Well, there are only 3 weeks or so left in the 2008 Hurricane Season, but don’t tell that to Mother Nature.  Tropical Depression seventeen formed today in the western Caribbean and is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane by the weekend.  Once this system gains tropical storm status it will be named Paloma.  The forecast for eventual Paloma takes it across Cuba and into the southern Bahamas and then out into the open Atlantic by early next week.  On this track there is no threat for us or Florida for that matter.  We’ll continue to track this system and keep you updated as always on Live 5 News in HD and the Hurricane Hotline.

Our weather will finally be improving tomorrow and we’ll see plenty of sunshine for the remainder of the work week.  Have a great Thursday !!

Brad

Well, we made it to Election Day!  After all the ads, pundents, talk shows, rallies, etc, the time has come to vote for your choice.  Don’t let the weather get you down or keep you away from the polls.  The good news is that the chance of rain is 30% or less for Tuesday and we might even see some sunshine mixing with the clouds.

Once you get home, tune into LIVE 5 NEWS for complete and fast election results all night long.

As we head to the end of the week, we’ll continue with our live broadcasts from the Coastal Carolina Fair.  We’ve had a blast so far and have met some great old friends and new viewers to LIVE 5 NEWS. 

Time to get the broadcast together; so get out and vote and we’ll see you throughout the day on Tuesday with the best coverage in the Lowcountry on LIVE 5 NEWS and LIVE 5 NEWS.COM.

Have a great Election Day!

Bill

Just a few days into November and we’ve got another soaker on the way.  After enjoying a fabulous weekend, our weather will be heading downhill overnight and especially on Monday.  An area of low pressure will continue to develop in the Gulf of Mexico and move towards the area.  Clouds will be on the increase tonight and rain will develop by morning.  Some of the rain on Monday may be heavy at times.  Right now it does not look like we’ll see rainfall totals like we saw a few weeks ago, but the morning and evening commute looks to be soggy.  Showers will most likely linger into Election Day as this area of low pressure slowly moves across the coastal waters.  Temperatures will be held down considerably for the beginning of the week as highs struggle in the mid 60s both Monday and Tuesday.  Improvement begins Wednesday and the second half of the week looks dry and mild with highs in the 70s.

We’ll continue to track the rainfall here in the StormCenter, but of course the big news will be on Election Day as we elect a new Commander in Chief.  Catch Chad, Ann, and Bill in the morning as they get you up and ready for the work week.  Don’t forget the umbrella !!  Have a great Monday !!

Brad

High pressure is anchored across the Southeast this weekend and will keep us dry and mild for Sunday.  High temperatures will be in the low to mid 70s with mostly sunny skies.  Changes are on the way for the beginning of the work week as an area of low pressure develops in the Gulf of Mexico and moves towards South Carolina.  Clouds and rain will spread across the region starting Sunday night and will mostly likely continue through Election Day.  There is a possibility for some heavy rain as well with this system, but a lot of it will depend upon the eventual track of this area of low pressure.  More tomorrow on the wet start to the work week.

Hopefully, everyone will get a chance to visit the Coastal Carolina Fair this weekend and don’t forget, next Friday is Live 5 Night.  Drop by the Live 5 House and meet your favorite Live 5 personalities.  That’s it for now, we’ll chat some more on Sunday.  Have a great rest of the weekend and don’t forget to turn your clock back before you go to bed tonight.

Brad

When the weather cools off, my wife says it’s “a soup night!”  That means two things.  It’s going to be quite chilly overnight and I will be eating some sort of soup for supper!

 The soup is up to her.  The weather though is up to mother nature and this couple of days, she has played with our calenders a bit bringing December weather in October. 

Look for a slight warming trend towards Thursday and Friday.  Thursday we kick off the Coastal Carolina Fair and it looks to be a great year for the Exchange Club’s signature event that helps raise money for many great causes they represent.

I will be broadcasting LIVE starting Thursday at 5, 6 and 7 p.m. We hope you come out and say hello while we enjoy some of that great Fair food!!  Elephant ears will be frying and great rides will be rolling along the midway as kids of all ages enjoy this classic fall event. 

Trick or Treat Friday night looks good as well.  We’ll keep you posted on the weather for the end of the week activities.

By the way, don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour Saturday night before you go to bed.

Time to get ready for the broadcast, then home for some soup.  I hope you can join us for the evening shows and back before you go to bed tonight at 11.

Bill

Finally some drier air moving into the area.  Heavy rain on Friday canceled high school football, flooded several parts of the Lowcountry, and pretty much made a mess of everything.  Over 6 inches of rain was recorded at the Charleston International Airport and over 5 and a half here at WCSC in West Ashley.  Rainfall totals like this were quite common across the region as an area of low pressure moved northeast out of the Gulf of Mexico and across South Carolina.  This low is now moving into the Mid Atlantic and will allow for high pressure to build in here for the remainder of the weekend.  We’ll see some sun later today, but Sunday looks really nice with clear skies and highs in the mid 70s. 

Some very chilly air is now making its way into the northern Plains today and will sweep into the Southeast by midweek.  This will be the coolest air so far this fall.  Temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday will barely get into the 60s while overnight lows dip into the 30s.  Frost is likely away from the coast thus bringing the growing season to an end by Thursday.  The weather at least looks dry for the upcoming week, but once again temperatures will be well below normal starting Wednesday.

