FIRST ALERT: Strong winds, quick hitting showers and storms on Saturday

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - An energetic storm system will move through the Carolinas on Saturday with strong winds and a line of fast moving showers and storms by the afternoon.

TONIGHT

Fair skies and mild temperatures will linger through tonight. A southerly breeze will keep temperatures very mild with overnight readings only dropping into the lower and middle 60s.

Warm and windy with late day storms.(WMBF)

SATURDAY

A cold front along with strong upper level winds will sweep across the Carolinas on Saturday resulting in a very windy day with showers and storms possible in the afternoon and evening.

A WIND ADVISORY is now in effect for most of the area through the day Saturday. Strong southerly winds will quickly increase through the morning. By midday into the afternoon gusts as high as 40 to 45 mph will be common with isolated gusts as high as 50 mph especially near the beaches.

Wind gusts of 40 to 45 mph will be common.(WMBF)

These strong winds will usher in very warm temperatures with readings reaching the upper 70s to near 80.

As we head into Saturday afternoon, the cold front will start to move into the area and will be accompanied by a band of showers and a few thunderstorms. The downpours and storms will arrive in the Pee Dee from midday into the early afternoon.

By the mid to late afternoon, this round of rain will push through the Grand Strand. By mid evening, the front will push all of the activity off shore.

A fast moving line of showers and storms arrives Saturday afternoon.(WMBF)

While there is not a lot of energy available for severe weather, the warm temperatures along with strong winds in the upper atmosphere could lead to one or two strong to severe storms and a LEVEL 1 severe weather risk in place.

A LEVEL 1 severe storm risk remains in place for Saturday.(WMBF)

While many places will see showers and storms on Saturday, the fast-moving nature of this system means that in any given area, rainfall will only last an hour or less.

Behind the cold front, drier and cooler air will move in for the second half of the weekend.

Sunday will see a return to sunny skies and afternoon temperatures around 10 to 15 degrees cooler - in the middle and upper 60s. We will be back into the 70s by Monday afternoon.