Welcome to our final day of 80+ degree weather for the rest of October, maybe even longer! The forecast calls for highs around 84 to 86 this afternoon ahead of a powerful polar cold front that will blast into the Capital City tonight.

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

Mostly cloudy skies are back in the picture today and, according to our computer models, they might unleash a few spotty showers during the first half of the day -- a 50 percent chance overall -- then we'll look for storms to start developing by late afternoon. The odds for rain ramp all the way up to 80 percent by sunset.

Please be aware of the weather today! Strong to severe storms could erupt with lightning, hail, and strong storm winds especially around 6 p.m. to midnight. For safety sake, we recommend that you plan to be off the roads and in a safe shelter when all of this activity moves through the region.

At times, briefly heavy downpours could reduce visibility and make it extremely tough on drivers. Some 1" to 2" widespread totals are expected, along with some isolated 3"+ pockets. Some minor flash flooding could occur in notorious spots, including low water crossings, and it'll be tough to see after dark. Futurecast shows rainfall lingering through early tomorrow before tapering.  

As for temps, get ready for another case of weather whiplash as northerly winds around 20-30 mph make 50s feel like 40s for much of the day Friday.

For our final weekend of October, plan for cold mornings and mild afternoons with daytime highs in the low to mid 70s. That's certainly cooler than our normal high of 80 for this time of year.

And cooler-than-normal weather will likely continue next week. As of now, it appears one cold front will arrive Monday and another on Wednesday, both without any signs of rain. Central Texas will be quite cool this Halloween, likely with chilly 50s during trick-or-treat time.

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