The sun finally poked out for a few hours today, but it made it rather uncomfortable with the humidity. Tropical Storm Fay continues to slowly move west along the panhandle of Florida. It is forecast to continue to weaken and will most likely be a depression by Sunday. Heavy rain will continue across the deep south for the next few days, but it looks like our rain chances will slowly decrease by midweek. There will still be some deep tropical moisture in place around our area, so afternoon thunderstorms will remain in the forecast with highs in the mid to upper 80s.

We continue to watch the tropics very carefully as we may have our next depression in the Caribbean by early next week. The next name on the list by the way is Gustav.

Well that’s about it for today. We’ll chat some more on Sunday as we head into the last week of August (can you believe it).

Have a great Sunday !!

Back to work this morning and back to the forecast, which in the days ahead, looks wet for us here in the Lowcountry with milder temps. As we watch rain for us, we are also looking to the east, across the Atlantic as trouble in the tropics may be brewing. So far this season it has been very active and the question now become is Fay or even Gustav not far away? There are several areas that we are watching closely so lets take a look.

Invest 92:

(Computer forecast model - Invest 92 - Courtesy: Weather Underground)

We are closely monitoring “Invest 92″ in the central Atlantic this morning. The wave has been fairly disorganized over the past few days but has shown a trend of becoming better organized over the past 12 hours or so. The latest satellite pics show tunderstorms increasing around the center of a broad, elongated circulation. The big question is what becmomes of “92″? I do believe that this system does develop and becomes a depression in the next day or so and eventually a Tropical Storm by mid-week. This most likely will become “Fay”. The forecast path is the next question which has us paying close attention. The composite image above shows a definite threat to the Lesser Antillies by the middle of the week. Several of the intensity models grow “92″ to a tropical storm by then, with the GFS being the most agressive, taking it to a hurricane in three days. This track forecast is very similar to paths that have led to strikes on the U.S. coastline. Where, you ask? Too early to tell even if or when…the system has to develop first, then have a few days for the forecast models to work with it, then we may have a good idea. However, this path combined with climatology would mean that the folks in South Florida and the Gulf of Mexico could be looking at a Hurricane in the area by late in the weekend. More to come on “92″.

Cape Verde Wave:

(Infrared Eastern Atlantic Satellite - Image Courtesy: NOAA/NHC)

The National Hurricane Center is watching a very strong tropical wave that just moved off the coast of Africa yesterday and is now south of the Cape Verde Islands. All the forecast models have been grabbing on to this system and agressively developing it over the next few days. I do expect this system to quickly organize and become a depression and then a tropical storm. The wave is at a very low latitude and should cross the Atlantic in a few days and may eventually pose a threat to the Lesser Antillies by the first of next week. This wave bears watching as it has the potential to become a strong hurricane with winds aloft favorable for development and plenty of warm water ahead of it. Time will tell and we will be watching!

The bottom line is that the U.S. may have two separate tropical systems to deal with in the coming days…something now to prepare for. The peak of the season is approaching…

We will have updates here often every day so check back often…

Chad Watson
Live 5 Meteorologist

Not much change in the forecast for Monday.  We’ll see a day much like we saw on Sunday with highs in the low 90s.  Rain chances increase considerably on Tuesday and Wednesday, so pack the umbrella in the car tomorrow, that way you don’t forget on Tuesday. 

The tropics are becoming a little more interesting.  We are watching a series of waves move west across the central Atlantic and all have the potential to become a tropical depression in the next few days.  We will continue to monitor the tropics each day and remember you can get an update at any time.  Just go the LIVE5NEWS.com and click on the Hurricane Center.  Also, don’t forget the Live 5 Hurricane Hotline - 402-5800.

What a great finish today to the PGA Championship.  Padraig Harrington came from behind to win his second major in a row.  That was the final major of 2008 and golf fans are already looking forward to next year’s Masters and hoping Tiger is back, I know I am. 

That’s it for today.  Catch us tonight on the FOX 24 News at 10 and of course Live 5 News at 11.  J. Chad is back in the morning followed by Bill and Scott in the afternoon.  Have a great Monday and keep an eye on the tropics.

Ahh, finally a well deserved break from the humidity.  After the hottest week of the year we have much drier air that continues to push into the Lowcountry.  While it will remain on the hot side, at least it won’t be as uncomfortable.  Our pleasant summer weather will last through at least Monday before some changes into midweek.

Thankfully, the tropics remain quiet, but we all know that we are now heading into the most active part of the season.  Stay prepared and informed and we’ll keep our fingers crossed hoping that whatever develops out there for the rest of the season stays in the Atlantic.  That’s what we call a “fish storm” because it bothers no one but the fish in the ocean. 

Thats it for now.  Enjoy the rest of the weekend folks and head for the beach.  Nothin’ could be fina’ than the weather in South Carolina !!

