Headed to the beach this week? Here’s when Lowcountry weather may dampen your plans
If there’s one thing you can bet on this week, it’s rain.
Expect scattered summer showers typical to the Lowcountry throughout the next few days, but meteorologists say Beaufort County likely won’t see the intensity of storms it did last week.
Heavy rainfall and crashing thunderstorms that brought inches of rain last week aren’t the usual weather pattern Beaufort County sees during the summer, Rebecca Shaw, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Charleston, said. She pointed to an increased moistness in the atmosphere that was behind the storms.
“You can’t rule out the typical summertime heavy rainfall,” Shaw warned, adding that the daily deluges appear to be over for the time being.
Another round of pummeling rainfall and storms could come through Beaufort County this weekend, Shaw said. But as weather tends to go, the week’s definitive forecast is still up in the air.
On Monday, the National Weather Service alerted the county of “abundant showers and storms” expected to move across the area in the afternoon and through the evening and potential flooding in low-lying or poorly drained areas. Shaw warned that, with this week’s higher tides, coastal flooding is possible.
For beach-goers, Shaw said to watch out for lightning and rip currents.
If caught in a rip current, the National Weather Service urges people to relax and float. Don’t swim against the current, the center warns. If a person is able to swim, it should be in a direction following the shoreline.
Active alerts from the National Weather Service can be found at weather.gov/alerts.
Beaufort County forecast
Monday: Possible showers and thunderstorms after 10 a.m., with a 40% chance of precipitation. High near 84. Low near 73.
Tuesday: A 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. New rainfall amounts between a quarter- and half-inch possible. High near 89 with heat index values as high as 102. Low around 76.
Wednesday: After 2 p.m., a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms. High near 92 and low around 76.
Thursday: Showers and thunderstorms likely after 2 p.m. and before 8 p.m., with a 60% chance of precipitation. A possible a thunderstorm between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m., then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 a.m. High near 89 with a low around 73.
Friday: A 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms. High near 86. Low around 73.
Saturday: A 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Thirty-percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening. High near 86. Low around 75.
Sunday: A 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms. High near 86.
