Updated 845am CDT Friday / 29 March 2013

Abundant Moisture/Clouds Continue ….
Slim Rain Chances By Tonight Through the Saturday Night ….
A Cold Front Brings Better Rain Chances Monday into Tuesday ….

On this Friday… surface high pressure extends from the Great Lakes southward into the southeastern USA. Low pressure is over west Texas and New Mexico. Given this surface pressure pattern, surface winds are southerly across our area of Texas.

In the upper levels of the atmosphere, an upper level low pressure system is well offshore of western USA coast with an otherwise zonal (west to east) wind pattern across the United States. As a result of this upper air wind flow, our upper level winds are light to moderate westerly with winds over Austin at about 18,500 feet blowing about 30 to 40 mph.

With the surface high pressure to the east of the area and low pressure becoming better developed to the west… southerly wind and the associated surface moisture  continuing to increase. Clouds will continue to dominate over the next few days with the atmosphere becoming more unstable by later tonight continuing through the weekend into early next week. We’ll see a slight chance of rain by tonight through the weekend with the best chance being tonight into Saturday as upper air low pressure disturbances move west to east overhead.

Through Monday, with the humidity and clouds in place, I do not see any air mass changes. A strong spring season cold frontal passage will take place late next Monday night into the predawn hours Tuesday with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms. Much cooler temperatures will prevail in the wake of the front with some lingering clouds for the middle part of next week.

Have a good Friday night and a Good Weekend…
Meteorologist Troy Kimmel

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