Updated 130pm CDT Tuesday / 29 May 2012

…. A Stable Air Mass.. with A Partly Cloudy Sky.. Continues ….
…. Above Average Afternoon Temperatures….
…. A Weak Cold Front Expected for the Late Thursday into Thursday Night ….

On this Tuesday… a ridge of high pressure is located over the southern coastal parishes of Louisiana with a trough.. or line.. of low pressure and an associated stationary front from southern Missouri westward to the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles. A dry line extends southward from the Texas panhandle into southwest Texas. As a result of this pressure pattern, a southerly surface wind is blowing across our area.

In the upper levels of the atmosphere, a ridge of upper air high pressure has moved southwestward slightly and is located from south Texas into northeastern Mexico. A center of strong upper air low pressure is located within a trough.. or line.. of upper level low pressure that extends from northeastern Minnesota into the Mississippi Valley. As a result of the upper air wind flow, the upper level winds are light northwesterly over our area.

As we’ve seen over the last week or so, there continues to be little change in our weather pattern across south central Texas. Although it weakened a bit, the ridge of upper air high pressure is still overhead and to our southwest.. acting like a “lid” on the atmosphere. It is continuing to shift back west southwestward as the upper air low over the upper Mississippi Valley deepens over the eastern third of the USA.

As the upper air trough continues to deepen over the eastern part of the USA into middle of the week, we’ll see a cold front move southward into Texas and initial indications are that the front will move through the local area Thursday afternoon into Thursday night. As it moves through the area, given the expected instability and moisture in place, I will keep a slight chance of rain showers and thunderstorms on Thursday.

In the wake of the front next Thursday night and Friday and into next weekend, skies will remain partly cloudy as temperatures cool only a very few degrees.

For Austin and south central Texas… tonight will be partly cloudy. Lows in the 70s. Southerly wind. For tomorrow, morning low clouds becoming partly cloudy. Highs in the 90s with a southerly wind.

Have a good Tuesday night and Wednesday…
Meteorologist Troy Kimmel

Contact me:
[email protected]
http://www.facebook.com/troykimmel