A beautiful week for golf, an ‘above average’ summer

The weather forecast for Monday through Sunday will be music to the ears of anyone attending RBC Heritage this week.

Arguably most importantly, it’s not supposed to rain, Meteorologist Neil Dixon with the National Weather Service in Charleston said Sunday morning. The week is expected to be sunny or mostly sunny every day with little to no wind, he said. The mornings will likely start out around 60 degrees with highs later in the day ranging from 75 to 80 throughout the week.

“There will be no gusting winds like we saw last week,” Dixon said. “We’re going to have some really great springtime weather.”

The light southeast winds during the days are expected to be around 5 mph and even less in the evenings, he said. The weekend, particularly Sunday, might bring some more cloud coverage, but there’s still time for that to change, he said.

Looking ahead

Spring and summer in the Lowcountry this year are expected to have above average temperatures, following suit with the last few seasons, Dixon said.

“The warm weather should continue for much of the East Coast and the Deep South,” he said on Sunday. Long-range forecasts show an approximate 50 percent chance of above-average temperatures for the East Coast and Deep South with only two to three days of cooler weather breaking up long stretches on heat.

The average temperature for mid-April is 63 degrees and the average for mid-June is 82, Dixon said. Above average temperatures are forecast to continue through 2018, with the exception of spring 2018, he said.

Tornado season

“We’re at the peak of tornadic activity, actually, for our region,” Dixon said on Sunday, but Beaufort County hasn’t been hit so far.

Neighboring Hampton County was hit by a “0” ranked tornado on Monday afternoon just east of the town of Gifford, according to the National Weather Service. Dixon said the tornado went through a grove of trees and didn’t cause any property damage.

Tornado season dies down in the summer and shows up again in the late fall and early winter with strong cold front winds, Dixon said. Tornadoes could also show up along with any tropical storms or hurricanes that make their way through the region.

Hurricane season

Last year’s hurricane season had slightly more activity that normal, Dixon said. The season typically lasts from June to October in this area.

Official forecasts pertaining to the upcoming hurricane season will be published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration next month, Dixon said. At this point, the National Weather Service has no official predictions for the number or severity of storms that Lowcountry residents might expect.

This story was originally published April 9, 2017 at 4:09 PM with the headline "A beautiful week for golf, an ‘above average’ summer."