The heat is on

Ed Wilson had to blink back sweat from his eyes while leaning into the broil of a hot car engine to do his job at Richards Automotive on St. Andrews Boulevard. So imagine his relief Monday to learn that the Lowcountry right now is one of the cooler spots in the Southeast.

"That's a good thing," Wilson said, laughing. "I wouldn't want it any hotter."

The heat index hit nearly 100 degrees Monday and will steam hotter today and Wednesday. Highs are expected in the upper 90s for those brave enough to mosey inland at all — and get hotter as you go. Triple digit temperatures and higher heat indexes are threatening the records farther upstate and across the Southeast as a high pressure front presses down on the smoldering asphalt.

But in the Lowcountry, it's keeping a few degrees shy of that. Temperatures on the Peninsula and the beaches will be several degrees cooler than even a few miles inland. And at night, it will frost right down into the 70s.

The sea breeze is keeping things chill, so to speak. Devin King of Adams Outdoor Advertising feels it up on the billboards, and gladly. Otherwise the sun reflecting off the billboard surface smacks into his face like a pre-heated oven when you open the door.

"I don't think you ever get used to it," King said.

The National Weather Service in Charleston, and AccuWeather.com, a private forecasting company, expect the heat to break maybe as soon as Wednesday evening if thunderstorms develop, but certainly on Thursday, when the storms are expected.

By the weekend, things should be back to normal for August. Of course, that's still about 90 degrees.

In the West Ashley auto shop, Wilson keeps a fan on and a towel handy to wipe his forehead. He works in the bay closest to the water cooler. "I'm at that thing 20, 30 times a day," he said.

LOWCOUNTRY TEMPS

Mid to upper 90s, heat index above 100. Low, mid to upper 70s.
Mid to upper 90s. Low, mid 70s.
Low to mid 90s. Low, low to mid 70s. Thunderstorms.
Upper 80s to low 90s. Low, lower 70s.