Updated 130pm CDT Thursday / 19 July 2012

…. A Dry Weather Pattern for Now ….
…. A Tropical Air Mass Continues Across the Area ….
…. Afternoon Highs Warm over the Next Few Days ….
On this Thursday… a surface high pressure area is located over the southeastern USA  and the lower Mississippi Valley. 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 southerly 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 US central plains east southeastward into the Texas and the Mississippi Valley. As a result of the upper air wind flow, the upper level winds are light to moderate southerly over our area.

A moist tropical air mass continues across the area. However, the upper part of the atmosphere continues to grow more stable.

As a result, it looks like a dry forecast for the next few days. With increased sunshine and the “lid” reestablishing itself in our atmosphere, afternoon high temperatures will be warming back to or just above seasonal averages by the end of the week into the weekend.

There is some indication that once we get into the middle part of next week, a slightly more unsettled weather pattern will return with a few more clouds and perhaps a slim chance of rain.

For Austin and south central Texas… tonight will see a partly cloudy sky with lows in the 70s. Southerly wind. For tomorrow, partly cloudy with highs in the 90s with a southerly wind.

Have a good Thursday night and Friday…
Meteorologist Troy Kimmel