Updated 130pm CDT Friday / 13 July 2012

…. Rain Chances Headed Back Up Again into the Weekend ….
…. Decreased Rain Chances Again Sunday into Next Week ….
…. With Increased Sun, Warmer Temps Due Next Week ….

On this Friday… a surface high pressure area is located over the southeastern USA  and the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. A weak trough.. or line.. of low pressure extends southward from a low over southeastern Colorado into far southwest Texas. Another surface high pressure area is over western Colorado and New Mexico. As a result of this surface pattern, a light south southeasterly surface wind is prevailing across our area.

In the upper levels of the atmosphere, the upper high pressure ridge, acting like a lid on the atmosphere, continues broadly over the southwestern USA and eastward into west Texas with a broad upper level low pressure area from the lower Mississippi Valley west southwestward into east Texas. As a result of the upper air wind flow, the upper level winds are light north northeasterly over our area.

A moist tropical and unstable air mass continues across the area. The upper part of the atmosphere has grown a little more stable over the last 24 hours, however, the upper low over southeast Texas is expected to once again move westward tonight into Saturday resulting in increased rain chances once again.

The Sunday into the first part of next week, as the upper low becomes less of a factor and the upper high starts to reestablish itself, our rain chances will decrease Sunday into next week as a partly cloudy weather pattern prevails. Temperatures will be near to slightly above seasonal averages.

For Austin and south central Texas… tonight will see a partly cloudy sky with widely scattered rain showers and thunderstorms with lows in the 70s. South southeasterly wind. For tomorrow, variable clouds with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms with highs around 90 with a south southeasterly wind.

Have a good Friday night and Saturday…
Meteorologist Troy Kimmel

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