Enjoy the next few days of sunshine and highs in the lower to mid 90′s.  The week ahead looks good and slightly above normal which is around 90 for this time of the year. 

As we head towards the weekend, the chance of a couple of hit and miss afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms will be back with us at around 20%, depending on small pieces of energy that may move on through.

By the way, the water temperature is sitting at around 85 degrees and feels good when you drop into it.  I was out on the “Splash & Dash” over the weekend and had the opportunity to swim a bit and it feels pretty nice.  Lots of boaters on the water.  I tied up for some lunch and had to “raft” the boat with a few others.  It’s kind of like double parking on the water.  That was an interesting evolution because if you’re inside, you have to move two or three other boats out when you want to leave.  Pretty eazy really, but takes a few hands and it’s a bit tricky.  Good news is that most boaters are glad to help out.  Shem Creek is a nice place to grab lunch on the boat.

Look for fireworks weather to be okay at this point.  We’ll keep an eye for those evening showers as we get closer to the night of the 4th.

The tropics are quiet and remain so at this point.  Not much going on, but we’ll keep a close eye on it everyday. 

Have a great and safe 4th holiday this week and weekend.  I hope you can join us on the evening broadcasts and back before you go to bed at 11.

Bill

Last nights storms produced winds in excess of 50 mph, hail, heavy rain, and one confirmed tornado.  The National Weather Service in Charleston investigated storm damage in the Hanahan area and confirmed that a tornado touched down around 6:45 pm Saturday.  It was a weak tornado, EF-0 on the enhanced Fujita scale.  Winds were estimated between 70 and 85 mph.  It was on the ground for approximately a quarter of a mile and was about 40 yards wide.  The tornado touched down over Turkey Creek and moved along East Recess Road before dissipating near Dennis Drive.

While tornadoes aren’t completely uncommon around here, it is still fascinating when they occur.  Thankfully no one was injured , but there was some property damage in Hanahan as well as other parts of the Lowcountry.

The heat will continue to grip the area as we wrap up the month of June.  Looks like temperatures will remain in the 90′s all week with just a slight chance for afternoon storms.  Have a great week everyone and stay cool !!

Brad

Well, once again we’re looking at very high tides.  The reason is because of the gravitational pull between the moon and the earth.  Here’s a good explanation from our friends at Wikipedia: 

The moon is the primary source of the gravitational forces which cause the tides. The proximity of the moon in relation to the earth does have an effect on the range of the tides at any given time. In each of its 28-day elliptical orbits, the moon reaches a “perigee,” its closest point of approach to the earth. During these periods, there will be a slight increase in the average range of tides. The increases in the range of the tides is seen by a slightly higher than average high tide, as well as a slightly lower than average low tide. Additionally, twice each month, around the times of the new moon and full moon, when the earth, sun, and moon are nearly in line, there is an increase in the average range of the tides. These are called “spring tides.” Three or four times a year, the occurrence of a new or full moon will coincide with the “perigee” of the moon, which Mr. Wood has termed the “perigean spring tides”.

So, bottom line, is that we’re going to see the higher tides but the good news is that we have no rain to add to the problem.  We’ve had these tides with rain and an “on shore” flow coming off the ocean which just adds to the problem.  Thankfully, we don’t have that tonight.

We’ll keep you posted on the tides tonight on the broadcast.

Special shout out to my friend and editor John Barnhardt.  Together we produced a special series on D-Day shot on location in France for the news which ran here on Channel 5 and on The Weather Channel.  We just found out that it won a TELLY Award which is a nice tribute to the work which could not have been done without John’s amazing skill in the edit room.

I hope you can join us for tonight’s early evening broadcasts and again before you go to bed at 11.

It’s nice this time of year to see “No Development Expected” on the Tropical Weather Outlook each and every day. Today is no different!

(Image Courtesy: NOAA/NHC)

There is one area in the southwest Gulf of Mexico that the NHC has been watching as it heads toward the Mexico coast. It is too close to land to be a big threat and is not expected to become a developed system. There is an old frontal boundary over the Bahamas that has shown some activity with storms developing along it but we still don’t show any development there on our forecast models. Should be another quiet few days ahead across the Atlantic Basin.

Here at home we will be warm and muggy..check the forecast on our main weather page at live5news.com.

We have added a new feature there as well…It’s called “My 5″. It allows you to now send us your pictures, video and other multimedia when you see breaking news, weather or anything fun. All it takes is one click and you become part of the Live 5 Nation!  Check it out and make My 5 part of your day!

See ya on the air!

Chad Watson
Live 5 Meteorologist

Summer has arrived here in the Lowcountry….officially!  It’s been feeling a lot like summer the last week or so; now it really is the season of fun.

More heat this week with hazy sunshine and highs in the 90′s.  We’ll warm by the weekend into the lower to mid 90′s.

