Weather Highlights for the Week
- There will be a slight chance for a few light rain showers across the Hill Country and Central Texas regions Monday afternoon and Monday night
- A Canadian cold front will track through the area Wednesday morning, accompanied by a few rain showers and isolated thunderstorms. Rain amounts should remain below a quarter inch
- Breezy and cooler weather will follow the cold front Wednesday afternoon and evening
- Sunny, dry, and cool weather is forecast late week and this weekend
Discussion
Periods of light to occasionally moderate rain occurred across the region beginning on Friday and continued through weekend. Rain totals since Friday have generally averaged between a quarter and a half inch for locations along and east of Interstate 35. For much of the Hill Country, totals averaged less than a tenth of an inch. An area of heavier rain developed over the area between La Grange, Columbus, Bellville, and Brenham on Friday. Here, the rain produced widespread totals of 1-1.5 inches. LCRA’s Hydromet gauge located near Industry, in northwestern Bell Country, recorded a weekend total of 3.10 inches.
The week is starting off unseasonably warm and humid thanks to a moderate wind flow off the Gulf of Mexico. There will be a slight chance for a few spotty rain showers across the Hill Country and Central Texas regions Monday afternoon through Monday night due to weak atmospheric lift out ahead of cold front located over Northwest Texas. The cold front is predicted to sag south and stall across the northern Hill Country Monday evening, then turn back to the north on Tuesday. Rain amounts through Tuesday morning are forecast to total less than a tenth of an inch. A partly to mostly cloudy sky is forecast across the coastal plains region.
Tuesday’s weather will feature widespread morning clouds, followed by a partly cloudy sky in the afternoon. The sky looks to become cloudy again Tuesday night. Warm and humid conditions will continue.
- High temperatures Monday and Tuesday are forecast to be in the mid-70s across the Hill Country, and in the upper 70s to 80 degrees across Central Texas and the coastal region
- Low temperatures Tuesday and Wednesday mornings will range from the mid and upper 50s across the Hill Country, to the mid-60s near the coast
The biggest weather highlight of the week is expected to take place Wednesday when a Canadian cold front pushes south across the area. Forecasts call for the cold front to move across the northern Hill Country before sunrise, track across Central Texas Wednesday morning, and the coastal region Wednesday afternoon. An area of light rain showers and possibly a couple of isolated thunderstorms is forecast ahead of and along the cold front as it pushes to the south. The chance for rain will be near 30-40 percent. Low rain amounts are forecast, with totals staying under a quarter inch. The chance for rain will quickly diminish behind the cold front, followed by a mostly sunny sky Wednesday afternoon.
Breezy north winds of 10-20 mph with gusts to 30 mph are forecast Wednesday afternoon into Wednesday evening. Wind speeds are forecast to decrease after midnight Wednesday night. Noticeably cooler air will follow the cold front beginning Wednesday afternoon, with the cooler air continuing through the end of the week. A reinforcing shot of cool air is predicted to spread south through our area late Friday, but no clouds or rain will accompany the front.
Recent forecast data indicates nighttime temperatures may not be quite a cold as were forecast late next week.
- Temperatures on Wednesday are predicted to fall through the 60s behind the cold front
- Lows Thursday morning will include the mid and upper 30s across the Hill Country, the upper 30s to 40 degrees across Central Texas, and the mid 40s to upper 40s across the coastal plains
- High temperatures Thursday are forecast to be in the mid-60s
- Lows Friday morning will range from the low 40s west, to the upper 40s near the coast
- High temperatures Friday are forecast to be in the mid and upper 60s
- Lows Saturday morning will include the mid and upper 30s across the Hill Country, the upper 30s to 40 degrees across Central Texas, and the low 40s across the coastal plains
Weekend temperatures are not expected to show much change, with highs in the low and mid-60s, with lows generally in the low 40s.
Looking ahead to next week, sunny and dry weather will continue on Monday. Forecasts are pointing to a mostly cloudy sky with a slight chance to a chance for light rain showers developing Christmas Eve into Christmas Day as a weak trough of low pressure tracks east across North Texas. Rain amounts are forecast to average close to a quarter of an inch. Dry conditions look to follow next Thursday and Friday.
Temperatures next week are expected to be quite mild, with daily highs generally in the 70s, with lows mostly in the 50s.
Winter Solstice Happening Saturday
The winter solstice will occur this Saturday, December 21st at 3:21 am CST.
The December solstice marks the sun’s southernmost point in the sky, for the entire globe, for this entire year. On this solstice, the sun will be overhead at noon as viewed from the Tropic of Capricorn. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the December solstice will mark the longest nights and shortest days of the year.
Have a good week!
Bob
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