Page Links Change Location One Page Printer Page HELP AIS Default setup SAVE setting RECALL saved setting

Marine Weather and Tides James, SC Version 3.4

NOTICE 10/9/2019 Updated the Marine Zones. 9/4/2019 Fixed the weather maps due to NOAA moving them. 7/25/2019 New feature in the Airports section gives a link to 5 minute updates for data reports. 6/2/2019. Many thanks to a user for reporting an error on one of the Edit pages. The switch to PHP 7.2 caused many pages that previously worked to quit working. I fixed many but I still depend on users to report ones I missed. Please report errors HERE or send an email to me at L-36.com. Allen

---

Sunrise 7:10AM

Sunset 5:15PM

Tuesday December 10, 2019 7:53 AM EST (12:53 UTC)

Moonrise 4:18PM

Moonset 5:27AM

Illumination 98%

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.

---

---

7 Day Forecast for Marine Location Near James, SC

   Hourly   EDIT   Help

---

Area Discussion for - Charleston, SC

      (on/off)   Help   NOTE: mouseover dotted underlined text for definition
FXUS62 KCHS 101234 AFDCHS

Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Charleston SC 734 AM EST Tue Dec 10 2019

SYNOPSIS. Unseasonably warm conditions will prevail ahead of a cold front today. The cold front will push through the region tonight, with strong high pressure to build over the area Wednesday through Thursday. A low pressure system will impact the area late week, followed by a return to high pressure over the weekend into early next week.

NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/. Today: We begin the day with temps significantly warmer than this time yesterday, with values that are already near or greater than the normal high. This is some 15-20F above climo, and is an indication that we're in store for an unseasonably warm December day.

In the big picture we find a broad mid and upper trough that covers southern Canada into the central and southern Plains of the United States, while a strong H5 5900 meter anticyclone is centered the northwest Bahamas. Our area lies within a deep southwest flow between these two large scale features. Meanwhile at the surface, a cold front that is aligned near the Appalachians as we begin the day, will be just upstream of our northwest tier by 00Z. Since the front is still outside the area through the day, we won't experience anything more than a few showers from Allendale County to Candler County after 4 or 5 pm.

The main weather story for today will be the unusually warm conditions in place ahead of the cold front. H85 temps climb to 13 or 14C, while H5 heights are as great as 5840-5850 meters. Both of these values are more than the 90th percentile for this time of year. Combined with the warm start, max temps will reach the upper 70s and lower 80s away from the immediate shoreline. These values will be near records for both the date and even for the warmest in the entire month of December (See CLIMATE section below). At the immediate coast, expect the marine influence to produce much cooler temperatures, and sea fog will lurking over or just offshore of the barrier islands.

Tonight: The cold front will be rather slow in passing through as it becomes oriented to the southwest flow aloft and continues to be impeded by deep ridging from Bermuda to Cuba. Plus the better dynamics will remain off to the north and northwest and the band of deep moisture that is along and behind the cold front shrinks with time. The front itself reaches near the coast by 04-06Z and then pushes into the ocean thereafter. Since the front is an ana-type cold front, the associated showers will occur mainly behind the front, with 40-50% PoP maintained in the forecast. While surface-based CAPE and instability is over the ocean, there is a little bit of elevated instability. Thus we can't rule out a little thunder and lightning in a few spots.

Sea fog will try to expand onshore prior to midnight, but as winds turn offshore late it would push any fog back offshore.

Warm conditions out ahead of the front will hold temps in the 60s through much of the night, but cold advection strengthens significantly late and continues into Wednesday morning. This results in actual lows that occur during the mid morning hours on Wednesday.

SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/. Strong high pressure will build in from the west on Wednesday behind a departing cold front. Models have backed off on precipitation coverage with drier air moving in, so besides a few showers in the morning, the remainder of the day should be mostly dry. Temperatures really won't move too much throughout the day with ongoing cold advection and an abundance of cloud cover. It will be several degrees cooler than previous days. Lows Wednesday night will be near normal.

