It looks like our string of nice weekends is over. A storm system over the nation's midsection is drifting our way and will keep our weather unsettled through Sunday with chances for severe storms Saturday.
This loop of visible satellite imagery shows a swirl of clouds associated with a storm off the East Coast and another mass of clouds to our west associated with a storm system moving toward South Carolina.
Clouds are rolling in today as this weather feature approaches, and we will see a scattering of showers and thunderstorms around through tonight as a weak warm front lifts northward through the area. The severe weather risk is minimal, but I can't rule out one or two storms with damaging wind this afternoon or evening near our coast.
A weak cold front will move in on Saturday to give us another round of thunderstorms. There will be a risk of severe weather, but we're not sure exactly how the situation will evolve. It will remain mostly cloudy, which will limit warmth and instability. However, we expect to see enough breaks in the clouds that thunderstorms begin to fire up during the afternoon through the evening. A few of the storms will likely become severe, especially around the I-20 Corridor and Coastal Plain. The primary concern will be for locally damaging wind, but damaging hail may affect a few places, and an isolated tornado is possible over the Central Savannah River Area and Lowcountry. Clouds, showers, and thunderstorms hold our temperatures down a bit, with our highs ranging from the upper 70s in the Upstate to the middle 80s in the Lowcountry.
The Storm Prediction Center's Severe Weather Outlook for Saturday indicates a risk for severe storms across South Carolina with the highest risk across the I-20 Corridor and Coastal Plain.
The cold front will push offshore late Saturday night or early Sunday, but an associated upper-level trough will linger over the region. That will keep our weather unsettled on Sunday. Clouds will limit sun, and a few showers and thunderstorms will pop up across the state during the afternoon. The severe thunderstorm risk will be minimal, but there is a chance for an isolated severe storm or two across the Lowcountry. Once again, clouds hold our temperatures down, with the northern half of the state topping out in the 75-80 range and lower 80s across the south.
It looks as though the upper trough will move away Sunday night and become replaced by an upper-level ridge. An upper ridge promotes warm and tranquil weather. The ridge will hang around for a few days and keep our weather quiet Monday through Wednesday. Monday could feature a good bit of lingering clouds that continue to suppress our temperatures. Most of the state will see temperatures hold in the middle to upper 70s. After that, the return of sunshine warms us up, and temperatures reach the lower to middle 80s on Tuesday, then middle to upper 80s on Wednesday.
It might remain quiet Thursday as well, but another storm system will move in later next week. Timing is uncertain on that; it might hold off until Thursday night or Friday. Hopefully, we'll be able to get that storm out of the way by Friday night and wind up with better weather next weekend, but I can't promise that right now. Thursday looks very warm with highs in the 85-90 range, and Friday's temperatures will depend on whether or not cooler air behind that next storm arrives by then.
