Heat, humidity here through Wednesday, then cooler

You know the job you want in this scorcher heat — marina worker. Out on the water, a little breeze stirring. Aaah. How does it feel?

"Like you're walking out into an oven. We're 1,200 feet out into the Cooper River, and we're just hanging over the humidity," said Cooper River Marina operations aide Dave Williams. It's so hot that with the sun burning in through an east-facing glass wall in the office, not even the air conditioner is much help.

The vise grip of heat and humidity has the Lowcountry squeezed so hot that someone can break into a sweat standing still. There's not much relief ahead. Highs will be in the mid-90s through Wednesday, say both the National Weather Service in Charleston and AccuWeather.com, a private forecasting company. The Post and Courier is an AccuWeather.com customer.

That heat index? Don't ask.

On Thursday and Friday, the high will drop to about 90 degrees and the heat index shouldn't be in the triple figures, giving a little breath of relief. A weather front is scheduled to move through over the weekend and bring the mercury back around to earth in the 80s. With the front comes the only real chance of rain, but neither the weather service nor AccuWeather.com gives it too much of a chance.

"There's a chance of showers and thundershowers with the sea breeze," said meteorologist Doug Berry of the weather service.

The sun came out just as South Carolina seemed to be whetting its thirst. Now the Lowcountry is down nearly an inch and half of rain for the month and nearly 5 inches for the year. The first signs of another round of drought are showing up. Crops already are hurting.

"We're still, thankfully, not observing major impacts, except for agriculture," said Hope Mizzell, state climatologist. "Everyone's home lawn is feeling the impact. Everyone is seeing an increase in water use." But large water users have continued to conserve since the state fell into severe drought last year. The Lowcountry is now in "incipient drought," meaning there is the threat of a drought.

If relief comes, it will thunder. Through the summer months, afternoon thundershowers are the chief source of rain, unless a tropical system slips up from the Gulf of Mexico. So far the news isn't good. On any given afternoon this time of year, 20 percent to 30 percent of South Carolina should be getting thunderstorms. Only 2 percent to 3 percent of the state is getting them, Mizzell said.

"We need an inch a day just to keep up with evaporation," she said.

Reach Bo Petersen at 745-5852 or bpetersen@ postandcourier.com.