Our fifth named storm of the season is now in the Gulf of Mexico.  Tropical Storm Edouard has formed in the northern Gulf of Mexico.  It is moving slowly westward and will have no impact on our weather.  Edouard may become a minimal hurricane before making landfall on Tuesday somewhere along the east coast of Texas. 

The heat will continue to be the big story around here for much of the week.  High temperatures the next few days will be in the mid to upper 90s with a heat index in the triple digits.

Can you believe that tonight is the first preseason NFL game.  The summer is flying by.  Before you know it we’ll be watching college football as well.  And don’t forget the baseball playoffs, even though I’m a diehard Yankee fan (born and bred in NJ), its nice to see Tampa at the top of the AL East, at least for now. 

Alright, time to get the FOX graphics ready for the big 10 PM newscast.  Take care and have a great week !!

Brad

Not much change to the forecast over the next few days.  The hottest weather so far this summer will settle in across the area for the next several days.  Another Heat Advisory will be in effect on Sunday afternoon.  Highs will once again soar into the mid to upper 90s and when you factor in the humidity, it will feel like 105 degrees.  Take it easy over the next few days and drink plenty of water. 

Rain will be scarce over the next few days, however we are tracking a potent line of storms right now across the midlands.  Some of these storms may hold together and provide us with a pretty good light show in the wee hours of the morning. 

The tropics have a few suspect areas that we’re watching, but nothing to effect us anytime soon.  Anyway, hope everyone is enjoying the first weekend of August.  Keep cool and we’ll chat tomorrow.

Brad

Just like an old 80s sitcom, today will be a rerun of yesterday.  Heat Advisory goes into effect again today at Noon and will continue until 7 PM.  Scattered thunderstorms will redevelop this afternoon and will have the potential to produce torrential rain, frequent lightning and gusty winds.  Looks like our weather will remain unsettled through Friday, before the high heat returns for the weekend.

Tropics for the moment remain quiet, but the National Hurricane Center continues to advertise the possibility of our next depression forming later today off the coast of Africa.  Either way, no effect on our weather, but just something to watch over the next week or so.

J. Chad will be back in the StormCenter tomorrow morning and of course you can catch me again this weekend.  Time for me to catch up on some shut eye.  Have a great Wednesday everyone and watch out for those storms later on !!

You know its going to be hot when you come into the StormCenter at 3:30 in the morning and the temperature outside is still 80 degrees. Not much relief from the heat and humidity over the next few days. Another Heat Advisory goes into effect at noon today and continues until 7 PM. The heat index will once again be in the triple digits for much of the afternoon. Scattered storms will dot the landscape much like we saw on Monday and a few of these storms will produce heavy rain due to their slow movement.

Some changes to the overall weather pattern will take place later in the week. We’ll see a better chance for rain on Thursday and Friday and with the added cloud cover, temperatures will be more tolerable.

Anyway, thats about it for today. The tropics remain quiet and it looks like we’ll make it through July without any more named storms. Chief Meteorologist Bill Walsh returns to work this evening and J. Chad will be back in the weather chair on Thursday. Have a great day everyone and stay cool !!

Brad Miller

Live 5 Meteorologist

Well the dog days of summer are here.  Climatologically this is the hottest week of the year.  What this means is that from this point on, our normal high temperature begins to fall from the low 90s.  This doesn’t mean we can’t see triple digit heat in August, but at least we know that intense heat becomes less of an issue in the coming months. 

A Heat Advisory remains in effect until 7 PM and will most likely be reissued on Tuesday.  Afternoon storms still are possible, but the high heat and humidity are the bigger story as high temperatures soar into the mid 90s and heat indices top out around 105 degrees.

The tropics are quiet and expected to remain this way through the end of the week.  Our next name on the list by the way is Edouard.

That’s it for Monday, hope you have a great start to the work week.  We’ll see you tomorrow.

Brad Miller

Live 5 Meteorologist

Calm but warm weather is returning to the Lowcountry and now that Dolly is inland over Texas, we shift our attention back to the waters to our east and all is looking fine here this morning. The peak of the hurricane season is still over a month away and we are ready for the “E” storm…Edouard. When will he arrive?

(Image Credit - Weather Underground) Visible Satellite Image of INVEST97

INVEST 97:
The visible pics of our large tropical wave over the eastern Atlantic this morning is not impressive at all. The circulation is very large and the center is devoid of any thunderstorms. The disturbance is also moving over cooler water, which is not favorable for development. Most of our forecast models do not develop this into a depression or beyond. All the forecast track guidance does show a northward turn to the central Atlantic in a few days due to the northward current position. We don’t expect any problems with 97 at all.

Atlantic Basin:
The rest of the Atlantic basin, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean is fairly quiet. There are a few flare ups here and there along the ITCZ but thats about it. We do note that the long range GFS model does try and develop a system near Africa in about 5 days from a large wave but only time will tell.

Close To Home:
The end of the week and the weekend look great! Stay Cool and enjoy it!

Chad Watson
Live 5 Meteorologist