A polar cold front sweeps through Texas today with another blast of wintry winds. Not only is it stirring up pollen, namely some mountain cedar, it could also re-arrange your holiday decorations in addition to elevating the fire threat and making driving difficult. Be careful out there today! The forecast calls for steadily dropping temps through the afternoon to evening.
Current Conditions | Satellite & Radar | Travel Maps
7 Day Forecast | Allergy
A WIND ADVISORY is in effect until midnight. We urge you to be very cautious on elevated bridges & roadways and be very careful with fire.
By the time we get to 5 p.m., our forecast models show sustained winds from the NW around 30 mph with gusts near 40 to 50 mph. You'll want some sleeves by then as the wind chill starts to dip into the 40s, followed by the feel of 30s after sunset.
How about precipitation? We saw a couple of showers develop over I-35 during the night, producing .05" at Buda and Bastrop, but all of that moved east fairly quickly.
Coming to us from the Southern Rockies, a potent, cold-cored upper air disturbance is diving directly over Central TX tonight. It'll help induce some chilly rain mostly northwest of Austin then we expect some of that activity to cross the Hill Country this evening, and it could turn over to some snow. Temps at ground level will be above freezing but the air aloft will be cold enough to support a wintry mix of rain and snow flurries.
Our latest models show a burst of this wintry mix over the Hill Country through the night but none for Austin. We think there might be anywhere between a light dusting and up to 1" of snow in places like Fredericksburg, Marble Falls, and Burnet. Overall, it's a 20% chance for measurable precip where you are.
The upper-level storm will move away early tomorrow, taking the precip east and leaving us breezy and cold but dry as we close out the week.
Temps recover pretty nicely for the upcoming weekend, with chilly mornings but mild afternoons. We're heading back into the 60s by then.
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Enjoy the weather!
--Chief Meteorologist Burton Fitzsimmons (@Burton_Spectrum)