NOTE: Some of the data on this page has not been verified and should be used with that in mind. It may and occasionally will, be wrong. The tide reports are by xtide and are NOT FOR NAVIGATION. Privacy and Cookie policy

AMZ330 Charleston Harbor- 326 Am Est Sun Dec 3 2023
Today..SW winds 10 to 15 kt. Patchy dense fog early this morning. A chance of showers. A slight chance of tstms this afternoon.
Tonight..W winds 5 to 10 kt. A slight chance of showers and tstms in the evening.
Mon..W winds 5 to 10 kt, increasing to 10 to 15 kt with gusts to 20 kt in the afternoon.
Mon night..NW winds 10 to 15 kt.
Tue..NW winds 5 to 10 kt, becoming W in the afternoon.
Tue night..W winds 10 to 15 kt.
Wed..NW winds 15 to 20 kt. Waves 1 to 2 ft.
Wed night..N winds 15 kt.
Thu..N winds 10 kt.
Thu night..SW winds 10 kt.
winds and waves higher in and near tstms.
unless otherwise noted, waves 1 foot or less.
charleston harbor water temperature 60 degrees.

AMZ300 326 Am Est Sun Dec 3 2023
Synopsis for the coastal waters of south coastal south carolina and north coastal georgia.. A cold front will pass through the area this evening. Another cold front will drop through late Tuesday night, followed by high pressure through late week.

FXUS62 KCHS 030823 AFDCHS

Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Charleston SC 323 AM EST Sun Dec 3 2023

SYNOPSIS
A cold front will pass through the area this evening. Another cold front will drop through late Tuesday night, followed by high pressure through late week.

NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/
Today: Aloft, southwest flow will continue to prevail ahead of a series of shortwaves diving southward across the Upper Plains and another rotating into the Ohio Valley. At the surface, a cold front will advance westward into central Georgia and the South Carolina Midlands and is progged to begin entering the interior of the forecast area closer to sunset. In the pre-dawn hours, an area of gradually shrinking light rain will shift across the forecast area with the bulk of the measurable rainfall occurring across southeast Georgia, especially along and south of I-16. After sunrise, we should be left with a relative lull in the rain coverage before turn our attention to scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms that are expected to develop along and ahead of the approaching cold front.
Forcing will come as a combination of low-level convergence along the front and upper level divergence associated with a strengthening 150+ knot upper jet that stretches from the lower Mississippi Valley to the New England coast. These scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms will then steadily push eastward across the forecast area into the afternoon, timed to reach the coast by approximately 3-5 pm. Given the limited coverage, rain chances are held in the 30 percent range this afternoon. Though we are carrying a slight chance of thunder, there is no significant concern for severe weather thanks to the limited amount of surface-based instability. The warm sector ahead of the front will be quite mild and featuring strengthening southwesterly flow. Southwest winds of 10-15 mph with gusts up to around 20 mph can be expected. Highs are forecast to reach the mid 70s in most places, which would be about 10 degrees above normal for early December.

Tonight: The cold front will shift offshore this evening and any lingering shower or isolated thunderstorm activity will be offshore by the early evening hours. Cooler and drier air will steadily filter in through the overnight, though we will maintain some degree of cloud cover through sunrise Monday. Lows are forecast to fall into the low to mid 50s in most places, with upper 40s possible across the far inland tier across Jenkins, Bulloch, Screven, and Allendale counties.

SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
A mid level shortwave and associated surface low will pass by to the north on Monday, which will bring a dry cold front through the area later in the day. High pressure will then largely prevail, although a stronger front will quickly pass through late Tuesday night into early Wednesday. Moisture is sparse so forecast remains rain-free. Northwest winds behind the front on Wednesday will likely become gusty, with gusts around 25 mph common. There will be a notable change in temperatures through the period, with highs in the upper 60s/near 70 on Monday falling to the upper 50s by Wednesday. Lows both nights will span the 40s.

LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/
Surface high pressure will drift overhead on Thursday, before shifting offshore late week into the weekend. Another weather system will approach late in the period, but at this point any associated impacts/rain should be later in the weekend. Thus quiet and dry weather will be the rule. Cooler than normal temperatures on Thursday will warm with time.

