Updated 845am CDT Tuesday / 12 March 2013
A Dry and Stable Late Winter Weather Pattern…
On this Tuesday… a surface high pressure area is over northeastern Louisiana. A deepening area of low pressure is over northwest Texas with a cold front extending westward into northern New Mexico. Given this surface pressure pattern, surface winds are south southeasterly across our area of Texas.
In the upper levels of the atmosphere, a broad upper air trough.. or line.. is located over the eastern 2/3rds of the country. As a result of this upper air wind flow, our upper level winds are light northwesterly with winds over Austin at about 18,500 feet blowing about 30 to 35 mph.
The surface high.. to the east of the area.. will continue to move eastward into the southeasterly USA and the western Atlantic as the low pressure area to the northwest moves quickly eastward with a weak cold front moving through the area by tonight. This front will simply reinforce the dry and stable air mass in place across the area.
Following the weak cold front tonight.. south southeasterly surface winds will quickly return to the area by tomorrow night into Thursday. Low level moisture will begin the return to the area as well with late night and early morning low cloud cover by as early as Friday night into Saturday morning.
Another cold front… this one rather weak in nature.. is due by Sunday night into Monday morning. At this point, limited moisture.. instability and atmospheric lift will preclude any rain chances.
Have a good Monday night and Tuesday…
Meteorologist Troy Kimmel
Contact me:
tkimmel@austin.utexas.edu
http://www.facebook.com/troykimmel