Mid-Week Severe Weather Threat

By early Wednesday morning the storm system will begin moving from the Gulf of Mexico into the southeastern US. A warm front will bring plenty of low level moisture into the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry as well as some milder air. As the main area of low pressure gets closer, our winds should begin to pick up out of the east or the southeast. A gale watch has been posted for the waters off the Georgia and South Carolina coasts for expected winds of 25-35 knots (30-40 mph). Those strong onshore winds may combine with a higher than normal tide (due to the full moon) to create some coastal flooding with Wednesday morning's high tide. The tide should peak around 7:30 am for the Savannah River, but any flooding could linger for several hours after that.


Rain showers may begin as early as Tuesday night; by Wednesday morning most of us will have seen periods of light to moderate rain. The main area of low pressure will continue moving towards the Appalachains on Wednesday afternoon. We'll see breezy south or southeast surface winds at that time and stronger winds higher in the atmosphere will create a large amount of wind shear. This will make it possible for any thunderstorms that get going Wednesday afternoon to rotate.


The main threat with these storms will be damaging straight line winds and heavy rain as well as isolated tornadoes. Storm Team 3 will have the latest updates on WSAV-TV and wsav.com should any severe thunderstorms or flooding develop. The upper level energy that could support these types of storms will be lifting in the Ohio River Valley by Wednesday night. The storms should lose their intensity and the rain should come to an end overnight at the latest.


As skies begin clearing our winds will shift around to the north. That will bring in some cooler air for the end of the week. By Friday highs should only make it into the upper 50s and lower 60s. Overnight temps should be in the 30s with the possibility of some 20s for inland areas.