A broad gaggle-plex of cloud over the Yucatan Channel is being watched by the National Hurricane Center. This feature is artfully named 96L and exhibits deep but raggedy convection coupled with surface wind reports of 25-30 knots.  Hurricane Alex Part Deux you say? Nope.  Too much shear this week as it drifts north-northwest. None of the models are buying into any development this morning. This feature will keep the chop up, hampering oil clean-up in the Gulf.  Short of a complete repeal of the immutable Laws of Physics (Quantum and Newtonian…), 96L  is not a player for South Carolina.

A large stationary lens of High Pressure  parked over the US East Coast will keep the heat up and the hurricanes away this week.  Bizarrely,  it will be 104 degrees in Baltimore today, 10 degrees warmer than famously hot Columbia. Now if only they will take the Fire Ants…

Mark Malsick

Severe Weather Liaison

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

State Climate Office

1000 Assembly Street Columbia, SC 29202