Updated  930am CDT Tuesday / 3 April 2012

…. Upper Level Low Pressure Storm Passes to the North/Northwest  Today ….
…. Rain and Thunderstorm Chances Diminishing by Tonight ….
…. Cloud and Sunshine Mix and Above Average Temperatures Late Week/Weekend ….

On this Tuesday… an area of surface low pressure is over the upper Mississippi Valley with a cold front extending southwestward into another surface low pressure area over Oklahoma. A weak cold front extends southward from this low into Texas. As a result, a southerly surface wind is shifting more west northwesterly as the weak cold front moves eastward across our area of Texas.

In the upper levels of the atmosphere, a strong closed area of upper level low pressure is moving slowly east northeastward over northeastern New Mexico.. and western parts of the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles. As a result of the upper air wind flow, upper level winds are strong southwesterly across our area of Texas.

As the upper level low northwest of our area moves east northeastward out of the south central states over the next 24 hours and the weak surface cold front moves eastward through the area, our atmosphere will become drier and more stable with the lingering rain shower and thunderstorm chances this evening ending by later tonight.

We’ll see a cloud and sunshine mix tomorrow through late week and through the weekend with temperatures continuing to be well above average.

My forecast confidence over the next seven days is high to very high.

For Austin and south central Texas… tonight will see widely scattered rain showers and thunderstorms this evening giving way to a partly cloudy sky thereafter. Lows around 60. West southwesterly wind. For  tomorrow, it’ll be mostly sunny. Highs in the 80s with north northwesterly wind.

Have a good Tuesday night and Wednesday…
Meteorologist Troy Kimmel