


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Charleston, SC
Issued by NWS Charleston, SC
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054 FXUS62 KCHS 241733 AFDCHS Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Charleston SC 133 PM EDT Sun Aug 24 2025 .SYNOPSIS... Low pressure will pull away from the area tonight. A cold front will clear the area Monday night with high pressure prevailing through much of the week. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Drier air delineated by much lower PWATs compared to the past few weeks will settle into the area tonight as low pressure offshore pulls farther away from the region. Guidance still depicts a pocket of considerably lower 850 hPa theta-e dropping into much of the Lowcountry and Southeast Georgia as mid-level dry air expands. This is also reflected in RAP soundings where only meager instability will develop by peak heating even as the cloud canopy thins. This keep any convection that can fire limited in coverage. Pops 10-20% were maintained with decreasing cloudiness continuing as some downslope component takes shape as the 850-700 hPa flow backs with time. Dry conditions will prevail overnight although weak troughiness will linger in the wake of departing low pressure. Mostly clear skies and diminishing wind will promote some degree of radiational cooling although some thin high clouds will persist. Lows will range from the upper 60s/lower 70s inland with mid- upper 70s at the beaches. Some shallow ground fog could develop in spots prior to daybreak Monday, but high 1000 hPa condensation pressure deficits suggest any fog that form should not become too widespread or significant. && .SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... A digging upper level trough will be situated along the east coast on Monday, with our previous surface frontal boundary situated well off to our northeast. However, a separate cold front attached to the surface low pressure near Hudson Bay is also moving towards to the area from the west, with remnant warmth and moisture keeping highs in the lower 90s and dewpoints in the lower to mid 70s for most. While up to 3000 J/kg of MUCAPE develops throughout the day (MLCAPE is much lower at below 1000 J/kg) the vast majority of guidance keeps the area dry as lifting mechanisms are too weak to overcome the synoptic scale descent in the vicinity of the upper right exit region of the upper level jet. For Tuesday, the trough axis still hasn`t swept through the region yet, keeping the main cold front off to our west out ahead of a surface high pressure over the Ohio River Valley. Dry conditions are expected as cooler (highs in the mid to upper 80s) and drier air (dewpoints in the 60s!) filters into the area. By Wednesday morning, the main cold front will have been pushed through as the main wave moves through the upper level trough axis. Benign conditions expected throughout the day as the surface high pressure sets up to our north-northwest and weak ridging develops aloft out ahead of our next approaching shortwave. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... Broad high pressure will remain over central Appalachian, with the forecast area located within its southeastern fringes into the weekend. This will result in mostly cooler conditions (daily highs in the 80s and dewpoints in the 60s), though a shortwave looks to pass across the area sometime later this week resulting in an unsettled period. Ensemble clustering analysis does little to help with uncertainty as clusters are relatively evenly split, even within each respective group of ensembles. Project EAGLE would suggest a low passing risk for southeastern Georgia on Thursday night and again Friday as it brings the surface high pressure further south along the eastern seaboard, while its ensemble brings chances for rain further north in-line with other ensembles, including the NBM. && .AVIATION /16Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... 24/18z TAF Discussion: KCHS/KJZI/KSAV: VFR will prevail through 18z Monday. Extended Aviation Forecast: There may be some very scattered convection across southeastern Georgia on Monday, capable of producing brief flight restrictions. Otherwise, concerns are low for flight restrictions into the end of the week. && .MARINE... Tonight: North to northwest winds will turn more southerly as a cold front approaches Monday. Speeds will generally remain less than 15 kt, although a few gusts to 20 kt will persist over the South Santee-Edisto Beach nearshore leg for the next few hours as low pressure exits the area. Seas will Monday through Friday: South-southwesterly winds during the day Monday will shift out of the northeast overnight as a cold front pushes offshore. Both winds and seas look to remain below Small Craft Advisory levels both during and after FROPA. Northeast winds will prevail through the remainder of the period with no marine concerns outside of shower and thunderstorm activity. && .TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING... Winds should remain light from the NNW through much of the day, likely decreasing the tidal departure. However, following the heavy rainfall on Friday and Saturday, river and creek levels have increased. In addition, salinity levels upstream of the representative tide gages have decreased in response to the heavy storm freshwater input. High river levels/discharge may remain through this evening`s high tide (9:43 PM), possibly resulting in minor coastal flooding for Charleston and coastal Colleton Counties. && .CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...None. SC...None. MARINE...None. && $$