Nearly every aspect we've enjoyed about our Central Texas weather this week is about to change.  As the day goes by, you'll probably notice the rise in humidity and cloudier skies before any rain moves into the picture, but that's on the way, too.  Our forecast calls for highs in the low to mid 70s this afternoon.

Gusty winds from the south will pump in more moisture from the Gulf of Mexico as the day goes by, helping to fuel at least a slim 20% rain chance this afternoon and a slightly better 30% rain/storm chance after dark.

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7 Day Forecast | Allergy

With a connection all the way back to Hawaii, the "pineapple express" continues to bring in plenty of Pacific moisture to the upper atmosphere of Texas and it's about to send in some energy, too.  Computer models show a weak disturbance travelling mostly through the northern half of the Lone Star State tonight, and that's why we have a slightly elevated rain chance.  

This first Pacific impulse will move east of the area tomorrow morning, so we're anticipating a cloudy start yet skies should turn sunny after lunch, giving us a very warm send off to the week with highs into the mid and upper 80s.

The conveyor belt from the west will continue to sweep across Texas through the weekend, sending a second impulse into the I-35 corridor by Saturday night/Sunday morning.  We'll go with a 30% rain chance for St. Patrick's Day on Saturday, then a 40% rain/storm chance on Sunday.  As it looks now, the heaviest round will probably happy Saturday night through Sunday morning.

Our weekend wraps up with a bona fide cold front moving into West Texas, and it's timed to arrive here in Austin during the wee hours of Monday morning without much fanfare, leaving our region sunny, dry and slightly cooler next week.  We're calling for daytime 70s in general.

NOAA's 7 day rain outlook calls for 1/4" to 1/2" potential accumulations here at home, with the heaviest east.

It's going to be an active period of weather through the weekend, so make sure you're checking back with us for updates with more here and on 'Weather on the 1s' on TV and/or the live stream.

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Enjoy the weather!
--Chief Meteorologist Burton Fitzsimmons (@Burton_Spectrum)