640  
FXUS62 KCHS 122127  
AFDCHS  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC  
527 PM EDT TUE MAY 12 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED  
 
THE HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK KEY MESSAGE WAS REMOVED.  
THE AVIATION SECTION WAS UPDATED FOR THE 13/00Z TAFS.  
AN EQUIPMENT SECTION WAS ADDED TO ADDRESS KCLX MAINTENANCE.  
 
 
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- 1) A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE REGION ON THURSDAY  
USHERING DRY CONDITIONS WITH TEMPERATURES NEAR AND/OR ABOVE NORMAL  
THROUGH THE WEEKEND.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
KEY MESSAGE 1: A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE REGION ON  
THURSDAY USHERING DRY CONDITIONS WITH TEMPERATURES NEAR AND/OR ABOVE  
NORMAL THROUGH THE WEEKEND.  
 
AS A MID-LVL TROUGH SWEEPS DOWN FROM THE GREAT LAKES TOWARDS THE MID-  
ATLANTIC ON WEDNESDAY EVENING INTO THURSDAY, AN ASSOCIATED WEAK COLD  
FRONT WILL TRAVERSE ACROSS THE REGION ON THURSDAY MORNING. LINGERING  
MOISTURE (PWATS NEAR 1.2 TO 1.5 INCHES) COMBINED WITH WEAK CYCLONIC  
FLOW ALOFT ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE AFOREMENTIONED MID-LVL TROUGH  
PASSING OVERHEAD WILL LIKELY YIELD ISOLATED LIGHT SHOWERS ON  
WEDNESDAY ACROSS SOUTHEAST GEORGIA. THIS WEAK COLD FRONT SHOULD BE  
ACCOMPANIED WITH VERY LITTLE RAINFALL (IF ANY) AND WILL PUSH DRIER  
THAN NORMAL WEATHER CONDITIONS INTO THE SOUTHEAST. FORECAST NOTES RH  
VALUES FALLING INTO CRITICAL VALUES (25-30%) AWAY FROM THE COASTLINE  
ON THURSDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND, HOWEVER WIND SPEEDS WILL NOT BE  
BREEZY ENOUGH TO RAISE FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS. TEMPERATURES WILL  
REACH INTO THE LOW TO MID 80S ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, FOLLOWED BY  
TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 80S TO LOW 90S ON SATURDAY.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /20Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/  
 
13/00Z TAF DISCUSSION:  
KCHS/KJZI: VFR THROUGH 14/00Z. A BRIEF PERIOD OF CIGS NEAR  
MVFR LEVELS COULD APPROACH KJZI OVERNIGHT, BUT DATA SUPPORT  
KEEPING THESE SOUTH OF THE TERMINAL.  
 
KSAV: LIGHT RAINS WILL LINGER ALONG/SOUTH OF I-16 THROUGH THE  
NIGHT. THANKFULLY, NO MEANINGFUL IMPACTS ARE EXPECTED WITH DRIER  
AIR KEEPING LIKELY KEEPING VSBYS AT THE TERMINAL VFR IN THE  
RAIN. THERE ARE MIXED SIGNALS IF CIGS WILL BUILD DOWN TO MVFR  
OVERNIGHT. OBSERVATIONS TO THE SOUTH SUGGEST CIGS WILL LIKELY  
APPROACH, BUT NOT DROP, INTO MVFR.  
 
EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK: THERE IS A RISK OF FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS  
ASSOCIATED WITH THE PASSAGE OF COLD FRONT WEDNESDAY INTO  
THURSDAY MORNING.  
 
 
   
MARINE  
 
WINDS HAVE DROPPED ENOUGH IN THE CHARLESTON HARBOR TO ALLOW THE  
ADVISORY TO EXPIRE THERE AT 6 PM.  
 
THROUGH TONIGHT: SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES AS BREEZY EAST-  
NORTHEASTERLY WINDS PERSIST BEHIND THE COLD FRONT. EAST-  
SOUTHEASTERLY SWELL CONTINUES TO BUILD INTO THE LOCAL WATERS  
THROUGH THE REST OF THE EVENING WITH SEAS RANGING FROM 5 TO 7 FT  
ACROSS THE NEARSHORE WATERS (0-20 NM) AND 6 TO 8 FT ACROSS THE  
OUTER GEORGIA WATERS (20-60 NM). MARINE CONDITIONS WILL  
GRADUALLY IMPROVE LATE TONIGHT AS THE HIGH PRESSURE SHIFTS  
OFFSHORE. THE SCA FOR THE CHARLESTON HARBOR WILL END AT 6PM, AND  
THEN THE NEARSHORE WATERS LATE TONIGHT.  
 
WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY: EXPECT A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM TO  
DEVELOP OFFSHORE ON WEDNESDAY, HOWEVER VERY MINIMAL MARINE  
IMPACTS WILL OCCUR FROM THIS. THE REMAINING SCA ACROSS THE OUTER  
GEORGIA WATERS WILL HOLD ON UNTIL WEDNESDAY EARLY AFTERNOON AS  
SOME 6 FOOTERS LINGER. A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP OVER THE  
WATERS ON THURSDAY MORNING, AND THEN HIGH PRESSURE WILL PREVAIL  
THEREAFTER.  
 
RIP CURRENTS: THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS  
WEDNESDAY AT ALL BEACHES AS THE COMBINATION OF STRONG TO GUSTY  
NORTHEASTERLY WINDS AND ELEVATED SEAS WILL YIELD AN INCREASED  
THREAT OF RIP CURRENTS. COMPARING THE PARAMETERS TO A COUPLE  
DIFFERENT MODELS AND TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE OBSERVATIONS SEEN  
FROM TODAY, THE RISK FOR THE SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA BEACHES  
WAS INCREASED FROM A LOW TO MODERATE RISK FOR TOMORROW. THE  
MODERATE RISK FOR THE SOUTHEAST GEORGIA BEACHES WAS MAINTAINED,  
HOWEVER THE RCMOS WAS SUGGESTING SOME INDICATION THAT THERE  
COULD BE A NEED FOR A HIGH RISK TOMORROW. THIS WILL NEED TO BE  
RE-EVALUATED OVERNIGHT. THERE IS A LOW RISK OF RIP CURRENTS FOR  
THURSDAY.  
 
 
   
EQUIPMENT  
 
THE KCLX RADAR REMAINS OFFLINE FOR MAINTENANCE.  
 
USERS OF KCLX RADAR DATA ARE URGED TO USE ADJACENT WSR-88D SITES  
WHICH ALSO COVER MUCH OF SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA, SOUTHEAST  
GEORGIA AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. THESE INCLUDE:  
 
KCAE - COLUMBIA, SC  
KLTX - WILMINGTON, NC  
KJAX - JACKSONVILLE, FL  
KVAX - MOODY AFB, GA  
KJGX - ROBBINS AFB, GA  
 
 
   
CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
GA...HIGH RISK FOR RIP CURRENTS UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR GAZ217-  
219-239-241.  
SC...NONE.  
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 3 AM EDT WEDNESDAY FOR AMZ360-362.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 AM EDT WEDNESDAY FOR AMZ364.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM EDT WEDNESDAY FOR AMZ384.  
 
 
 
 
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