AVIATION /09Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/
The 06z TAF period begins with VFR conditions in place at KCHS, KJZI, and KSAV. The TAF period is going to be tricky and while flight restrictions are possible, we do not expect long periods of consistent MVFR or IFR conditions. Through sunrise, periods of light rain will be possible and could bring MVFR or IFR conditions. The best chances appear to be at KSAV through the next few hours. Also through about mid morning, we will have to see how marine fog just offshore evolves and whether or not it can bleed onshore at times. This would be mainly a concern for KJZI, but southwest low-level winds should mostly keep it offshore. Later this morning, winds will pick up ahead of a cold front that will push through later this evening. We could see gusts into the 15-18 knot range at times through the afternoon.
Ceilings should mostly be VFR, but MVFR conditions will be possible with passing showers along and ahead of the front. Rain chances will come to an end this evening and winds will turn more westerly.

Extended Aviation Outlook: VFR. Gusty winds are possible on Wednesday.

MARINE
Today through tonight: Southwest flow will strengthen today ahead of an approaching cold front with speeds increasing to around 15 knots and periods of 15-20 knots of flow at times in portions of the waters. Overnight, the front will pass through during the evening and winds will turn more westerly and then west-northwesterly. There will not be a significant surge behind the front though, with a rather modest 10-15 knots expected through the overnight. Seas are expected to remain in the 2-4 ft range through the period.

Fog: Web cams indicate that if there is any ongoing fog across the local waters it is just off the coast. Winds are starting to increase across the waters, which will work to dissipate the fog, but we could still see areas of dense fog across the nearshore waters through 7 am. We will maintain the Dense Fog Advisory through that time and should then be able to let it expire. Patchy fog could linger through the morning, but should be on a significant decrease and is expected to be completely gone by the afternoon.

Monday through Friday: Westerly winds will increase on Monday with a brief period of gusts in the low 20 knot range expected later in the day. No Small Craft Advisories are anticipated at this time. A cold front is expected to pass through Tuesday night with increasing winds and seas behind it. Small Craft Advisories are looking likely for at least portions of the waters beginning late Tuesday night and continuing through much of the day Wednesday. Conditions will improve Thursday and as high pressure shifts overhead with no additional concerns through Friday.

CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
GA...None.
SC...None.
MARINE...Dense Fog Advisory until 7 AM EST this morning for AMZ350-352- 354.

toggle option: (graph/table)

Kiawah River Bridge
Click for Map
Sun -- 05:44 AM EST     0.86 feet Low Tide
Sun -- 07:06 AM EST     Sunrise
Sun -- 12:11 PM EST     Moonset
Sun -- 12:14 PM EST     5.59 feet High Tide
Sun -- 05:14 PM EST     Sunset
Sun -- 06:27 PM EST     1.08 feet Low Tide
Sun -- 11:04 PM EST     Moonrise
Tide / Current data from XTide NOT FOR NAVIGATION

Kiawah River Bridge, South Carolina, Tide feet

Charleston Harbor Entrance
Click for Map
Sun -- 03:15 AM EST     -1.45 knots Max Ebb
Sun -- 06:18 AM EST     0.00 knots Slack
Sun -- 07:05 AM EST     Sunrise
Sun -- 08:48 AM EST     1.28 knots Max Flood
Sun -- 12:10 PM EST     Moonset
Sun -- 12:24 PM EST     -0.00 knots Slack
Sun -- 03:50 PM EST     -1.66 knots Max Ebb
Sun -- 05:12 PM EST     Sunset
Sun -- 07:13 PM EST     0.00 knots Slack
Sun -- 09:19 PM EST     1.01 knots Max Flood
Sun -- 11:03 PM EST     Moonrise
Tide / Current data from XTide NOT FOR NAVIGATION

Charleston Harbor Entrance, South Carolina Current, knots

Full Color Weather Map

Link to Loop


Other links: GEOS-West     Contential US     Full GOES-East

Charleston, SC,