With Thursday's storm system moving away, our weather is about to turn much quieter. There are a couple of lingering effects from our departing storm, though. Gusty winds continue this afternoon and evening, with peak gusts around 40 mph over much of the state. That isn't strong enough to cause significant damage, but it'll be annoying. Motorists, picnickers, and pickleball players will hate it (my pickleball group is going bowling instead this evening). Also, an upper-level disturbance will bring stray showers to areas along the North Carolina line, and a heavier thunderstorm can't be ruled out in this area.
This loop of true color visible satellite images shows the storm system that hit South Carolina moving away to the north and east today.
Saturday is looking much better with sunshine and a much gentler breeze as an area of high pressure settles in. Highs across the state will mainly be in the middle 70s. Sunday also looks nice, with sunshine intermittently dimmed by patchy clouds. Much warmer air will arrive on Sunday, with highs in the 80s for almost the entire state (exceptions along our coast and in our mountains).
The warmth will build further next week while an upper-level ridge takes charge of the weather across the Southeast. A ridge aloft, a northward buckling of the upper-level flow, promotes warmth and deflects storm systems northward. So, we're in for a stretch of near-summery warmth while this feature is over us next week. Temperatures will reach well into the 80s on Monday through Thursday, except where elevation or proximity to cool Atlantic waters will hold temperatures in the 70s. Much of the state will approach 90° on Thursday, and the usual warm spots might get to 90° for the first time this year.
Our next chance for rain comes at the end of next week or next weekend as a cold front moves in; the timing isn't certain. Temperatures in the 80s and increasing humidity ahead of the front means we'll have to watch for thunderstorms, but the weather pattern won't favor a significant severe storm outbreak.
Early signs are that temperatures will drop substantially behind the front next weekend as much cooler air rushes in. I'm sure the urge will be there to plant gardens during the warm weather this weekend and next week, which will be fine for most of the state. However, those in the Upstate north of I-85 will want to be cautious because there may be lows in the 30s next weekend or early in the following week.
