist into mid- evening before the pressure gradient begins to relax some. Pops were adjusted slightly to reflect current trends and to hang onto mentionable pops along parts of the Georgia coast well into the overnight period. Lows from the upper 60s inland to the mid 70s at the beaches look on track, although lows for Waterfront Park in Downtown Charleston were nudged up by about 2-3 degrees given the expected wind directions should keep air parcels advecting across the warmer waters of Charleston Harbor. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY/... 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. && .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 /03Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... 14/00z TAF Discussion: KCHS/KJZI/KSAV: VFR. Marine-based stratocumulus could once again impact all three terminals overnight at least until winds back more northerly prior to daybreak Friday. Cumulus will develop shortly after daybreak and push inland through the afternoon with the passage of the sea breeze. Extended Aviation Outlook: Mainly VFR. There will be low probabilities of brief flight restrictions due to afternoon/evening showers/tstms. && .MARINE...
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The Small Craft Advisory has been extended until 3 AM for the nearshore waters from Edisto Beach to Altamaha Sound and cancelled from South Santee River to Edisto Beach. Tonight: Winds are finally showing signs of diminishing a bit this evening as the pressure gradient begins to relax. Winds have dropped below 20 kt in the Charleston Harbor so the Small Craft Advisory has been cancelled there. For the remainder of the nearshore waters, advisories continue through 11 PM where winds are still gusting 25 kt or so. Friday through Tuesday: 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. Rip Currents: Gusty NE winds in the morning will become onshore in the afternoon Friday. 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 the GA beaches, especially Tybee Island.
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&& .CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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GA...None. SC...None. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 3 AM EDT Friday for AMZ352-354.
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&& $$