Savannah, GA to Altamaha Sound, GA including Grays Reef National Marine Sanctuary Marine Forecast
| Today...E Winds 15 Kt. Seas 3 To 4 Ft, Building To 4 To 5 Ft This Afternoon. Wave Detail: E 4 Ft At 6 Seconds And E 1 Foot At 9 Seconds, Becoming E 4 Ft At 7 Seconds. |
| Tonight...E Winds 10 To 15 Kt With Gusts To 20 Kt. Seas 4 To 5 Ft. Wave Detail: E 4 Ft At 7 Seconds. |
| Sun...E Winds 10 To 15 Kt. Seas 4 To 5 Ft. Wave Detail: Se 4 Ft At 7 Seconds. |
| Sun Night...Se Winds 10 To 15 Kt. Seas 3 To 4 Ft. |
| Mon...Se Winds 5 To 10 Kt. Seas 3 To 4 Ft. Wave Detail: E 3 Ft At 8 Seconds And Se 2 Ft At 7 Seconds. |
| Mon Night...Se Winds 10 To 15 Kt. Seas 3 Ft. Wave Detail: E 3 Ft At 9 Seconds And Se 2 Ft At 7 Seconds. |
| Tue...S Winds 10 Kt. Seas 3 Ft. |
| Tue Night...S Winds 10 To 15 Kt. Seas 3 Ft. |
| Wed...S Winds 10 Kt. Seas 3 Ft. |
| Wed Night...S Winds 10 To 15 Kt. Seas 2 To 3 Ft. |
| Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Charleston SC 730am EDT Sat April 27 2024 Synopsis High pressure will prevail through much of next week. A weak cold front could approach late next week. Near Term - Through Tonight Areas of low stratus have formed within a moist onshore flow early this morning. But these clouds will tend to dissipate or lift into a cumulus deck during the mid morning. Temperatures will quickly warm into the 70s by about 10 am given the strength of the late April sunshine. Isolated showers across waters off Charleston County will likely stay offshore where the moisture convergence is the best. Today: An amplified mid and upper level ridge, and part of an Omega Block, will prevail atop the immediate area, while at the surface a strong high near Long Island encompasses much of the eastern states and western Atlantic. There is also a subtle inverted trough just offshore, and that along with weak isentropic ascent, decent low level moisture, and an east- southeast synoptic flow will produce scattered to broken cumulus/stratocumulus through the day. It will also generate isolated showers over the ocean, and it's possible that isolated showers could also additionally occur on the sea breeze boundary late this morning and afternoon. But with large condensation pressure deficits, this presently seems unlikely. There's a decent gradient in association with the surface high, and that along with a boost from the sea breeze will produce east and southeast winds as high as 15 or 20 mph with gusts up to 10 mph higher. The higher winds will be over the coastal corridor during the late morning and afternoon. The temperature forecast was derived by the MOS guidance, the NBM, and the low level thickness values, as we arrive at highs in the upper 70s and lower 80s. The beaches will be a tad cooler with breezy onshore conditions. Tonight: There is very little change in the pattern both surface and aloft, with still some hints of a subtle trough over the ocean. While there can be few-scattered cumulus/stratocumulus from off the Atlantic, most cloud cover will be of the mid and high level variety. Winds will decouple in some far inland locations. But there is still enough of a gradient around the high to keep things mixed just enough across a good chunk of the region. As a result, minimum temperatures will rang from the mid 50s to lower 60s inland, middle 60s near and along the coast. Short Term - Sunday Through Tuesday An upper trough will remain centered over the area on Sunday while surface high pressure sits just off the coast, maintaining a moderate southeast flow. A decent layer of cumulus should develop during the daytime hours given the moist onshore flow in the lower levels. Highs will be near normal in the upper 70s to lower 80s. The upper ridge axis will shift east on Monday while the surface high strengthens over the western Atlantic. The low-level flow will become more southerly on Monday, while thickness advection results in a warming trend with highs in the low to mid 80s. A weak shortwave will pass by to the north Tuesday afternoon. Limited forcing and moisture point to dry weather on Tuesday, though we can't rule out an isolated shower or tstm in the afternoon, especially inland. Highs will be in the mid 80s in southern SC and upper 80s in southeast GA. Long Term - Tuesday Night Through Friday A quasi-zonal flow will persist aloft while Bermuda high pressure sits to our east. A cold front could drop into the area Friday night or Saturday, though rain chances do not look particularly high. Above normal temperatures expected with highs climbing into the upper 80s to lower 90s. Marine Today: A 1033 mb high centered near Long Island will extend across the local waters, with as much as a 2-3 mb spread in the gradient overhead. This pinching will produce easterly winds as high as 15 or 20 kt, with stronger gusts. As we start the day we have a Small Craft Advisory on the outer Georgia waters, mainly for seas up to 6 feet. Conditions might get close to advisory levels on the other waters, especially Charleston Harbor. But for now no other advisories are in effect. Tonight: The local pressure gradient slackens a tad as the surface high sags a little south, with the center off the Delmarva. Winds and seas won't change much from the daytime, with a continuation of the Small Craft Advisory on the Georgia waters beyond 20 nm offshore, for seas up to 6 or 7 feet. Winds on Sunday will turn more to the southeast, allowing seas to slowly subside. The 6 footers in the offshore GA waters should dissipate by late Sunday afternoon. Quiet marine conditions expected through next week as Atlantic high pressure prevails. Wind directions will gradually turn from SE to S by the middle of next week. Speeds should generally be no higher than 15 kt, though we expect a fairly strong afternoon sea breeze along the coast each day, potentially gusting to 20 kt at times in Charleston Harbor. Rip Currents Moderate onshore winds will continue through the weekend, while approximately 2 or 3 ft waves every 7-8 seconds reach the beaches. The local rip current calculator indicates a Moderate Risk of rip currents along all beaches today, then lingering along the Georgia beaches Sunday. NOAA Charleston SC Office: Watches - Warnings - Advisories GA...None. SC...None. Marine Small Craft Advisory until 6pm EDT Sunday for AMZ374. |
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