High pressure will become wedged down the east side of the Appalachians on Thursday, as a coastal trough develops offshore. A tight pressure gradient between these two features will result in gusty northeast winds, primarily along the coast where gusts around 30 mph will be common. Otherwise, increasing isentropic ascent could support a couple showers, but a good bit of dry air in the mid and upper levels should keep coverage fairly limited through the daytime hours. Forecast continues to feature 20-30% rain chances in the afternoon. Another cool day in the wedge regime with highs topping out in the mid 50s.

High pressure will weaken Thursday night into Friday as low pressure lifts northeast out of the Gulf of Mexico and passes over or near the area. There are still inconsistencies between models regarding timing and the exact track of the low, but regardless, it appears to be a wet day as precipitable water values surge to near 1.5 inches and coincides with favorable large scale forcing from upper divergence and vort energy. Rain chances have been increased to around 70% and will likely need to be increased again in future forecast packages assuming trends hold. Pockets of moderate to heavy rainfall will be possible. Given uncertainty in track of the low, temperature forecast is a bit tricky. Current forecast shows highs ranging from the mid 50s inland to low 60s at the coast.

LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/. Models are in decent agreement through the long term period. Low pressure and associated rainfall is expected to be exiting the area Friday night into Saturday. High pressure will return in its wake, with dry conditions expected for the latter half of the weekend and early next week. Temperatures will generally be above normal.

AVIATION /13Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/. Satellite and observational trends, plus the latest guidance suggests that any flight restrictions will stay inland from KCHS this morning, but MVFR ceilings could brush KSAV through 15Z. Otherwise, VFR will prevail today into the first part of tonight before a cold front moves through and generates scattered -SHRA/SHRA, and MVFR or possible IFR conditions the last several hours of the 12Z TAF cycle. Gusty S-SW winds will peak around 20 kt, maybe even a little higher during the late morning and afternoon, with speeds getting a boost from the sea breeze.

Extended Aviation Outlook: Flight restrictions in ceilings could linger into Wednesday. Flight restrictions are then likely Thursday night through Friday as a low pressure system impacts the area. VFR is expected to return on Saturday.

MARINE. Today: The west-northwest periphery of extensive Atlantic high pressure will continue to hold back the next cold front from getting here . at least for the time being. S and SW winds will average 10 to 15 kt, with some higher gusts, while seas will be as large as 3 to 5 ft.

Tonight: It takes until after midnight before the front starts reaching the local waters, but it is past the entire marine area before daybreak Wednesday. S and SW winds of 10 to 15 kt ahead of the front will clock around to the W and drop several knots for a few hours as the isobar pattern becomes "baggy overnight. Winds then shift to the NW and increase a good 5 to 10 kt begins the front late. Seas will hold in the range of 3 to 5 ft. Showers and maybe even a couple of t-storms will occur in association with the front.

Sea Fog: Given the abnormally warm and humid air mass, conditions would appear favorable for sea fog. However, there is too much wind in the mixed layer today, so our latest forecast is showing just patchy fog. Winds will drop off enough for several hours prior to the frontal passage between about 11 pm and 3 am. This would be the prime time for any significant sea fog to occur. We have areas of dense fog in the forecast to account for this. As winds shift offshore in direction late the fog potential diminishes quickly before sunrise Wednesday.

Wednesday through Sunday: Marine conditions will deteriorate Wednesday into Thursday as strong high pressure builds into the area. We have issued Small Craft Advisories for all of the coastal waters due to increasing northeast winds and building seas. An Advisory is likely for the Charleston Harbor at some point as well, however it appears winds will not reach criteria until Wednesday night, so have held off on issuing for now. The worst conditions across the waters will occur late Wednesday night through Thursday, when gale-force gusts will be possible. Gale Watches and/or Warnings could be needed for at least portions of the waters. Conditions will improve on Friday, although advisories will persist as seas take a bit longer to subside. Low pressure will pass over or near the waters late week into early weekend, followed by a return to high pressure. No additional concerns are expected at this time.

TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING. Elevated tide cycles are expected late week due to increasing astronomical influences with the full moon on Thursday and strong northeasterly winds. Minor to moderate coastal flooding will be possible with the morning high tides Thursday through Saturday. Coastal Flood Advisories could be required. Also of note, if significant rainfall occurs around the morning high tides Friday and Saturday, the potential for flooding of poor drainage areas could increase along the coast.

CLIMATE. Record Maximum Temps for the month of December . KCHS . 83F set on December 11, 1972. KSAV . 83F, set multiple times, the last on December 24, 2015.

Record Maximum Temps December 10th . KCHS . 82F set in 1972. KCXM . 79F set in 1943. KSAV . 82F set in 1972.

Record High Minimum Temp December 10th . KCXM . 62F last set in 2012.

EQUIPMENT. KCLX will remain down until further notice.

CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES. GA . None. SC . None. MARINE . Small Craft Advisory from noon Wednesday to 4 PM EST Friday for AMZ352-354. Small Craft Advisory from noon Wednesday to 4 PM EST Saturday for AMZ374. Small Craft Advisory from 7 AM Wednesday to 4 AM EST Saturday for AMZ350.

NEAR TERM . SHORT TERM . SPR LONG TERM . AVIATION . MARINE . TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING . CLIMATE . EQUIPMENT .

---

Weather Reporting Stations

   EDIT       (on/off)   Help   NOTE: Click on distance to see the station location on a map

Stations	Dist	Age	Wind	Air Temp	Water Temp	Waves	Pressure	DewPt
NIWS1 - North Inlet-Winyah Bay Reserve, SC	26 mi	68 min	SSW 6	63°F			1017 hPa	61°F
41029 - Capers Nearshore (CAP 2)	35 mi	45 min	WSW 5.8 G 9.7	58°F	56°F		1019.5 hPa
CHTS1	39 mi	53 min	SSW 6 G 8	64°F	57°F		1018.6 hPa (+0.4)
FBIS1 - Folly Island, SC	45 mi	53 min	SW 6 G 7	60°F			1019.3 hPa (+0.7)	60°F
MROS1 - 8661070 - Springmaid Pier, SC	47 mi	53 min		57°F

Wind History for Charleston, SC

(wind in knots)    EDIT      (on/off)   Help

7 AM

8 AM

9 AM

10 AM

11 AM

12 PM

1 PM

2 PM

3 PM

4 PM

5 PM

6 PM

7 PM

8 PM

9 PM

10 PM

11 PM

12 AM

1 AM

2 AM

3 AM

4 AM

5 AM

6 AM

Last 24hr

NE4

NE4

NW4

N3

N2

S2

SE4

SE2 G5

SE7

E3

S4

SW4

SW6

SW7

SW7 G12

SW6 G10

SW7 G11

SW9 G12

SW11 G19

SW7

SW6 G9

SW5 G9

SW5 G8

SW6 G10

1 day ago

N11

N10

N10

N9

N5 G8

N8 G11

NW7 G11

N9

N9 G12

N6

N3

N4

N5 G8

NE7

NE6

N5

NE6 G9

NE6

NE5

NE5 G8

NE5

E7

NE7 G10

N4

2 days ago

N5

N5 G8

N6 G9

N11

N7

N7

NE7

NE9

E11

NE14

NE11

NE10

NE9

NE8

N8 G11

N8

N11

N10 G13

N11 G14

N12

N12

N10

N11 G14

N12 G15

---

Airport Reports

    EDIT      (on/off)   Help   Click EDIT to display multiple airports. Follow links for more data.

