Updated 845am CDT Thursday / 20 June 2013

…. A Dry and Stable Weather Pattern Continues ….

On this Thursday morning…. surface high pressure is over the southwest North Atlantic Ocean and westward over Florida and the eastern Gulf of Mexico. A weakening stationary front extends westward from the southeastern USA into central Mississippi and northern Louisiana and north central Texas. Low pressure and a southeastward moving cold front are located from northeastern Colorado and central Colorado into southern Utah. Given this surface pressure pattern, surface winds are southerly across our area.

In the upper levels of the atmosphere… a strong upper level low pressure area is over the western third of the country with another over the eastern third of the country. Between these two low pressure areas, an area of upper air high pressure is over northern Mexico and southern and western Texas. As a result of this upper air pattern, winds over south central Texas and the Austin metro area about 18,000 feet above the ground are north northwesterly 10 to 20 mph.

It looks dry and summer like through the remainder of the week and through next weekend with the atmosphere continuing to be quite stable with general upper level high pressure area over the southern plains acting like a “lid” on the atmosphere. Temperatures will be at or above seasonal levels over the next seven days with no rain mentioned in the forecast.

The tropics also remain fairly quiet for now. Tropical storm Barry has moved across the southern coast of Mexico in the southwestern part of the Bay of Campache. As it continues westward ashore into southern Mexico today into tonight.. it will continue far enough south that it will not produce any effect locally.

A calendar weather note… overnight tonight at 12:04 a.m… we’ll experience the summer solstice or the official beginning of the summer season.

Have a good Thursday night and Friday…
Meteorologist Troy Kimmel

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