Murrells Inlet to South Santee River SC Marine Forecast
| Tonight...Sw Winds 5 To 10 Kt. Seas 2 Ft. Wave Detail: S 1 Ft At 3 Seconds And E 1 Ft At 7 Seconds. |
| Fri...Sw Winds 5 To 10 Kt, Increasing To 15 To 20 Kt In The Afternoon. Seas 2 To 3 Ft. Wave Detail: S 3 Ft At 4 Seconds And E 1 Ft At 9 Seconds. |
| Fri Night...Sw Winds 15 To 20 Kt With Gusts Up To 25 Kt. Seas 2 To 4 Ft. Wave Detail: S 3 Ft At 4 Seconds And E 1 Ft At 9 Seconds. A Slight Chance Of Showers After Midnight. |
| Sat...N Winds 25 To 30 Kt With Gusts Up To 35 Kt. Seas 4 To 6 Ft. Wave Detail: Nw 5 Ft At 5 Seconds And Ne 5 Ft At 9 Seconds. A Chance Of Showers. |
| Sat Night...N Winds 25 To 30 Kt With Gusts Up To 35 Kt. Seas 5 To 8 Ft. Wave Detail: N 8 Ft At 6 Seconds. A Chance Of Showers In The Evening. |
| Sun...Ne Winds 25 To 30 Kt With Gusts Up To 40 Kt. Seas 6 To 8 Ft. Wave Detail: Ne 8 Ft At 7 Seconds And E 1 Ft At 11 Seconds. A Slight Chance Of Showers In The Afternoon. |
| Sun Night...Ne Winds 25 To 30 Kt With Gusts Up To 40 Kt. Seas 6 To 8 Ft. |
| Mon...Ne Winds 25 To 30 Kt. Seas 5 To 8 Ft. |
| Mon Night...Ne Winds 25 To 30 Kt, Becoming N 20 To 25 Kt After Midnight. Seas 5 To 7 Ft. |
| Tue...N Winds 20 To 25 Kt, Diminishing To 15 To 20 Kt In The Afternoon. Seas 5 To 7 Ft. |
| Tue Night...N Winds 15 To 20 Kt. Seas 4 To 6 Ft. |
| Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wilmington NC 718pm EDT Thu Oct 15 2026 .WHAT HAS CHANGED... Aviation and climate sections updated. .KEY MESSAGES... 1) Dry forecast dominates through Friday, with temperatures nearing record highs each day. 2) Most significant cooldown of the season so far expected this weekend. KEY MESSAGE 1...Dry forecast dominates through Friday, with temperatures nearing record highs each day. Latest surface analysis shows an elongated surface high that stretches across the Gulf Coast States to offshore of the Carolinas. This surface ridge is associated with an upper- level ridge that's nearly overhead this afternoon. Widespread subsidence keeps the forecast dry through Friday. 500 mb heigheights hang around 592-594 dam, which easily rank in climatological maximums in this area, per Storm Prediction Center Sounding Climatology for KCHS, KMHX, and KHAT. This means very unseasonably warm temperatures that look a lot more like mid- to-late June than mid-October. Widespread highs in the upper 80s to near 90 inland and mid 80s at the coast expected through Friday. Record-tying or record-breaking high temperatures are in play here. Please see Climate section below for more info. Deep upper trough nudges upper ridge off the coast on Fri with lowering heights, but warm SW flow will prevail and should help to keep very warm temps. KEY MESSAGE 2...Most significant cooldown of the season so far expected this weekend. A strong cold front is still slated to move through the area Fri night into early Sat, ushering in the coolest air of autumn thus far. Latest guidance is trending drier again with best chance of showers as the cold front passes through early Sat morning and mainly coastal or off the coast and then again as deep upper trough swings through near noon-time. The best energy would be to the north of our area. Deep northerly flow will develop as system shifts farther off the coast through Sat afternoon. Dewpoints in the mid 60s to near 70 Fri evening will drop through Sat down into the 50s and even some 40s by late Sat. This drying trend will continue into Sat night with gusty northerly winds allowing dewpoints to bottom out early Sunday in the 30s to around 40 close to the coast. Plenty of Cold Air Advection will bring temps down quite a few degrees below normal Sat into Sun. Temps Sat afternoon will resemble overnight temps just 12 hrs before, and the stiff northerly winds will make it feel even cooler. Expect overnight lows Sat night in the 40s inland to near 50 at the coast. Overall, fall-like weather will arrive Sat with a gradual warming through early next week. Marine Sub-SCA (Small Craft Advisory) conditions continue through at least daytime Friday with surface high pressure offshore. Pattern starts to change late Friday, as gradient winds increase ahead of a cold front. Front moves through very early Sat morning, allowing the winds to quickly veer from SW to the N, gradually veering even more to the NNE through the day Saturday into Sunday. Seas will ramp up in increasing winds ahead of the front through late Fri and will peak late Saturday into Sunday, ranging from 4-8 ft over the coastal waters out to 20 nm, to 8-13 ft over the offshore waters out 60 nm. A Gale Watch has been issued for all of the local waters beginning Sat morning right around daybreak. Initially expect more in the way of Small Craft Advisory conditions with building seas and increasing winds, but expect solid Gale gusts and winds by Sat afternoon. Should see gusts up to 35 to 40 kts late Sat through Sunday with a strong pressure gradient persisting over the local waters between strong high pressure inland and low pressure well offshore. Climate Record highs for Thursday, October 15: - Wilmington, NC (KILM): 88F in 1985 *broken today - North Myrtle Beach, SC (KCRE): 85F in 2008 *broken today - Florence, SC (KFLO): 89F in 2021 and 1985 *broken today - Lumberton, NC (KLBT): 91F in 1919 *tied today Forecast/record highs for Friday, October 16: - Wilmington, NC (KILM): 86F (87F in 2021, 2018, and 1975) - North Myrtle Beach, SC (KCRE): 83F (88F in 1990) - Florence, SC (KFLO): 88F (91F in 2021) - Lumberton, NC (KLBT): 88F (92F in 1925) NOAA Wilmington NC Office: Watches - Warnings - Advisories NC...None. SC...None. Marine Gale Watch from Saturday morning through late Sunday night for AMZ250-252-254-256-280-284. |
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