Weekend weather conditions were unseasonably warm, with readings averaging between 15 and 20 degrees above normal. However, on this Monday, noticeably cooler air is spreading into the area behind a fairly strong cold front. The front is forecast to push off the middle Texas coast early this afternoon. A narrow band of rain showers and isolated thunderstorms is accompanying the cold front. Rain totals are projected to be low—generally less than a quarter inch. Little to no rain was observed with the front earlier this morning when it tracked across the Hill Country and Central Texas.
Breezy and cooler conditions can be expected this afternoon and tonight. A north wind with speeds of 15-25 mph and gusts to 35 mph are forecast this afternoon and evening. Wind speeds should decrease to around 5-10 mph after midnight. The sky will be mostly clear to partly cloudy across the Hill Country and Central Texas regions this afternoon. However, the sky is forecast to remain mostly cloudy across the coastal plains region through tonight. Do note: a light freeze is forecast for the northern and western Hill Country along with some of the lower Hill Country valleys Tuesday morning.
- Afternoon temperatures are forecast to hold in the mid and upper 50s across the Hill Country, lower into the upper 50s to low 60s across Central Texas, and fall from the upper 70s into the mid-60s across the coastal plains region.
- Lows Tuesday morning will include the low 30s across the northern and western Hill Country, the mid-30s across the central and eastern Hill Country, the upper 30s to low 40s across Central Texas and the upper 40s to low 50s across the coastal plains region.
Tuesday’s weather is shaping up to be mostly sunny across the region. Clouds should thin across the coastal region by late morning. A weak trough of low pressure is predicted to track across South Texas out of northern Mexico, but this feature is not forecast to cause any rain. Tuesday’s temperature should warm to around 68-70 degrees. Expect a light east and southeasterly wind. Lows Wednesday morning will range from the low and mid-40s across the Hill Country, to the mid and upper 50s across the coastal region.
Dry, sunny, and unseasonably warm weather is forecast Wednesday through Friday as our region holds under a benign west-to-east upper-level wind flow out of the Pacific. Near-record to record warmth is forecast Thursday and Friday as west and southwesterly down-sloping breezes develop.
- High temperatures Wednesday are forecast to be in the upper 70s.
- High temperatures Thursday and Friday are forecast to be in the mid-80s across the western Hill Country, with low 80s predicted for most other locations.
- Lows Thursday morning are forecast to be in the low 50s Hill Country, with upper 50s to low 60s at most other locations.
- Lows Friday morning will include the mid-50s Hill Country, the low 60s across Central Texas and the mid to upper 60s coastal plains.
Forecasts call for a fairly strong cold to push across our region Friday night into Saturday morning. Similar to this morning’s cold front, a narrow band of rain showers and thunderstorms is forecast to accompany the front when it moves across Central Texas and the coastal region. No rain is predicted for the Hill Country. Rain amounts are forecast to average less than a quarter inch. The rain is predicted to end from west to east Saturday morning, followed by a mostly sunny sky in the afternoon. Breezy and cooler conditions can be expected, with temperatures in the afternoon falling into the low 60s.
The sky is forecast to be clear Saturday night through Sunday.
- Lows Sunday morning will include the low and mid-30s across the Hill Country, the upper 30s across Central Texas, and the low 40s across the coastal plains.
- High temperatures Sunday will be in the low and mid-60s.
- Low temperatures Monday morning will generally be in the low and mid-40s.
Looking ahead to next week, sunny, dry and unseasonably mild weather is forecast as a stable ridge of high pressure spreads over Texas out of northern Mexico. Hight temperatures are forecast to be in the mid and upper 70s. Lows temperatures are predicted to be in the upper 50s to low 60s.
There are still no signs of any unusually cold or arctic air headed towards Texas through Christmas.
A Spectacular Alignment of the Planets this Week
When the sun goes down tonight, go outside and look southwest. Venus, Saturn and Jupiter will be lined up in the twilight sky. This will be a special week for the alignment because the Moon will also be joining the show. The action begins Monday evening when the thin crescent Moon passes by Venus for an exquisite conjunction. Each night the Moon will join a different planet: Dec. 6th Venus, Dec. 7th Saturn, Dec. 8th Jupiter. On Dec. 9th and 10th, the Moon and planets will stretch themselves into a dramatic straight line across the southwestern sky.
You won’t need a telescope to see the show. Everything will be visible to the naked eye–even from brightly-lit cities. Try to catch the planets before the sunset sky fades completely black. Conjunctions framed by the colors of twilight are out of this world! (Spaceweather.com)
Have a good week.
Bob
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