Temperatures eased a little over 80 yesterday will continue to climb each afternoon through Monday.  We expect today's high around 83 by 4 p.m.  The rain chance is gradually on the rise, too.  For now, it's only going to amount to a few sprinkles but, by the middle of next week, heavy downpours could slow down travel across Texas.  

Current Conditions | Satellite & Radar | Travel Maps 
7 Day Forecast | Allergy

Southerly winds gust up to 29 mph yesterday in Austin and could be even stronger out there today, so hang on to your hats!  Skies will be generally cloudy, especially this morning, then we'll see some partial clearing during the afternoon to early evening.  It's a pattern we'll likely see repeat both Saturday & Sunday.

A weak cold front will move east through the northern half of the state during the weekend yet have no impact on our local weather.  Futurecast shows a few hit-or-miss light showers mostly in the morning hours during the next few days.  It's a 20% rain chance overall through Monday.  Most of the weekend rain is forecast to erupt northwest of the Hill Country, along the dryline, with accumulating rain possible in the Texas Big Country near Abilene.

Then we have eyes on two weather features next week:  a large upper-air disturbance from the Pacific Northwest as well as a weak cold front.  The disturbance is forecast to cut off from the main jet stream flow as it eases into the Four Corners region to our west, where models show the system moving very slowly from Tuesday through Thursday.  It will provide upper-level support and instability to our atmosphere.

As for the weak cold front, we think it'll drift around the I-35 corridor Tuesday through Thursday, acting as the focal point for several rounds of showers & storms.  Some of the downpours could be heavy, and we might see a few severe hail storms out of this, as well.  With all this in mind, we have enough confidence to at least give the area a 40% rain/storm chance next Tuesday and Wednesday.

We think there will be very little, if any, rain accumulation this weekend but the tide looks to turn next week.  NOAA's latest 7 day rain outlook calls for 1.25" to 2" across the Austin area, with heaviest totals to the north.  The bullseye currently points to far NE Texas with some potential 5"+ totals.  

Check back with us here on the weather blog or, more importantly, get the very latest on 'Weather on the 1s' on TV or the live stream.  Be prepared!

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