Updated 845am CST Wednesday / 20 February 2013
Active Weather Pattern Continuing Across the Area …
Low Pressure Storm System and Cold Front with Rain and Thunderstorms …
Dry Weather Late Week into the Weekend …
On this Wednesday… a high pressure area is over the northern Mississippi Valley south southeastward through the lower Mississippi Valley. Deepening low pressure is over the southwestern USA with a cold front extending southward from southern Utah and Arizona into northwestern Mexico. As a result of this pressure pattern, surface winds are light east southeasterly across our area.
In the upper levels of the atmosphere, a deep area of eastward moving upper air low pressure is over southeastern California. As a result of this upper air wind flow, our upper level winds are moderate southwesterly.
The upper air storm system out west is moving slowly eastward and will move overhead later tonight into Thursday morning with abundant atmospheric lift and instability. Rain chances will increase by late today as low level moisture increases. Some hail may occur with the thunderstorms tonight into tomorrow with a beneficial general 1/4 to 3/4 inch of rainfall possible. The southeastward moving cold front will finally move southeastward through the area in the wake of the upper air disturbance by mid morning on Thursday. Clouds and rain chances will taper off in the wake of the Thursday morning front.
A drier and more stable air mass will prevail in the wake of the Thursday morning cold front all the way through late week and into the weekend.
Another low pressure area and cold front will move through Texas on Monday with another slim chance of rain showers and thunderstorms.
Have a good Wednesday night and Thursday…
Meteorologist Troy Kimmel
Contact me:
tkimmel@austin.utexas.edu
http://www.facebook.com/troykimmel