Savannah, GA to Altamaha Sound, GA including Grays Reef National Marine Sanctuary Marine Forecast
| Rest Of Today...N Winds 10 To 15 Kt. Seas 3 To 4 Ft. Wave Detail: E 4 Ft At 10 Seconds. Patchy Very Light Freezing Drizzle Late This Morning. |
| Tonight...Nw Winds 10 To 15 Kt With Gusts To 20 Kt. Seas 2 To 3 Ft. Wave Detail: E 3 Ft At 11 Seconds. |
| Fri...Nw Winds 10 To 15 Kt. Seas 2 To 3 Ft. Wave Detail: E 3 Ft At 9 Seconds And Nw 2 Ft At 2 Seconds. |
| Fri Night...Nw Winds 10 To 15 Kt. Seas 2 To 3 Ft. Wave Detail: E 3 Ft At 9 Seconds And Nw 2 Ft At 3 Seconds. |
| Sat...N Winds 10 To 15 Kt, Diminishing To 5 Kt In The Afternoon. Seas 2 To 3 Ft. Wave Detail: E 3 Ft At 9 Seconds And Nw 2 Ft At 3 Seconds. |
| Sat Night...N Winds 5 To 10 Kt. Seas 2 Ft. Wave Detail: E 2 Ft At 10 Seconds. |
| Sun...Nw Winds 5 To 10 Kt. Seas 2 Ft. |
| Sun Night...Nw Winds 5 Kt. Seas 2 Ft. |
| Mon...Nw Winds 5 To 10 Kt. Seas 2 Ft. A Chance Of Showers. |
| Mon Night...W Winds 5 To 10 Kt. Seas 2 Ft. |
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Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Charleston SC 1104am EST Thu Jan 23 2025 Synopsis Cold and dry conditions will prevail the rest of this week and into the weekend. A weak storm system may move through our area early next week. Near Term - Through Tonight The chance of freezing drizzle continues this morning along the direct coastline. Although KCLX has picked up some light radar returns there is no evidence from observations that any precipitation is reaching the surface. Temperatures are hovering right above freezing as of 11am and are forecast to go above freezing around noontime. Thereafter any precipitation would be rain and not frozen. Otherwise the mid-morning update featured some tweaks in the dew point temperatures to lower them more in line with current observations. Today: Aloft, a large/broad trough encompasses much of the United States, while a ridge remains well offshore across the Atlantic. At the sfc, dry/cold high pressure will prevail locally while a weak trough/low develops well to the south/southeast, leading to some lower stratus drifting across coastal locations early morning. It should be noted that some radar returns are showing up across far Southeast Georgia just south of the Altamaha River early this morning, posing a low, but non-zero risk for freezing drizzle near the I-95 corridor across McIntosh County and coastal locations of Liberty and Bryan Counties during the next few hours. At this time, sounding profiles indicate a substantial amount of dry air, even in the low-lvls, which will likely evaporate any precipitation attempting to reach the sfc, or at the very least not result in accumulation. Given this expectation, the Special Weather Statement issued for hazardous road conditions this morning, including black ice, remains sufficient for the scenario. The main issue for the rest of the morning will be a continuation of cold temperatures that struggle to warm into the mid-upper 30s this afternoon due to compact snow/sleet covered grounds and cold air advection persisting as the mid-upper level trough nudges eastward with time. Refrozen precipitation from partially melted snow/ice during the night will lead to hazardous travel and a Special Weather Statement has been issued through noon to account for black ice. Additionally, a Cold Weather Advisory remains in effect until 10am today as low temps in the mid teens inland to low-mid 20s closer to the coast overnight are slow to warm with a light northerly wind occurring under high clouds. Tonight: Little change occurs with the overall pattern and any partial melting of snow and/or ice could refreeze once again by early evening hours as temps cool below the freezing mark once again. Cirrus clouds associated with a passing h25 jet aloft will play a significant role in regards to how low temps reach overnight as well as apparent temps. The pressure gradient across the local area is expected to weaken overnight as low pressure over the Atlantic shifts farther offshore and away from the region. Surface winds will therefore remain quite light and/or go calm during the coldest part of the night, indicating apparent temps to remain in the 21-25 degree range inland to 25-30 