Bennettsville, South Carolina Weather Forecast Discussion

362
FXUS62 KILM 181803
AFDILM
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Wilmington NC
203 PM EDT Thu Sep 18 2025
.SYNOPSIS...
Warm and dry weather will continue into the weekend as high
pressure builds in. Near to slightly above normal temperatures from
Sunday into next week with low rain chances each day associated
with a coastal trough.
&&
.NEAR TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY/...
Warm and dry weather will continue through Friday. The very
light northerly flow at the sfc and low levels will continue as
high pressure extends down from the north. The weak flow will
allow the sea breeze and land breeze to dominate. This will
allow some aftn cu and possibly a stray shower along this
boundary this aftn and again Fri aftn. The lingering cu will
dissipate into the evening and the warmer air mass with
dewpoints into the mid 60s will remain in place. With winds
dropping off and mainly calm winds overnight, expect fog to
develop. There may be some areas of denser fog into the pre-
dawn hours Fri morning.
Fog will lift giving way to another dry day across the area with
the sea breeze pushing any cu inland. A lingering front/trough
well offshore will remain the focus of any shower activity, but
the southerly flow around broad and weak mid to upper trough
over the Southeast into the Atlantic waters will stream some
higher clouds northward and may brush the Coastal Carolinas at
times tonight into Friday.
Temps will drop into the mid 60s most places by early Sat
morning and will rebound into the mid to upper 80s Fri aftn.
Temps could reach 90, mainly west of I-95 and temps right at
the beaches may just reach 80.
&&
.SHORT TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/...
Quiet weather continues during the short term period with weak
upper level pattern and high pressure starting to ridge down
from the north at the surface Friday night, with wedge firmly in
place by Saturday night. Mostly clear skies Saturday with high
temps near 90F. Patchy fog possible Saturday morning with clear
skies and no wind, though dry air not far from the surface may
help prevent widespread dense fog. Northeast winds pick up a bit
Saturday night around the wedge so fog will be a little tougher,
but may have low stratus develop.
&&
.LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...
Surface high pressure wedge remains in place through Tuesday.
Low stratus is likely to develop Sunday and Monday mornings,
and depending on how widespread and thick the stratus is low
clouds may linger through midday both days, which is typical in
wedge setups. Parent high pressure shifts south from the
Northeast to off the East Coast Monday night into Tuesday,
leading to breakdown of the wedge and weak return flow
development. Forecasted temps are near to slightly above normal
into next week.
Rain chances remain a big question for the extended forecast. A
coastal trough still looks to develop off the Southeast coast
Sunday and linger through Monday night/Tuesday, but with decent
dry air aloft over land pops are limited to slight chance near
the coast Sunday through Monday. With return flow developing
Tuesday, slightly less dry air aloft, and a series of
shortwaves aloft, forecast includes rain chances across the
area through middle of next week, though still limited to 25%
or less due to uncertainty and minimal instability.
&&
.AVIATION /18Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...
Very light northerly flow will allow sea breeze and land breeze
to dominate Aside from some scattered CU or low AC this aftn,
the forecast will remain VFR until after 06z. Fog should develop
at that time with MVFR to IFR conditions, mainly between 08z
and 12z. Expect some low clouds as fog lifts up through 13 to
14z. Greatest potential will be at FLO but should be fairly
widespread across the area.
Extended Outlook...There is moderate potential for ground fog with
MVFR to IFR visibility or low stratus each morning through
midweek, mainly between 06-12z. Some potential for isolated
showers may return early next week, but confidence is low.
&&
.MARINE...
Through Tonight...
A weak trough is pushing south across southeastern North Carolina at
the time of this writing and should end up south of Georgetown, SC
by sunrise. In its wake, light north to northeast winds will spread
across the coastal waters this morning.
Inland air temperatures should soar through the 80s this afternoon,
contrasting sharply with air temps over the water in the 70s. This
will generate a moderate seabreeze that will turn nearshore wind
directions southeasterly this afternoon with speeds up to 10 knots
expected. Winds should remain light and slowly turn clockwise
tonight as a landbreeze develops. Seas through tonight should
average only 1-2 feet in a combination of 9 second easterly swell
and small wind waves.
Friday Night through Tuesday...Northeasterly winds increase on
Saturday as a high pressure wedge forms inland, with sustained
speeds 15-20 kt Saturday through late Sunday. Seas will be
building into the weekend, with seas around 2 ft Friday night
increasing to 3-5 ft by Sunday afternoon. Latest guidance has
continued to trend down just enough with the winds, and seas,
that Small Craft Advisory conditions appear less likely to
develop this weekend. High pressure wedge weakens a bit on
Monday, breaking down by Tuesday, and NE winds weaken on Monday
and turn easterly on Tuesday. Seas slowly lower early next week,
still predominantly ENE swell. Could see initial E swells from
TS Gabrielle arrive as early as Monday.
&&
.ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NC...None.
SC...None.
MARINE...None.
&&
$$
SYNOPSIS...ILM
NEAR TERM...RGZ
SHORT TERM...VAO
LONG TERM...VAO
AVIATION...RGZ
MARINE...RGZ/VAO

NWS ILM Office Area Forecast Discussion