Tuesday's forecast: Heat kicks up another notch
Hello friends! Jared Smith here with your Charleston weather forecast for Tuesday, July 18th, 2023.
Tuesday marks the beginning of what should be the hottest stretch yet this summer.
Lows in the upper 70s away from the coast, where it may not get below 80, will yield quickly to temperatures rising well into the mid and upper 90s under partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies.
The sea breeze will stay pinned closer to the coast, and as a result of this, highs in the 90s will be found well into downtown.
This combined with dew points in the mid 70s should yield heat indices above 105.
These heat indices may even approach 110 for a brief period of time in a couple spots.
An afternoon shower or thunderstorm is possible, but don’t count on one to cool you off.
Additionally, wildfire smoke may keep a little milky appearance to the skies, but major air quality impacts are currently not expected.
Heat continues to escalate for Wednesday and beyond, perhaps peaking Thursday into Friday as highs top out in the upper 90s each day.
This combined with mid 70s dew points should drive heat indices back into the danger zone each afternoon, perhaps periods of 110 degree heat indices that could prompt heat advisories.
The best risk for this is going to be closer to the coast, where the higher dew points are going to be found.
Again, we’re dealing with a pinned sea breeze, so those dew points may eventually move inland, but not quite at peak heating.
Shower and thunderstorm chances are slim to none on Wednesday, with only isolated coverage expected Thursday.
As the ridge begins to weaken, we may see a few more afternoon storms Friday, but coverage looks scattered at best.
Lows will continue to run in the upper 70s to around 80, which could increase the risk of prolonged heat stress.
So please folks, take it easy out there, get plenty of water, and don’t try to push it especially in the heat of the afternoon.
And that was Charleston Weather Daily for July 18th, 2023.
I’m Jared Smith.
You can find Charleston weather forecasts online at chswx.com, on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at chswx, and on Mastodon at chswx at chswx.social.
Thanks for listening, and I’ll talk to you tomorrow!