Big tall ship festival coming this weekend at the Maritime Center in downtown.  I think 18 tall ships will be in port for tours and to marvel at.  Take some time this weekend if you’re a fan of sailing or boating.  Should be a neat end of the week. 

Busy working for both the Air Force and Channel 5 this week and look forward to some neat days ahead. 

I hope you can join us for tonight’s evening broadcasts and then before you go to bed at 11. 

Bill

Well, summer officially begins tomorrow, but we’ve had a taste of mid summer heat the past few days.  And after all that rain the past few weeks, the humidity has been just about unbearable.  While this mini heat wave should break by Monday, normal highs are near 90, so its not like we’re going to see a dramatic cool down anytime soon.  So the summer solstice begins at 1:45 AM on Sunday, but to us here in the south, its just means its the day with the most amount of daylight.  We all know summer began back in late April when the thermometer hit 90 for the first time.  Sunrise on Sunday is 6:12 am and sunset is 8:32 pm – 14 hours and 20 minutes of daylight – Enjoy and Happy Fathers Day.  Here’s the forecast…

The hottest weather for 2009 will continue into our Father’s Day Sunday.  Highs will be in the upper 90′s with just a slight chance for an afternoon storm.  The heat index will once again climb above 100 degrees so a heat advisory is in effect from 11 am – 8 pm.  A weak cold front will pass through the area Sunday night dropping our high temperatures to the lower 90′s for Monday and Tuesday with still a 20% chance of showers or thunderstorms. Have a great Sunday and stay cool !!

Brad

Heavy rain, damaging winds, hail, and remarkable light shows  have been the deal the last few nights.  Thunderstorms have pelted the area since Tuesday and Mother Nature has provided us with some vivid lightning.  Not very common for us to see so many storms in successive nights, and we could see more as we head into Monday.  The heat and humidity will of course continue, but we need some time to dry out.  My yard has turned into a swamp and I’m not sure when I’ll be able to mow the lawn.  I’ve been hearing that a lot, and hopefully we’ll get a dry Sunday.  Here’s the forecast…

Looks like hazy and muggy weather will continue for the remainder of the weekend.  It will be a hot Sunday as high temperatures reach into the low to mid 90′s.  Can’t rule out a few pop up storms, but most areas will stay dry.  A cold front will sag towards the area for the start of the work week and will provide the focus for more scattered thunderstorms, especially during the afternoon.  Temperatures will be a bit lower with highs expected to be near 90 and overnight lows in the low 70′s.  Have a great Sunday !!

Brad

Well….summer is just about here and the weather is feeling like it.  Normal high is about 88 degrees and we’ve seen plenty of low 90′s inland over the last few days.

Look for a warm end of the week with highs in the lower 90′s and a few isolated showers and thunderstorms back inland mainly.

I had a great opportunity to visit the USS FREEDOM during its port call here in Charleston.  My thanks to the captain and crew of this great new ship.  It’s a fast surface ship and new design.  A real look at the future of our Navy ships as the design becomes more automated with high tech goodies.

Don’t forget the “BIG SWITCH” this Friday morning at 6 a.m.!  We’ll turn off our analog signal and continue to broadcast only in digital.  This means if you watch on cable or satellite or have a new TV, no problem.  But, if you use an antenna and get the signal off the air, you’ll need a converter box.  Our webchannel has all the information…just click on THE BIG SWITCH.

I’ll be live with Bill Burr as we flip the switch on Friday morning at 6 a.m. and I hope you can join us there.  We’ll be broadcasting from our transmitter site in Awendaw.

Well, time to get the maps together and I hope you can also join us for tonight’s shows. 

Bill

(Image Courtesy: NOAA/NHC)

The weather may be active around here but the tropics are still nice and quiet and show no signs of development over the next few days. Hopefully it stays this way for the rest of the month! Hope you are taking the time we have while it is quiet to get your storm preps finished up and ready for the season.

Have a great Wednesday!

Chad Watson
Live 5 Meteorologist

After a very tropical weather pattern with on and off showers over the last few weeks, we’ll finally start to see more summer temperatures this week.  Look for highs in the lower 90′s on Tuesday and even some mid 90′s by the middle and end of the week.  There will still be a slight chance of a few showers during the afternoon which is typical of this time of year with the sea breeze.

Our hurricane survival guides are out and will be in all the Harris Teeter stores, SCE&G locations and Community First Banks.  Once again we bring you the most comprehensive guide to dealing with hurricanes and tropical weather strikes.  We also have them right here at channel 5 on Charlie Hall Blvd.

Hope you have a great week.  We’ll be here at 4,5,6,7, 10 (FOX 24) and 11 to keep you updated and I hope you can join us for tonight’s broadcast.

Bill