Discussion – 

0

Discussion – 

0

Record Heat Today Then A Strong Cold Front Arrives

A very warm to downright hot day expected across much of the state.  Record highs will be broken today across many areas, especially across the panhandle, west and western north Texas which could see highs today bust the all-time records for any day in February.  More humidity across the central and eastern half of the state will keep temps a little cooler, but not by much.  It will still be unusually warm for mid-February across the entire state.  Dry west/southwest winds gusting to 40mph and very low humidity values will contribute to elevated and critical wildfire conditions across the panhandle and western Texas as well today.  We saw at least two short-lived wildfires yesterday…one near Post and the other out near Turkey…so do be extra careful today with anything that could spark a fire…no outdoor burning and please dispose of cigarette butts properly.

Forecast highs today will reach the mid 80s to mid 90s for many areas ranging from deep south Texas all the way north into the panhandle region.  It’s really impressive how far above normal we’re expected to get across parts of the panhandle and northwest Texas this afternoon. 20 to 25 degrees above average is fairly routine…but not 40+ degrees.  That’s not something you see very often.  Relief from a strong cold front will arrive late tonight into Sunday which will impact overnight lows across the panhandle and rolling plains which will go from the upper 80s to mid 90s today down into the upper 30s to mid 40s overnight.

Advertisements

The cold front will arrive tonight and is expected push into north Texas by around noon tomorrow and into central/south central Texas by Sunday night where it’s expected to stall out prior to reaching the coast. The front will arrive dry with chances for precipitation holding off until an upper level disturbance out west gets a bit closer to us by Sunday night.  Highs tomorrow will be quite different from today across the northern half of the state. Winds behind the front will be quite gusty…with sustained winds in the 20-30mph range with higher gusts possible throughout the afternoon which will make it feel quite miserable compared to this afternoon.

Precipitation chances begin to increase late Sunday and are currently expected to continue through the middle of next week as an upper level system out west slowly approaches.  Wintry weather will be possible across the panhandle Sunday night and through Tuesday with a mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow expected on and off throughout the period.  Best chances of seeing accumulating snowfall across the panhandle region will be overnight Sunday and again overnight Monday when temperatures drop below freezing. During the day Monday, as temperatures climb to just above freezing, the precipitation will transition over to a mix of freezing rain and sleet. With it having been so warm the previous days, impacts to roadways will be slow to develop, but as always, bridges and overpasses will be the first to see impacts from any accumulating ice or snow.  Local forecasters are holding off on predictions of exactly how much snow will fall, but we should have some better information to share by later this evening and tomorrow once this next storm system moves onto the west coast and is sampled by our weather balloon network.

Advertisements

For the remainder of the state…no snow, but plenty of rainfall expected through the middle of next week along with much cooler and more seasonal temperatures. Late next week, we dry out and warm up again though probably not quite as hot as we’ll see today.

Tags:

Jenny Brown

0 Comments

You May Also Like

Share to...