The unsettled weather pattern will continue for another day before most of the state sees a respite and a few nice days. A front that moved into South Carolina and became stationary earlier this week has mostly dissipated, but an upper-level disturbance will slowly drift through tonight and Saturday.
A few places, mainly in the Upstate, will see a pop-up shower or thunderstorm this afternoon and evening. Otherwise, we'll be warm and humid, with highs ranging from the upper 70s in the Upstate to the lower 80s in the Midlands and Lowcountry. Then, as the upper disturbance moves through tonight, we will see a line of showers and thunderstorms move through. Through tonight, the severe storm risk is very low.
Saturday looks humid again and warmer, with more sunshine than today. Highs will mainly be in the lower to middle 80s across the state. A few spots in the Coastal Plain will see an afternoon or evening shower or thunderstorm triggered by the sea breeze, but the rest of the state looks rain-free through the day. However, a new cold front will move in at night. It could generate stray showers but no substantial rain.
The Saturday evening weather map from the Weather Prediction Center shows a cold front moving into South Carolina with low rain chances.
Cooler and less humid air will push into most of the Palmetto State behind this front later Saturday night into Sunday, but the front will become stationary just west of the Savannah River. So, while most of the state enjoys a lovely day on Sunday that is cooler with lower humidity, the Savannah basin will see more clouds and a chance for a shower. Most of the state will see comfortable 70s for highs, but the Lowcountry and Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) will reach the low 80s. An upper-level disturbance moving parallel to the front may generate a shower or thunderstorm along the river Sunday night or early Monday.
Monday looks nice for most of the state again, with highs in the upper 70s and low 80s and humidity remaining low. The pesky stationary front in Georgia might be close enough to us for areas along the Savannah to see a shower linger into Monday afternoon, but models differ on this, and those areas could turn out to have a nice afternoon instead.
That front will dissipate on Tuesday as an upper-level ridge takes charge over the Southeast for a while. Upper ridges typically bring us warm and tranquil weather, so look for mainly rain-free weather Tuesday through Thursday, with highs in the 80s and gradually increasing humidity. Hotter spots could reach 90° on Wednesday, and much of the CSRA, Midlands, and inland Coastal Plain could reach the lower 90s on Thursday.
Early signs are that we'll see another cold front push through next Friday with a chance for a shower and thunderstorm. I'm unsure about the severe storm risk, but I doubt we will see widespread severe storms. I hope next weekend will be as nice as most computer models show it will be. Most show us enjoying sunshine, low humidity, and highs in the lower to middle 80s.
Most of South Carolina has seen some decent rainfall over the last week, but not everyone has. I'm thankful that a couple of good downpours hit my yard south of Columbia on Thursday (I'm not so thankful that I'll have to cut my grass this weekend, but 'tis the season).
An analysis or precipitation over the last week ending at 7 a.m. Friday from the National Weather Service.
Image Source: Weathermodels.com
The rain mostly has come after the latest U. S. Drought Monitor was published on Tuesday, so it shows that drought has expanded or worsened in parts of the state over the last week.
The rain we have seen since Wednesday and will see in the coming days won't make much of a dent, but some areas may improve a bit on next week's report.