The summer doldrums continue. Heat, humidity, and more dry weather. But there are a couple of items to take note of over the next week. High temperatures are not expected to be quite as extreme as what we saw earlier in the week, and there will be a slight chance for rain late next week when a weak cold front sags south into North Texas. I know it’s not much, but at this point into the summer, we’ll take any amount of good weather news we can find.
As of late Friday morning, Doppler radar showed an area of rain showers and isolated thunderstorms covering the Big Country, between Abilene and Wichita Falls. The activity was spreading to the southeast and it should have no impact on Hill Country or Central Texas weather. Doppler radar showed another area of rain and thunderstorms over southern/western Louisiana and Northeast Texas associated with a weak wave of low pressure. Although the area of rain was slowly spreading to the west, it is not forecast to reach the middle Texas coast or Central Texas.
Our region’s weather remains in the grips of a large dome of high pressure that covers most of the western, central and southeastern U.S. Although the center of the ridge is forecast to shift to the southeastern U.S. by the middle of next week, little change in the weather is forecast for Central and South Texas this weekend and most of next week. Expect more sunny, dry and hot weather.
- High temperatures this afternoon through Sunday are forecast to be around 100-104 degrees across the Hill Country and Central Texas regions, and in the upper 90s across the coastal plains.
- High temperatures Monday and Tuesday are forecast to be near 101-105 degrees across the Hill Country and Central Texas regions, and in the upper 90s across the coastal plains.
- High temperatures Wednesday through Friday are forecast to be near 100-103 degrees across the Hill Country and Central Texas regions, with upper 90s across the coastal plains.
A slight chance for scattered rain showers and thunderstorms is forecast to develop across the region next Friday and Saturday when a weak cold front sags south and stalls somewhere near the Red River valley. This will occur at a time when the ridge over Texas will be weaker than it is today. On both days, showers and thunderstorms are predicted to develop along the front and move to the south. As of now, the probability for rain at any spot will only be 20-30 percent. Unfortunately, significant rain is not expected as rain amounts are forecast to only be around a quarter to a third of an inch.
The chance for rain is forecast to diminish late Saturday as the cold front weakens.
Long-range forecasts call for mostly, sunny, hot and dry weather to resume next Sunday and continue through the first week of August. Interestingly, the center of the high pressure ridge is not forecast to be over Texas during this period. Instead, it is forecast to be over the southeastern U.S. and the far western U.S. With a slightly weaker ridge across Texas, it should translate into slightly lower temperatures and a few isolated Sea Breeze showers each day. Daily high temperatures the first week of August are predicted to be around 100-103 degrees.
Tropical Weather Outlook
Weather conditions remain quiet across the tropical Atlantic. Tropical cyclone development is not forecast for at least the next 5 days.
NOAA/Colorado State University/RAMMB 07/22/2022 12:40 pm CDT
Saturn Moves to the Evening Sky
For the past few months, all of the visible planets have only been visible in the morning sky before sunrise. But that is finally changing. Beginning in late July, the planet Saturn will be rising in the southeastern sky mid-evening and it should be fairly east to find. It will be located close to the famous Teapot asterism in Sagittarius. For much of the night in late July and August, Saturn will follow the Teapot across the southeastern sky. Watch for them to rise mid-evening in late July and at sunset by mid-August. Saturn is the faintest of the bright planets, but it’s bright compared to most stars! It’s golden in color.
The planets Venus, Mars, and Jupiter are all still visible in the sky just before sunrise.
Have a good weekend.
Bob
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