Updated 845am CDT Thursday / 18 April 2013

A Strong Cold Front Moving Across Texas with Much Cooler Temperatures ….
Plenty of Sun Late Week into the Weekend ….
A Weekend Warm Up in Store as Southerly Winds Return ….

On this Thursday morning…. a cold front extends southwestward from western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma to along and just east of the IH35 corridor and into northeastern Mexico southwest of Del Rio and west of Laredo. Surface high pressure.. centered over the Rockies and western plains states.. is building southward into our area in the wake of the front. Given this surface pressure pattern, surface winds are gusty north northwesterly across our area of Texas.

In the upper levels of the atmosphere…. a broad area of upper level low pressure is situated  from Wyoming and the western plains south southwestward into southwestern USA. Given this upper air pattern, winds over south central Texas and the Austin metro area about 18,000 feet above the ground are southwesterly 60 to 70 mph.

A strong cold front is moving southeastward through Texas with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms along and ahead of the front. The front passed through the Austin area in the 7am hour this morning. Rain chances are decreasing rapidly in the wake of the front this morning.

Drier and cooler air will continue to move into our area through tomorrow on the heels of the northerly wind. Daytime highs over the next few days will be well below seasonal averages with overnight lows in the 30s in outlying and low lying areas to 40s in the metro areas along the IH35 corridor.

The surface high pressure.. following this mornings front..  will move east of the area by late tomorrow night into Saturday with a southerly wind.. warmer temperatures and a little increase in cloud cover and humidity by late Saturday through Sunday and into early next week.

Have a good Thursday night and Friday…
Meteorologist Troy Kimmel

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