Updated 915am CT – Thursday / 09 February 2017

… After High Temperature Records Yesterday, Cooler Temperatures with Sunshine …
… A Warm Up Ahead of a Strong Cold Front and Wet Weather Early Next Week …

On this Thursday… surface high pressure, in the wake of yesterday’s cold front, settling southeastward from southeastern Nebraska. As a result, our surface winds across south central Texas are north northeasterly.

In the upper levels of the atmosphere.. a broad upper level though.. or line of upper level low pressure.. extends southward from Hudson Bay southward through the southeastern USA. An upper level ridge.. or a line of upper level high pressure.. extends from the southwestern USA northward into the intermountain west. Our upper level winds, at about 30,000 feet overhead, are northwesterly at about 40 mph.

After record breaking highs yesterday, a cold front passed through the area late yesterday afternoon and cooler air has spread into Texas from the north. With the drier and more stable component of the air in the wake of the front, temperatures will continue cooler through tonight (still above seasonal averages, though) with surface winds turning more southerly once again tomorrow as a warming trend begins.

Clouds will increase a bit as low level moisture returns on the heels of the south southeasterly wind flow Friday night through Saturday and early Sunday.

The next cold front, this one much stronger, will move across the IH35 corridor late in the afternoon into the evening hours on Sunday. I think we’ll see a few rain showers associated with the atmospheric lift ahead of and just along the front. In the wake of the front Sunday evening, clouds will thicken and persist with rain chances increasing in association in what we refer to as an “overrunning” pattern moisture gliding up and over the top of the surface based cooler air as a strong upper level low pressure storm system approaches Texas from the west. Rain chances will linger through Monday and Tuesday with temperatures well below average. The latest NWS/Weather Prediction Center guidance suggests that the area will see upwards of one to two inches of rain in the overrunning pattern.

The upper level low pressure storm system will finally move east of the area by Tuesday night into Wednesday with rain chances diminishing, sunshine slowly returning and temperatures warming once again.

Have a good Thursday….
Meteorologist Troy Kimmel

Contact me:
tkimmel@austin.utexas.edu
http://www.facebook.com/troykimmel

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Updated 845am CT.. Thursday / 09 February 2017

TODAY…. Sunshine. High 69. Northerly wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northeasterly in the afternoon.

TONIGHT…. Mostly clear. Low 50. Light easterly wind.

FRIDAY…. Mostly sunny and warmer. High 75. Light wind in the morning becoming southerly 5 to 12 mph by afternoon.

FRIDAY NIGHT…. Becoming mostly cloudy. Low 60. South southeasterly wind 4 to 8 mph.

SATURDAY…. Morning low clouds otherwise partly cloudy and unseasonably warm. High 83. South southwesterly wind 5 to 12 mph.

SATURDAY NIGHT…. Partly cloudy. Low 62. South southeasterly wind 5 to 12 mph.

SUNDAY…. Some morning low clouds.. otherwise partly cloudy. Widely scattered rain showers. Rainfall, where it occurs, will average 1/10th inch or less. High 77. Southerly wind 5 to 12 mph shifting more southwesterly in the afternoon.

SUNDAY NIGHT…. Mostly cloudy and turning cooler with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms as a cold front passes in the evening hours. A 30% chance of rain; rainfall, where it occurs, will average 1/4 inch. Low 51. Southwesterly wind shifting north northwesterly 10 to 20 mph with some higher gusts.

MONDAY…. Cloudy and much cooler with scattered patches of rain and rain showers. A 50% chance of rain; rainfall, where it occurs, will average 1/4 inch. Highs remaining in the 50s. Northerly wind 8 to 15 mph.

MONDAY NIGHT…. Cloudy with numerous rain showers and isolated thunderstorms. A 60% chance of rain; rainfall, where it occurs, will average 1/4 inch. Low 45. Northerly wind 5 to 10 mph.

TUESDAY…. Cloudy and unseasonably cool with numerous rain showers and isolated thunderstorms. A 60% chance of rain; rainfall, where it occurs, will average 1/4 inch. High in the 50s. Northeasterly wind 4 to 8 mph.

TUESDAY NIGHT…. Cloudy with scattered rain showers. A 40% chance of rain; rainfall, where it occurs, will average less than 1/4 inch. Low 45. Northeasterly wind 4 to 8 mph becoming more easterly after midnight.

WEDNESDAY…. A few periods of rain before sunrise. A 20% chance of rain before 8am; rainfall, where it occurs, will average a few hundredths of an inch. Decreasing clouds becoming partly cloudy. High 63. Light easterly wind early becoming southeasterly 5 to 10 mph by afternoon.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE / 8 TO 14 DAY OUTLOOK
Valid Thursday / 16 February 2017 through Wednesday / 22 February 2017…
Temperature… Above Average
Precipitation… Below Average

AUSTIN SUNSET/SUNRISE TIMES…..
Sunrise this morning (09 Feb)……………………………………………. 7:16 am
Sunset this evening (09 Feb)……………………………………………… 6:15 pm
Sunrise tomorrow (10 Feb)………………………………………………… 7:15 am
Sunset tomorrow (10 Feb)…………………………………………………. 6:16 pm