Updated 845am CDT Wednesday / 24 April 2013

Unseasonably Chilly Temperatures ….
Overrunning Pattern With Clouds and Some Rain ….
Return to Partly Cloudy and Warmer Late Week Through the Weekend ….

On this Wednesday morning…. a strong cold front is moving off the Texas coast with high pressure settling into the area from the north in the wake of the frontal system. Given this surface pressure pattern, surface winds are northerly across our area of the state.

In the upper levels of the atmosphere…. a broad trough.. or line.. of upper level low pressure is situated over the western and central USA with a several strong disturbances within this upper air flow. In addition, an upper level low is approaching the west coast of southern California and northwest Mexico. Given this upper air pattern, winds over south central Texas and the Austin metro area about 18,000 feet above the ground are southwesterly 35 to 45 mph.

A shallow layer of unseasonably chilly air is in place across our area in the wake of the cold front yesterday afternoon. The cold front itself continues to move off the Texas coast and well into the Gulf of Mexico but clouds and slim rain chances will continue locally in the post frontal atmospheric environment as a result of a series of upper level low pressure disturbances remaining to our west and making their way across the area through Friday. This produces an “overrunning” pattern with moisture coming back up and over the shallow layer of cooler air at the surface with clouds and slim rain chances expected to persist through Friday.

More sunshine with a return southerly wind and warmer temperatures will prevail by late in the day Friday and through the weekend.

Have a good Wednesday night and Thursday…
Meteorologist Troy Kimmel

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