593  
FXUS62 KCHS 041745  
AFDCHS  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC  
1245 PM EST SUN JAN 4 2026  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
HIGH PRESSURE WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE REGION MOST OF THIS WEEK,  
BRINGING DRY CONDITIONS AND ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES. A COLD  
FRONT MAY BRING SHOWERS AND COLDER TEMPERATURES TO OUR AREA  
NEXT WEEKEND.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/
 
 
THIS AFTERNOON: WEAK SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS THE COASTAL PLAIN  
OF NORTH CAROLINA AND SOUTH CAROLINA HAS ALLOWED FOR DRIER AIR TO  
FILTER INTO THE REGION WITH SKIES CLEARING FROM NORTHEAST TO  
SOUTHWEST. EXPECT HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 50S ACROSS THE  
TRICOUNTY AND LOWER 60S OVER SOUTHEAST GEORGIA.  
 
TONIGHT: SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE FROM THIS AFTERNOON WILL MOVE OFF OF  
THE MID-ATLANTIC COAST OF THE UNITED STATES WITH A WEAK COASTAL  
TROUGH FORMING. IN THE UPPER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE, A 80 - 100 KT  
JET STREAK WILL TRANSITION EAST BRINGING WIDESPREAD CIRRUS AND CLOUD  
COVER TO THE REGION. THE MAIN IMPACT FROM THE CIRRUS WILL BE THE  
SLIGHTLY WARMER LOW TEMPERATURES. HOWEVER, DECOUPLING WILL LIKELY  
STILL OCCUR WITH TEMPERATURES FALLING QUICKLY. THE TWO MAIN  
QUESTIONS ARE HOW FAST WILL THE CIRRUS ARRIVE AND HOW THICK WILL IT  
BE. THE ORIENTATION OF THE UPPER LEVEL JET STREAK WOULD FAVOR THE  
THICKEST CIRRUS ACROSS GEORGIA AND BORDER REGIONS WITH SOUTH  
CAROLINA. LOW TEMPERATURES ARE GENERALLY EXPECTED TO BE IN THE LOWER  
40S WITH SOME UPPER 30S (ESPECIALLY ACROSS RURAL BERKELEY  
COUNTY).  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
 
 
THE MID-LEVELS WILL CONSIST OF WEST NORTHWEST FLOW OVERHEAD MONDAY  
MORNING. IT'LL TRANSITION TO ZONAL FLOW ON TUESDAY, AND PREVAIL INTO  
WEDNESDAY. AT THE SURFACE, HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE CENTERED OFF THE  
MID- ATLANTIC COAST MONDAY, GRADUALLY SHIFTING FURTHER OFFSHORE INTO  
TUESDAY. AT THAT TIME, HIGH PRESSURE WILL DEVELOP OVER THE  
NORTHEASTERN GULF, AND PREVAIL INTO WEDNESDAY. THIS SECOND HIGH WILL  
SERVE AS A BLOCKING FEATURE, WHICH WILL KEEP A PASSING FRONT WELL  
NORTH OF OUR AREA ON WEDNESDAY. THE ONLY HINT OF SHOWERS IN THE LAND  
FORECAST IS ALONG THE COAST OF CHARLESTON COUNTY MONDAY EVENING, AS  
SOME COASTAL SHOWERS TRY TO BRUSH AGAINST THE BEACHES. BUT EVEN THEN  
THE POPS ARE SLIGHT CHANCE WITH VERY MINIMAL QPF. THE OVERWHELMING  
MAJORITY OF LAND AREAS WILL BE DRY MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT.  
SUBSIDENCE ASSOCIATED WITH THE HIGHS WILL KEEP OUR ENTIRE AREA DRY  
TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. THOUGH, WE CAN EXPECT A MIX OF SUN AND CLOUDS  
EACH DAY. THE MAIN STORY WILL BE THE ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES.  
HIGHS ON MONDAY WILL BE IN THE MID TO UPPER 60S ACROSS MOST OF OUR  
AREA, EXCEPT AROUND 70 DEGREES SOUTH OF I-16. TEMPERATURES RISE A  
FEW DEGREES ON TUESDAY, AND AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY. BY WEDNESDAY WE'RE  
FORECASTING HIGHS IN THE LOW TO MID 70S, EXCEPT COOLER AT THE  
BEACHES. LOWS MONDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT WILL REMAIN VERY MILD FOR  
THIS TIME OF YEAR.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/
 
