Updated 845am CDT Friday / 15 March 2013
Little Change For Now ….
Our Next Cold Front Is Still Due Monday Night into Early Tuesday Morning ….
The Seven Day Forecast is Rain Free ….
On this Friday… a surface high pressure area is over the southeastern USA and the Gulf of Mexico with a deepening surface trough.. or line.. of low pressure from western Kansas south southwestward through west Texas. Given this surface pressure pattern, surface winds are southerly across our area of Texas.
In the upper levels of the atmosphere, the broad upper air trough.. or line.. is located over the eastern seaboard of the USA and the upper level ridge.. or line.. of upper air high pressure over the western USA has “flattened” out a bit. As a result of this upper air wind flow, our upper level winds are very light west northwesterly with winds over Austin at about 18,500 feet blowing only about 15 to 25 mph.
The surface high.. over the southeastern USA and the Gulf of Mexico.. will continue to move eastward. South southeasterly surface winds continue over the area and will continue through the latter part of the week and the weekend into early next week. Low level moisture is returning to the area with attendant late night and early morning low cloud cover already in evidence over the area this morning. This will continue.. with increased cloud cover and humidity.. through the weekend and into early next week.
Another cold front… still rather weak in nature.. is forecast to drift southward into our area by late Monday night into the predawn hours Tuesday morning. The upper air conditions.. as forecast.. appear a little more favorable now to push this front completely off the Texas coast and into the Gulf of Mexico. The front will lift back northward as a warm front by Wednesday and Wednesday night. At this point, limited moisture.. instability and atmospheric lift will preclude any rain chances with this frontal passage through the local area.
Have a good Friday Night and Weekend…
Meteorologist Troy Kimmel
Contact me:
tkimmel@austin.utexas.edu
http://www.facebook.com/troykimmel