Much of the region has been blanketed with dense fog today as warmer and more humid air is spreading north from the Gulf of Mexico. The visibility improved through the morning for areas east of Interstate 35. However, for areas located along and west Interstate 35 (including metro Austin), the dense fog is forecast to hang on till about mid afternoon. Occasional light rain showers and drizzle will likely continue across the area throughout the afternoon and into the evening.
Temperatures Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday night will be warmer than the past few days.
- High temperatures Wednesday will range from the low 60s across the Hill Country, to the low and mid-60s across Central Texas, to the low and mid-70s towards the coast
- Low temperatures Thursday morning are forecast to be in the low to mid-50s across the Hill Country, and in the mid-60s across Central Texas and the middle Texas coast
An active period of weather is expected to develop Wednesday night into Thursday morning when an advancing Pacific cold front pushes to the east out of West Texas Forecasts call for a large area of showers and thunderstorms to develop along and just behind the cold front. Today’s atmosphere appears to be set up that may allow a few of the storms to become strong to severe.
Forecasts call for the Pacific cold front to reach the western Hill Country around midnight and the Austin/Intestate 35 corridor around daybreak. The front is forecast to push off the middle Texas coast sometime around mid-afternoon Thursday. In advance of the front, rain showers and isolated thunderstorms are forecast to increase in areal coverage across the region Wednesday evening into Wednesday night as atmospheric lift increases ahead of the front. High resolution forecasts call for a large area of showers and thunderstorms to develop across the western Hill Country sometime around midnight, with the area of showers thunderstorms forecast to spread east across the Hill Country between midnight and just after daybreak. The area of showers and thunderstorms is forecast to spread east over the Austin/Central Texas area from around daybreak to till just after noon on Thursday. The showers and storms are predicted to spread across the middle Texas coast from late Thursday morning through late Thursday afternoon. The rain is forecast to taper off from west to east behind the cold front Thursday morning into Thursday afternoon.
There will be a low-end chance for some of the thunderstorms to become strong to severe as they move to the east Wednesday night into Thursday. The Storm Prediction Center has placed much of the Hill Country under a Marginal Risk, or 1 out of 5 risk between Wednesday evening and 6 am Thursday. A similar marginal risk for severe storms has been posted the Austin/Central Texas area and the middle Texas coast between daybreak Thursday and Thursday evening.
The primary severe weather threat is expected to be damaging winds. In addition, there will be a small chance for an isolated tornado or two, along with large hail.
The rain is forecast to taper off from west to east behind the cold front Thursday morning into Thursday afternoon.
Forecasted rain amounts from the showers and thunderstorms continue to trend down. Predictions call for widespread totals to be between a quarter and three quarters inches, with isolated totals up to 1.5 inches possible.
NWS Rainfall Forecast for the period 6 pm Wednesday through 6 pm Friday:
Clouds are forecast to clear from west to east Thursday afternoon into Thursday evening as dry Pacific air spreads in from the west. Sunny and dry weather will continue Friday and through the weekend. Temperatures will trend much milder, with daily highs in the 70s. Lows will generally be in the 40s.
Bob
Social Media