A warming trend gets underway late this week and could result in record-tying or record-breaking temperatures across the Palmetto State.
The start of meteorological winter began December 1st, but temperatures were quite cool across the state during the month of November. Locations that could see record-breaking warmth by the end of this week were cooler during the last month of meteorological fall. The average high during the month of November in Charleston was 67-degrees. So far in December, the average high is 5-degrees warmer, at 72. Another location with an equally impressive warming trend in December includes Greensville-Spartanburg, where average highs last month were 62-degrees. The first seven days in December have featured average highs closer to 67-degrees. In the state's capital city, average highs in November were 66-degrees, which is 6-degrees cooler than December's average so far of 72-degrees.
This switch in patterns serves as proof that "what goes up, must come down" in nature. Last month, a persistent trough over the Eastern U.S. kept temperatures cooler than average locally. This month, a persistent ridge has provided above-average temperatures and that does not look to change anytime soon. The Climate Prediction Center depicts a very warm outlook during the next two weeks, with a bulls-eye of 90- to 100-percent confidence that well above average temperatures will be likely from the Mississippi River Valley to New England, including the Upstate. For the rest of the Palmetto State, minimum confidence of 80- to 90-percent exists toward the Lowcountry, which is still very high for a two-week period.
Expect high temperatures to reach into the upper 70s and lower 80s starting Saturday and lasting briefly before a cooldown arrives by Sunday. Temperatures into next week inch closer to 70-degrees, especially along and east of I-95, which is a handful of degrees warmer than average for mid-December.