Hey the Coastal Carolina Fair starts on Thursday, October 30th.  Hope everyone will get a chance to visit the Live 5 house as we will be broadcasting live every night except on Election Day.  That’s it for now.  Don’t forget, Live 5 News in HD will be on tonight at 7 right after the Georgia and LSU matchup.  See you then and have a great weekend !!

Brad

The weather has been so beautiful lately as we head around to schools and functions in the Lowcountry.  We spent some wonderful time with the kids at Pinewood Prep in Summerville as they checked out the Storm Tracker while Scott and I talked about weather and science education.

We also had some great visits to Summerville High School, Eutawville, Goose Creek and West Ashley as students look ahead to their future and our weather team talks about careers and other issues at local schools.

I will be on the road Thursday to the new Cottageville Elementary School in Colleton county while Scott hits the road on Friday to St. James School. 

Thanks to all the teachers and students who invite us out and always make us feel right at home.

Had a board meeting of the Ronald McDonald House today.  Like all businesses, the economy is making it tough to keep the house love built running; so any help is always appreciated.  Check out the website at:

www.rmhcharleston.org

Great people there keeping our house open for those families of sick children.  We’ll have a great Lights of Love program coming up on November 17th and we hope you can join us.

Some rain on the forecast that we’ll bring to you tonight in High Definition!   I hope you can join us for the early broadcasts and back again before you go to bed for a live update at 11.

Bill 

Well, we’ve been asked for days about when the cooler, fall weather will be here.  The answer is Saturday!

Look for a big change in temperature over the weekend with a cooler airmass coming our way in the form of a potent cold front by late Friday night and early Saturday morning.

Once the front moves east, we’ll see the cool down with highs only in the upper 60’s Saturday and lows by Sunday morning in the upper 40’s well inland.

Quiet weather day here in the Storm Center.  Busy with some school visits and on the road again on Friday to Pinewood Prep in Summerville.  The College of Charleston students will also pay us a visit later today. 

The Race for the Cure is this Saturday on Daniel Island and our friend Richard Todd from NewsTALK 1250, WTMA will be hosting the event as thousands run and walk for breast cancer.  Our best to Richard’s wife, Mary as she battles the dreaded disease and is a great example of fighting this and pushing folks for early detection.

The race may have a few showers, but runners like the cooler weather for this sort of outing. 

Well, it’s time to get ready for tonight’s broadcast and we hope you join us for the early shows and right back here before you go to bed for an update on your Friday weather at 11 p.m.

Have a great night and Friday!

Bill

I have been away from the blog this week and part of last; so wanted to catch you up on a few things happening here and our weather, which continues delightful!

First the weather…

What can I say but just gorgeous!  High pressure is built in and will keep us with wonderful weather into the end of the week until a strong cold front moves east and brings some fall weather back for the weekend.  Showers are possible late Friday and early Saturday.  The rest of the weekend looks good, but cooler.

Now the other stuff!  Busy over the weekend working here on the Sunday broadcast and on last Thursday and Friday working on the Presidential visit for the Air Force.  It’s always a lot of fun, but very busy when the President visits the base and area.  We have done this many times here and in other places as part of our job at the base and it’s a lot of detail work.  Always good to see the President, no matter what your politics, in person and take part in the logistics of a visit.  It never ceases to amaze me the size and beauty of Air Force One.  It’s a great looking airplane when you see it on TV and even more impressive in person.  We also had the First Lady in town arriving on another of the 89th Airlift Squadron’s “blue and white” jets.  This visit kept me rather busy last week.

Over the weekend I had the chance to visit the South Carolina Aquarium and saw their new exhibits which are wonderful.  The “Camp Carolina” exhibit features a gorgeous bald eagle named “Liberty.”  Definitely worth the stop and a picture. 

With the quiet weather, it’s nice to get outside.  I was driving to the television station and heard a great, loud “crack” and looked up and saw that a rock cracked the windshield!  Kind of shocking when you’re not ready for the noise; but thankfully, covered under insurance!  Seems like all windshields are covered if you live in South Carolina.  That’s good news.  Our friends at Glass Pro filled me in on that fact. 

Gas prices are coming down.  That’s also good news.  We’ll keep you posted with our price watch segments on Channel 5. 

Had lunch with Jim Beard, the manager of our Citadel cluster of radio stations.  Great lunch and some exciting things happening at The WOLF 96.9, 1250 WTMA, Z-93 Jamz, Magic 107.3  and 95SX.   Catch us every morning on all of these radio stations. 

Well, time for the broadcast.  We’re out and about at some local schools this week and will bring you some pictures from those visits.  Send us an email if you would like to book a visit by one of our meteorologists and the StormTRACKER.

Hope you join us tonight during the evening and right back here before you go to bed on Live 5 News at 11. 

Have a great night and super Wednesdsay!

Bill

Another wet day for the Lowcountry looks to be on the way.  An area of low pressure located just off the Georgia coast will continue to feed moisture into the region.  This means more clouds and rain for us on Sunday.  High pressure will begin to build into the area by Monday and that will provide us with a nice stretch of weather later in the week.

While it is the weekend, this rain is very beneficial.  Rainfall for the year is still about 7 inches below normal.  However, our rain deficit is nothing compared to the drought like conditons that continue across the upstate and other areas around the southeast.

Tropics still quiet for now, but we may have a few areas to monitor heading into the new week.  Enjoy your Sunday and catch the Live 5 Weather Team now in HD each and every newscast .

Brad