 
MID-LEVEL ZONAL FLOW WEDNESDAY NIGHT WILL TRANSITION TO RIDGING OVER  
THE EAST COAST ON THURSDAY, MAINLY IN RESPONSE TO A STRENGTHENING  
TROUGH OVER THE CENTRAL U.S. THE APPROACHING TROUGH WILL PUSH THE  
RIDGE OFFSHORE FRIDAY. THEN, THIS VERY STRONG TROUGH WILL MOVE OVER  
THE EAST COAST SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL  
PREVAIL ACROSS OUR REGION INTO THURSDAY, THEN SHIFT OFFSHORE ON  
FRIDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN WELL ABOVE NORMAL BOTH OF THESE  
DAY. A STRONG STORM SYSTEM WITH AN ASSOCIATED FRONT MAY IMPACT OUR  
AREA SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, BRINGING RAIN AND COLDER TEMPERATURES.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/
 
 
TODAY AND TONIGHT: MORNING CEILING AND VISIBILITY RESTRICTIONS HAVE  
SINCE COME TO AN END AS MIXING HAS ALLOWED ALL TERMINALS TO NOW GO  
VFR. COMPLETE CLEARING WILL OCCUR BY LATER THIS AFTERNOON AT ALL  
TERMINALS, BUT THIS WILL BE TRANSIENT AS AN UPPER LEVEL JET STREAK  
APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. WIDESPREAD CIRRUS WILL THICKEN OVERNIGHT,  
BUT ALL TERMINALS WILL REMAIN VFR WITH NO PRECIPITATION  
FORECAST.  
 
EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK: VFR THROUGH THURSDAY. AN APPROACHING COLD  
FRONT COULD BRING INCREASED PROBABILITIES FOR FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS  
LATER FRIDAY.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
TODAY: NORTHERLY WINDS VEERING FROM THE NORTHEAST THIS MORNING AS  
WEAK SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS ACROSS COASTAL NORTH CAROLINA AND  
SOUTH CAROLINA. WIND GUSTS UP TO 15 KTS THIS MORNING WITH NORTHEAST  
FLOW SLACKENING THIS AFTERNOON AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT RELAXES.  
SEAS 3 TO 5 FT DECREASING 2 TO 4 FT.  
 
TONIGHT: NORTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 10 KT WITH SEAS 2 TO 4 FT.  
 
EXTENDED MARINE: HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE CENTERED OFF THE MID-ATLANTIC  
COAST MONDAY, GRADUALLY SHIFTING FURTHER OFFSHORE INTO TUESDAY. AT  
THAT TIME, HIGH PRESSURE WILL DEVELOP OVER THE NORTHEASTERN GULF,  
AND PREVAIL INTO WEDNESDAY. THIS SECOND HIGH WILL KEEP A FRONT WELL  
NORTH OF OUR COASTAL WATERS. THURSDAY THE HIGH SHIFTS OFF THE  
SOUTHEAST COAST. EVEN WITH ALL OF THESE SYNOPTIC FEATURES, WINDS AND  
SEAS WILL REMAIN AT LEVELS THAT SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES ARE NOT  
EXPECTED.  
 

 
   
CLIMATE
 
 
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES:  
JANUARY 9:  
KSAV: 77/2008  
 
RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURES:  
JANUARY 9:  
KCHS: 58/1946  
 

 
   
CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
GA...NONE.  
SC...NONE.  
MARINE...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
NEAR TERM...HAINES  
SHORT TERM...  
LONG TERM...  
AVIATION...HAINES  
MARINE...HAINES  
 
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