Edisto Island, SC

... Bitterly cold temperatures tonight with a hard freeze...
... Wind chill values 9 to 14 degrees early Sunday...

Cold Arctic air has rapidly moving into southeast South Carolina
and southeast Georgia. Temperatures will continue to fall steadily
through the night and are expected to bottom out in the lower to
mid 20s resulting in a hard freeze. Even the normally warmer beach
locations will see a hard freeze by early Sunday with lows also
dropping into the mid 20s. Stiff northwest winds will also persist
resulting in very cold wind chills for this part of the country.
Wind chills are expected to drop to between 9 and 14 degrees for
most locations prior to daybreak.

If venturing out tonight or Sunday morning be sure to dress
appropriately. Considering dripping pipes especially if your
residence is elevated or open below. The risk for pipes busting
increases quickly when temperatures drop below 25 degrees. Use
extreme caution if using space heaters.

748 PM EST Sat Feb 11 2012

... Fire Danger Statement...

Low fuel moistures are expected to combine with northwest to west
winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts around 20 to 25 mph Sunday and
relative humidities dropping to around 18 percent away from the
immediate coast which will lead to an enhanced risk of fires
getting out of control across southeast South Carolina.

Precautionary/preparedness actions...

Please refer to your local burn permitting authorities on whether
you can burn Sunday. If you do burn... you are advised to use extreme
caution.

359 PM EST Sat Feb 11 2012

... Bitterly cold weather to impact the area tonight through early Monday...

An Arctic air mass will settle into the area through early
Monday... bringing with it the coldest air since early January. A
hard freeze will occur across the vast majority of southern South
Carolina and southeast Georgia both tonight and Sunday
night... while temperatures on Sunday will be far below normal.

Temperatures tonight will steadily fall through the night as the
colder Arctic air continues to move in on brisk northwest winds.
Temperatures will fall below freezing in most communities by 11 PM
to 1 am... and will bottom out between 20 and 25 Sunday morning.
Even the beaches will be impacted... with shoreline temperatures to
plunge to the upper 20s. When combined with the wind... the wind
chill temperature for late tonight and Sunday morning will be down
as low as 9 to 16 degrees for several hours. It/ll take until 9-11
am Sunday for temperature to reach above the freezing mark... but
with temperatures will struggle to reach no higher than the middle
40s for the afternoon.

As the center of the Arctic high settles closer to the region
Sunday night and Monday morning... temperatures will drop quickly
with sunset. With mostly calm winds and clear skies... we/ll see
temperatures fall below freezing again in most communities by 8 or
9 PM. With plentiful radiational cooling to occur... lowest
temperatures will be down in the upper teens and lower 20s away
from the coast at the start of Monday. The beaches will not be as
cold as tonight... but still down into the lower 30s for overnight
lows.

We have not had much cold weather this winter... and as a reminder
here are a few cold weather preparedness and safety actions...

Try to stay inside as much as possible. If you must be outside...
dress appropriately for the cold weather.

Remember to protect your water pipes to prevent then from bursting.
Cover or insulate those pipes if possible. Let at least one faucet
drip inside your home during each night. Open up the Cabinet doors
underneath all sinks to allow for warmer air to circulate inside.

Do not Forget about your pets. If you can... bring them inside at
night. If this is not possible... make sure they will have plenty
of warmth such as blankets or other coverings to remain warm.
Ensure that they have plenty of unfrozen drinking water.

Check on the elderly and others such as Young children and those
with illnesses that may be more susceptible to very cold
temperatures.

Be extra careful if using electric space heaters to prevent fires
from occurring.

For additional cold weather preparedness and safety information
you can visit our web site at...

Www.Weather.Gov/chs.

Stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio all hazards... TV or your local
news source for the latest weather information from the National
Weather Service.

02/11/2012 1015 PM

2 miles ENE of James Island, Charleston County.

Non-thunderstorm wind gust m52 mph, reported by official NWS obs.


            This is a corrected report. The 52 mph wind observation
            was measured at The Fort Johnson nerrs site... not The
            Fort Pulaski C-man station.