Updated 845am CDT Tuesday / 26 March 2013

Surface High Pressure Moves to Our East By Tonight ….
Increased Moisture and Cloud Cover Latter Part of the Week through the Weekend ….
Rain Chances Late Week Through the Weekend ….

On this Tuesday… surface high pressure extends southward from the plains and western Mississippi Valley into the northwest Gulf of Mexico. Given this surface pressure pattern, surface winds are northeasterly across our area of Texas.

In the upper levels of the atmosphere, a broad upper air trough.. or line.. is located over the eastern half of the USA. As a result of this upper air wind flow, our upper level winds are strong northwesterly with winds over Austin at about 18,500 feet blowing about 60 to 70 mph.

With the surface high pressure now moving to the east of the area… southerly wind and the associated surface moisture will be on the increase by later today into tonight and Wednesday. Clouds will make their first appearance later tonight into Wednesday with the atmosphere becoming more moist and unstable by Thursday and continuing through the weekend into early next week. We’ll see a slight chance of rain by Thursday through the weekend with the best chance being late Friday night into Saturday as upper air low pressure disturbances move overhead.

Over the next seven days, following the increase in humidity, clouds and temperatures, I do not see any air mass changes through next Monday. Early indications are that a Pacific cold front may move through Texas by the middle part of next week, but, at this stage, it’s too early to talk about rain chances.

Have a good Monday night and Tuesday…
Meteorologist Troy Kimmel

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