It was another amazing weekend of weather across Central and South Texas. Saturday started off chilly, with lows in the 30s and 40s across the region. According to LCRA’s Hydromet, several Hill Country locations located between Rocksprings, Menard, and Brownwood recorded temperatures at or below freezing. The lowest observed temperature was 27 degrees, at a gauge located near Fort McKavett, in eastern Schleicher County. Temperatures warmed to the low 70s Saturday and got close to 80 degrees Sunday.
The weather is expected to stay fairly quiet this week. Our region’s weather is currently being dominated by a large, stable ridge of high pressure in the upper atmosphere covering the Southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico. The ridge is predicted to remain in the same general area through the middle of the week. At the surface, southerly winds off the Gulf of Mexico have returned to all of Texas, bringing in warmer and slightly more humid air. With a slow increase in moisture, expect a pattern of late night and morning clouds, followed by mostly sunny afternoons Tuesday and Wednesday. Temperatures are forecast to be unseasonably warm, with highs near 80-82 degrees this afternoon and Tuesday and near 82-85 degrees on Wednesday. Lows Tuesday and Wednesday mornings will range from the upper 50s across the Hill Country, to the low and mid-60s near the coast.
Expect breezy conditions this afternoon through Wednesday. Southerly winds are forecast to be around 10-15 mph this afternoon and tonight. Wind speeds of 10-20 mph with gusts to 30 mph are forecast Tuesday through Wednesday.
A change in the weather is forecast to take place Wednesday night when a fairly strong cold front pushes south out of the southern Plains. The front is forecast to move across the Hill Country and most of Central Texas late Wednesday night, crossing the middle Texas coast after sunrise on Thursday. No rain is forecast across the Hill Country along the cold front. However, there will be a slight chance for rain showers and a couple of isolated thunderstorms across Central Texas and the middle Texas coast when the front encounters a bit more moisture. Rain amounts should only total around a tenth of an inch, or less.
Sunny, breezy and cooler weather will follow the cold front on Thursday. Afternoon temperatures are forecast to warm to the low and mid-60s across the Hill Country and Central Texas regions and to around 70 degrees across the coastal plains. Thursday night is shaping up to be the coldest night of the week. Lows Friday morning will include the mid and upper 30s across the Hill Country, be around 40-42 degrees across Central Texas, with mid to upper 40s across the coastal plains.
Sunny and warmer weather will follow Friday and Saturday as southerly winds return to the area. High temperatures will be in the mid and upper 60s Friday, warming to the mid-70s Saturday. Lows Saturday morning will be in the mid and upper 40s, while lows Sunday morning will be in the low and mid-50s.
Forecasts call for another cold front to move across the area on Sunday, bringing a slight chance rain to areas along and east of Interstate 35. Rain amounts will be low, with most totals only averaging around a tenth to a quarter of an inch. Sunday’s sky will be partly cloudy, with temperatures warming to the low 70s.
The outlook for next week now calls for generally dry weather, with just a slight chance for rain occurring along a cold front Wednesday night into Thursday morning. High temperatures Monday and Tuesday are forecast to be around 68 degrees, warming to the low and mid-70s Wednesday. Lows will generally be in the mid and upper 40s.
In the wake of the cold front Thanksgiving Day, sunny weather and cooler temperatures are forecast late week into the following weekend. Daily high temperatures are predicted to be around 68-70 degrees, with low temperatures in the mid and upper 40s.
Tropical Weather Outlook
Weather conditions are quiet across the tropical Atlantic, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. There are no systems in place which pose a threat for tropical development over the next 5 days. The tropical weather season will officially come to an end November 30th.
Partial Lunar Eclipse Visible Early Friday Morning
This Friday morning, Nov. 19th, the full Moon will glide through the shadow of Earth, producing an almost-total lunar eclipse. All but a tiny sliver of the full Moon will turn sunset red during the 3 1/2 hour event. Technically, this will be a partial eclipse, but it will be exquisitely close to total. You won’t need any special equipment to see it—just an unobstructed view of the sky and the moon.
The overall duration of the November 2021 eclipse – from the moment the moon enters Earth’s penumbral shadow, to the moment it leaves – will be around 21,693 seconds (about 6 hours and 2 minutes). For a non-total lunar eclipse – in other words, a lunar eclipse that only has penumbral and partial phases – this is an unusually long duration. The maximum point of the eclipse comes about 41 hours before the moon reaches apogee, its farthest point from Earth for this month. The farther away the moon is, the slower it travels along its orbit. A moon at apogee simply takes longer to pass through Earth’s shadow.
Eclipse Times:
Penumbral Eclipse Begins: 12:02 am CST on November 19
Partial Eclipse Begins: 01:19 am CST
Greatest Eclipse Occurs at 3:03 am CST
Partial Eclipse Ends: 4:47 am CST
Penumbral Eclipse Ends: 6:04 am CST
This will be the longest partial lunar eclipse since the 15th century. Don’t miss it!
Have a good week.
Bob
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