Patchy fog was possible in portions of the Lowcountry on Thursday, with skies expected to clear and turn mostly sunny. The main near-term change is Friday, when showers are forecast and thunderstorms are possible as a weak front moves through.
Friday Rain, With Local Drainage in Mind
The forecast calls for a high near 80 degrees Friday. The National Weather Service Charleston discussion describes a weak front and says a few heavier pockets of rain are possible, while the severe-weather threat appears low. The forecast does not establish that flooding or severe weather will occur.
Heavy rain has caused serious local impacts in the past, but those events are not predictions for Friday. The South Carolina State Climatology Office’s account of the separate October 2015 historic flood records street closures on Charleston’s peninsula and water entering homes near Charlestown Landing. In a different event, a City of Charleston update following an overnight storm in June 2021 reported several inches of rain and 17 roads closed due to flooding.
The City of Charleston cautions that areas outside FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas can still have local drainage problems or other unmapped flood hazards. Its TIDEeye tool also explains that tides can affect how quickly stormwater drains through many city outfalls; this is general drainage context, not a forecast of tidal flooding Friday. If conditions change, NWS Charleston lists flash-flood and severe-thunderstorm warnings as separate local alert products.
A Sunnier Weekend Is Forecast
A Sunnier Weekend Is Forecast
