Cold front reaches Charleston on Thursday after mild Veterans Day
A cold front is forecast to reach Charleston, South Carolina, on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, ending a mild stretch and bringing a sharp drop in temperature. Forecasters expect gusty winds and frost possible by the weekend.
A local television station’s forecast, published late on Tuesday, Nov. 10, says the front should pass through the Lowcountry, the low-lying coastal region around Charleston, in the afternoon. Rain is expected to be limited, with only an isolated shower possible.
Charleston temperatures from Wednesday to Sunday
The forecast shows a warm Veterans Day, the U.S. holiday honoring military veterans, followed by a steady decline. The figures below come from the current version of the station’s forecast page.
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- Wednesday, Nov. 11 (Veterans Day): high of 76 °F, low of 55 °F
- Thursday, Nov. 12: high of 77 °F, low of 48 °F
- Friday: high of 64 °F, low of 39 °F
- Saturday, Nov. 14: high of 58 °F, low of 37 °F
- Sunday, Nov. 15: high of 60 °F, low of 39 °F
Wind and fire danger peak on Thursday and Friday
The forecast calls for gusts of up to 30 mph on Thursday and Friday. Drier air will come with the wind, which can help new fires start and spread quickly. The station advised against outdoor burning on both days.
Fire weather concerns start before the front arrives. On Wednesday, relative humidity could drop to 30-40% in the late afternoon and evening, mainly inland. Even with light winds, smaller brush fires cannot be ruled out. Dry conditions are expected to continue through at least early next week, which could worsen drought, especially inland.
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The front follows a period of high pressure that remains in control on Wednesday, according to the forecast. The station said the system will bring little rain to the region, with at most an isolated shower on Thursday, but it will usher in much colder air. The forecast also says no tropical development is expected in the next 7 days. The dry stretch, which continues through at least early next week, may worsen drought conditions, especially inland, and the wind and dry air are the main fire concerns for Thursday and Friday.
Frost possible inland on Saturday and Sunday mornings
Morning lows on Saturday and Sunday are forecast to fall into the 30s °F, about -1 °C at 30 °F. Frost is most likely on Sunday morning, mainly inland of U.S. Highway 17, because lighter winds and fewer clouds favor it. At the coast, frost is not expected, the forecast said.
The station also explained that frost and freeze alerts are issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) when temperatures drop as fall moves into winter, so people can prepare for potentially damaging cold. The forecast says colder air will keep streaming in from the northwest on Friday night. Sunday’s lows are expected to be in the 30s, and the greatest frost potential is on Sunday, which the station linked to lighter winds and fewer clouds.
A broadcaster in Columbia, South Carolina, also flagged a possible frost alert for Saturday and Sunday. A national forecast for the Eastern United States, from The Weather Channel, puts temperatures 5 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit below average late in the week. That forecast also cites frost or freezing conditions on Saturday in cities such as Charleston.
Coldest air since March for Charleston
According to the local station, the temperatures forecast for the weekend would be the coldest recorded in Charleston since March. The cold is not new in the forecast. Earlier in the week, on Friday, Nov. 6, the same station had already predicted a colder weekend, with minimums of 40 °F inland on Sunday, the first time in about a week that the forecast showed such a drop.
What forecasters still do not know
These are forecasts, not observed conditions. The cold front, the lows and the frost have not happened yet, and they can change before the weekend. Official figures from the National Weather Service for this front were not found in this check, so the numbers above come from television forecasts.
The next checkpoints are Thursday afternoon, when the front is expected to pass, and Saturday and Sunday mornings, when the lowest temperatures and the greatest frost risk are forecast.