Airport	Dist	Age	Wind kt	Visibility	Sky/Weather	Temp	DewPt	Humidity	Pressure
Georgetown County Airport , SC	19 mi	58 min	SSW 6	10.00 mi	Fair	63°F	60°F	94%	1018.6 hPa
Moncks Corner Berkeley County, SC	21 mi	78 min	SW 7	7.00 mi	Overcast	64°F	62°F	94%	1017.6 hPa

Link to 5 minute data for KGGE

Wind History from GGE (wind in knots)

9 AM

10 AM

11 AM

12 PM

1 PM

2 PM

3 PM

4 PM

5 PM

6 PM

7 PM

8 PM

9 PM

10 PM

11 PM

12 AM

1 AM

2 AM

3 AM

4 AM

5 AM

6 AM

7 AM

8 AM

Last 24hr

Calm

Calm

Calm

Calm

Calm

Calm

Calm

S4

S5

S3

S4

SW4

S8

S6

S4

SW5

S8

SW5

SW6

SW5

S5

SW3

S6

S5

1 day ago

N6

NE5

NE6

N4

N7

N6

N7

N6

N6

N4

N5

N4

N3

Calm

N4

Calm

Calm

Calm

Calm

Calm

Calm

Calm

Calm

Calm

2 days ago

N4

N6

NE9

E9 G15

NE9

E10

E8

E6

E8

E5

NE3

Calm

NE6

NE7

NE6

NE6

NE7

NE6

NE6

NE6

NE7

NE4

N5

N4

---

Tide / Current Tables for Jamestown Bridge, Santee River, South Carolina

   EDIT   Weekend mode (on/off)   (on/off)   Help   One Week of Data

---

Tide / Current Tables for Pleasant Hill Landing, Santee River, South Carolina

   EDIT      (on/off)   Help   One Week of Data

---

Weather Map

       (on/off)   Help Weather Map

---

GEOS Local Image of    EDIT
NOTE: East coast views moved to GEOS-16. They are experimental and not well supported by NOAA so they may not be correct so be warned. This change required redoing a large amount of the GOES code. If the image you are expecting is not showing, please let me know. You may need to use the EDIT function to update your location.
Link to Loop

Other links: Northern Pacific     Contential US     Full GOES-East

---

Wind Forecast for Charleston, SC (7,2,3,4)

      (on/off)   Help

---

Ground Weather Radar Station Wilmington, NC

   (on/off)   Help

---

Cookie Policy: This webiste uses cookies to save your settings. No personal information is saved. You can disable cookies in your browser if you like but it is not recommended for this site. I do not sell cookies. Go to a bakery for that. In fact I do not sell anything. To disable cookies from L-36.com, please refer to the Help button in your browser. Privacy Policy: I do not sell or share any user data or anything else for that matter. I do not keep site logs longer than I need to to keep bad actors off the site. Basically, I delete them after looking at them. If you are subject to CCPA, Google ads on this site will not be based on your past behavior so you will likely not see an ad for a lawn mower just because you looked for one at a big box website. I do not believe this site is subject to CCPA but I am doing what I can to follow the guidelines anyway. Disclaimer: The information on this web site has not been checked for accuracy. It is for entertainment purposes only and should be independently verified before using for any other reason. There are five sources. 1) Documents and manuals from a variety of sources. These have not been checked for accuracy and in many cases have not even been read by anyone associated with L-36.com. I have no idea of they are useful or accurate, I leave that to the reader. 2) Articles others have written and submitted. If you have questions on these, please contact the author. 3) Articles that represent my personal opinions. These are intended to promote thought and for entertainment. These are not intended to be fact, they are my opinions. 4) Small programs that generate result presented on a web page. Like any computer program, these may and in some cases do have errors. Almost all of these also make simplifying assumptions so they are not totally accurate even if there are no errors. Please verify all results. 5) Weather information is from numerious of sources and is presented automatically. It is not checked for accuracy either by anyone at L-36.com or by the source which is typically the US Government. See the NOAA web site for their disclaimer. Finally, tide and current data on this site is from 2007 and 2008 data bases, which may contain even older data. Changes in harbors due to building or dredging change tides and currents and for that reason many of the locations presented are no longer supported by newer data bases. For example, there is very little tidal current data in newer data bases so current data is likely wrong to some extent. This data is NOT FOR NAVIGATION. See the XTide disclaimer for details. In addition, tide and current are influenced by storms, river flow, and other factors beyond the ability of any predictive program.