degree range closer to the coast. A few spots could experience apparent temps a few degrees cooler inland, which would necessitate a Cold Weather Advisory. This scenario will need to be further assessed for trends during the day given the role of cloud cover and winds. A Cold Weather Advisory could eventually be needed. Short Term - Friday Through Sunday The mid-levels will consist of a trough axis over the MS Valley Friday morning. It'll move over the East Coast Friday evening, then offshore Friday night. Zonal flow will then develop over our region early Saturday and prevail into Sunday. At the surface, High pressure over the Southern Plains Friday morning will shift towards the Southeast Friday night, then hover over this region Saturday and Sunday. The High will bring our area dry conditions. Friday, northwest surface winds and gradually clearing skies will help daytime temperature moderate. Though, they'll remain well below normal. Highs will generally peak in the mid 40s. Friday night, the combination of mostly clear skies and light to calm winds will lead to plenty of radiational cooling. Temperatures will drop into the teens for most areas, except the 20s along the immediate coast. Cold Weather Advisories will be needed for most areas, especially inland. Saturday, despite mostly sunny skies, low-level thickness values and 850 mb temperatures still support high temperatures well below normal. They should peak in the upper 40s. Saturday night, the combination of mostly clear skies and light to calm winds will yield another night with plenty of radiational cooling. Temperatures will bottom out in the upper teens to lower 20s in most areas, except warmer along the immediate coast. Cold Weather Advisories may be needed for a few inland locations. Sunday, light west winds and gradually increasing clouds will cause temperatures to moderate. Though, they'll remain below normal. Highs should peak around 50 degrees, to the lower 50s. Long Term - Sunday Night Through Wednesday High pressure will shift off the Southeast Coast Sunday night, while a weak storm system approaches from the west. Mainly dry conditions are expected during this time period. The weak storm system may bring a chance of rain to our region on Monday. High temperatures will remain well below normal. High pressure should bring dry conditions Tuesday and Wednesday. Temperatures are expected to moderate, rising to only a few degrees below normal on Tuesday, and perhaps to near normal on Wednesday. Marine Today And Tonight The local waters will be nestled between a trough to the south/southeast early and high pressure inland for much of the day and night. A somewhat enhanced pressure gradient between these two features along with a 25-30 kt geostrophic wind at the 1000mb level should continue to support northerly winds upwards to 15- 20 kt across most waters, although a few gusts up to 25 kt are possible across nearshore waters off the Charleston County coast. At this time, higher gusts appear to be limited, so a Small Craft Advisory is not necessary, but larger seas across outer Georgia waters (5-7 ft) will carry a Small Craft Advisory into early evening. Seas will generally range between 3-5 ft across nearshore waters early today, but will gradually subside to 1-3 ft overnight as northwest winds develop across most waters while low pressure shifts farther away from the region across the Atlantic. Friday through Early Next Week Surface High pressure over the Southern Plains Friday morning will shift towards the Southeast Friday night, then hover over this region Saturday and Sunday. This High will shift off the Southeast Coast Sunday night, while a weak storm system approaches from the west. The weak storm system should move over the Southeast on Monday. Despite all of these synoptic features, no marine headlines are expected during this time period. Climate Record Low Maximum Temperatures: January 23: KCHS: 34/1970 KCXM: 38/2016 KSAV: 40/2016 Record Low Temperatures: January 23: KCHS: 19/1985 KCXM: 24/2003 KSAV: 19/1960 NOAA Charleston SC Office: Watches - Warnings - Advisories GA...None. SC...None. Marine Small Craft Advisory until 7pm EST this evening for AMZ374. |
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