


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Charleston, SC
Issued by NWS Charleston, SC
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403 FXUS62 KCHS 010552 AFDCHS Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Charleston SC 152 AM EDT Tue Jul 1 2025 .SYNOPSIS... A front is expected to move into the area by Wednesday and could then linger in the vicinity into the weekend. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Today: A weak land breeze has developed this morning with a few showers along the boundary. This weak line of showers will likely translate to the east or slightly further offshore through the early morning hours. In the upper levels of the atmosphere the TUTT continues to slowly retrograde west with dry air noted on the northwest flank. This was analyzed yesterday on water vapor and remains a prominent feature in the KCHS 01.00z sounding. Simultaneously at the surface, Bermuda high pressure remains anchored across the central Atlantic, with the ridge axis extending across the Gulf of America. This has helped to produce westerly flow over Georgia, while southerly flow remains established over South Carolina. The above setup has favored a convergent zone across coastal/ inland Georgia and inland South Carolina. The sea breeze has pushed inland relatively quickly over South Carolina the last couple of days and this thinking remains unchanged. As such, most of coastal South Carolina will likely remain dry today with inland Georgia again being fairly active. Expect high temperatures around 90 degrees. Tonight: Cloud cover will slowly increase overnight as a mid- level wave approaches from the west with a cold front approaching the Upstate of South Carolina. Winds will also remain elevated overnight/ not fully decouple given the tightening pressure gradient. This will keep low temperatures relatively mild or in the low to mid 70s. && .SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... Wednesday: Troughing will dominate across the eastern CONUS in the upper levels, with the southern portion of the trough over the southeastern states. At the surface a cold front will approach from the west, likely stalling in the vicinity of the SC Midlands. Ahead of the approaching cold front moisture will increase, with PWAT values approaching 2.3 inches. Numerous to widespread showers and thunderstorms are forecast, given the ample moisture and CAPE values around 1600 J/kg. While there will be enough instability for convection to form, the overall severe threat remains low. More of note will be the possibility for heavy rainfall and the chance of minor flooding of low lying and poor drainage areas. The region remains outlooked in a Marginal Risk for Excessive Rainfall by WPC. High temperatures will only reach into the upper 80s to around 90, given the increased coverage of precipitation. Thursday and Friday: Models are generally in agreement that the stalled front will weaken and wash out late this week and the region will see a return to just scattered coverage of afternoon showers and thunderstorms. There is a chance, however, that the front remains stalled in the vicinity and a low pressure develops along it. The northeast Gulf Coast and Southeast Coast continue to be highlighted in NHC`s Tropical Weather Outlook with a low chance of tropical development over the next 7 days. If a low is able to develop along the stalled front, precipitation chances will increase both Thursday and Friday. As of this juncture, the forecast has trended towards no low development and a return to near climo PoPs. High temperatures will reach into the mid to upper 90s. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/... A typical summertime pattern is in store through the long term period as high pressure builds in both aloft and at the surface. The forecast features scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms and high temperatures in the low to mid 90s. It is worth noting that there is a low-end chance that the aforementioned stalled cold front may linger in the vicinity with a low pressure developing along it. The northeast Gulf Coast and Southeast Coast remain highlighted in NHC`s Tropical Weather Outlook with a low chance of tropical development over the next 7 days. && .AVIATION /06Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... 01.06Z TAFs: All TAFs are currently VFR this morning. Another land breeze has begun to form off of the Charleston coast with a weak shower approaching/ just southeast of KJZI. This convection will likely translate slightly further offshore through the morning hours. As such, have kept the mention of precipitation out of the KJZI TAF this morning. As the sun rises this morning winds will start to increase in speed as the pressure gradient begins to increase across the terminals (from an approaching area of low pressure). Both the GFS and NAM forecast soundings support wind gusts up to 25 kt at all the terminals this afternoon via momentum transfer techniques. As was the case yesterday, the upper level low will remain just southeast of the area with dry air on the northwest flank of the low. This dry air really limited convection across the Charleston terminals (KCHS/ KJZI), with more focused convection just west of KSAV. The upper level low is slightly further west today compared to yesterday, so initial thinking is most convection will be west of KSAV but can`t be completely ruled out. Extended Aviation Outlook: Mainly VFR. Wednesday should see widespread coverage of showers and thunderstorms as a cold front approaches from the northwest. Flight restrictions will be possible mainly Wednesday afternoon. && .MARINE... Today and Tonight: Bermuda high pressure will remain anchored across the central Atlantic as surface low pressure approaches from the west. The pressure gradient is expected to continue to tighten this morning (with gusts already near 25 kt this morning in AMZ350). Over Charleston Harbor and the Charleston nearshore adjacent waters, SCA criteria will likely begin to be met late this morning with wind gusts up to 30 kt. Seas will also begin to build 4 to 5 ft. Weak south-southeasterly swell with a 4 to 6 second period will dominate the local waters, and allow for a choppy set up of waves. This will also set up a moderate display of sideshore winds and poor conditions for surf. Wednesday through Sunday: A cold front will approach the region on Wednesday, possibly stalling in the vicinity through the weekend. Generally conditions across the marine waters will feature southerly winds 10 to 15 knots Wednesday, shifting to the NE Thursday and through the weekend. Seas are forecast to average 2 to 4 ft. It is worth noting that the northeast Gulf Coast and Southeast Coast remain highlighted in NHC`s Tropical Weather Outlook with a low chance of tropical development over the next 7 days. If a low pressure is able to develop along the stalled front higher wind gusts and building seas will be possible. Rip Currents: The presence of some swell energy and enhanced flow along the Charleston County coast will yield an elevated risk of rip currents for Tuesday. There is a Moderate Risk for the Charleston County beaches and a Low Risk elsewhere. && .CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...None. SC...None. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory from 11 AM this morning to 9 PM EDT this evening for AMZ330-350. && $$ NEAR TERM...Haines SHORT TERM...CPM LONG TERM...CPM AVIATION...CPM/Haines MARINE...CPM/Haines