930am CST.. Tuesday / 17 January 2012

…. Drier and Cooler Conditions over the Next 24 Hours ….
…. Cold Fronts Due Early Saturday Morning and Again Early Next Tuesday ….
…. Clouds Pick Up by the Weekend but No Mention of Rain in the 7 Day Forecast ….

On this Tuesday… a cold front is moving through Texas with high pressure.. centered over the central plains states.. building south southeastward in its wake. As a result of this surface pressure pattern, northerly wind is increasing across the area as the front passes.

In the upper levels of the atmosphere… an eastward moving weak trough.. or line.. of upper air low pressure extends southward over the central plains states. As a result of this pressure pattern, the upper air winds over our area of Texas are light to moderate westerly.

A cold front is moving across Texas. Cooler temperatures under a clear to partly cloudy sky will be the rule over the next 24 to 36 hours.

As the surface high.. behind the front.. moves eastward, we’ll see a return to a south southwesterly wind flow by tomorrow. Enough moisture will return for late night and early morning low cloudiness by Thursday and Friday. Another weak cold front moves across the area by early next Saturday but limited instability and moisture will keep the mention of rain out of the forecast.

Winds will quickly return back southerly by Sunday with clouds increasing ahead of another more vigorous low pressure area and cold front expected by next Tuesday morning.

Slightly cooler and drier air will likely move into the area from the west northwest by the middle part of next week.

My forecast confidence through the remainder of this week is high to very high. My forecast confidence.. for the weekend into early next week.. is medium with exact timing of the Tuesday cold front as well as any rain chances is still a little uncertain.

For Austin and south central Texas… tonight will be mostly clear and cooler. Lows in the  30s. Northerly wind will decrease to 8 to 15 mph. For tomorrow, it’ll be mostly sunny. Highs around 60 with northeasterly wind becoming southwesterly wind by afternoon.

Have a good Tuesday night and Wednesday…
Meteorologist Troy Kimmel