Updated  945am Thursday / 1 March 2012

…. Clouds and Humidity on the Increase ….
…. Yesterday’s Cold Front Comes Back as a Warm Front ….
…. Stronger Cold Front with a Isolated Thunderstorms Friday ….

On this Thursday… a warm front is moving back northward through our area as an area of low pressure and an associated cold front gets better developed over the plains and Rockies. As a result of this surface pressure pattern, a southerly surface wind is picking up across our area.

In the upper levels of the atmosphere… a developing trough.. or line.. of upper air low pressure is located over the western 1/3rd of the USA. As a result of this pressure pattern, the upper air winds are moderate west southwesterly across Texas.

The upper level trough.. or line.. of upper level low pressure over the western USA continues to move eastward.  As it does, the front from yesterday continues back northward as a warm front with clouds.. humidity and warmer temperatures returning quickly to our local area.

Another stronger cold front will move through the area with isolated to widely scattered rain showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon hours tomorrow. Skies will clear with cooler temperatures prevailing late Friday afternoon through Friday night and through the weekend as high pressure builds in from the north.

The surface high will move eastward with a return to a southerly surface wind by late Sunday into next Monday with low level moisture once again on the increase.

Another cold front will move eastward into west Texas by next Thursday.

My forecast confidence through the remainder of the week is high. My confidence for the forecast for next weekend is very high and then drops to medium to high for the early and middle part of next week (moisture return and minimal rain chances being the uncertainties).

For Austin and south central Texas… tonight will be mostly cloudy with some patchy fog developing. Lows in the 60s with a southerly wind. For tomorrow, patchy morning fog.. otherwise mostly cloudy with isolated to widely scattered rain showers and thunderstorms as a mid and late afternoon cold front moves through. Highs in the 80s with south southeasterly wind becoming north northwesterly in the afternoon.

Have a good Thursday night and Friday…
Meteorologist Troy Kimmel