Surface temperatures at 5:15 AM 1/17/2020. Click the image for a larger version.

Congratulations on making it to the third Friday of 2020! We’re starting the morning quite dreary across Texas and with a considerable variation in temperatures. Those in the Rio Grande Valley, South-Central Texas, the Coastal Plains, and Southeast Texas are in the 50s, 60s, and 70s this morning. For some, it probably feels similar to a morning in April or May. Head into West Texas or the Texas Panhandle, and you’ll encounter the winter season. Ice has accumulated on elevated objects, including bridges and overpasses, along with some surface roads, in the Texas Panhandle south toward Lubbock in West Texas. We encourage those traveling in those regions to use caution this morning. We don’t need any fatalities due to the weather.

Weather radar across Texas through the time of this writing (5:20 AM CT). Click the image for a larger version.

Advertisements

At the time of this writing, a broad band of rain extends from Childress in Northwest Texas south/southwest to Big Spring to Big Lake to Sanderson. Precipitation is moving east/northeast toward the Big Country, North Texas, and Central Texas. Temperatures are borderline freezing in the Big Country, so keep an eye out for a slick bridge or two. Temperatures are safely above freezing to the east and south. Temperatures will be rising today, so any threat for winter weather should become confined to the Texas Panhandle through the early afternoon hours. Precipitation will end in the Panhandle by 3 PM(ish), and hopefully, any problematic roadways will also improve.

Additional rain totals possible from 6 AM today through 6 AM Sunday. Click the image for a larger version.

Rain chances will be highest through the afternoon near and west of the Interstate 35 corridor from Laredo all the way north to the D/FW Metroplex – and everyone else in-between. Those rain chances will spread into Northeast Texas, East Texas, the Brazos Valley, and Southeast Texas tonight. A few storms are possible today, but the atmosphere is too stable to support a severe weather threat. This isn’t a repeat of last Friday. Localized minor flooding may occur – especially in areas that have dealt with heavy rains during the previous two days.

Timing of the cold front beginning this afternoon and continuing through Sunday morning. Times are located on the top-right portion of the graphic. All images in this blog post may be enlarged by clicking/tapping on them.

We’ll see rain chances begin ending from north to south on Saturday as our upper-level storm system departs. By Saturday evening, we anticipate any precipitation will be confined to coastal regions and in the Rio Grande Valley. A cold front will be moving south on Saturday through Texas and will bring cooler temperatures state-wide by Sunday.

After the cold front moves south through Texas on Saturday, we’ll see more seasonable temperatures for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Warmer weather will return to Tuesday on Wednesday and Thursday with the arrival of our next upper-level storm system. No record high temperatures or record cold temperatures are forecast for the next five days.

Weather models are in general agreement that our next upper-level storm system will arrive around Wednesday of next week. Precipitation does appear probable with that system, although specifics will be ironed out as we get closer. Either way, active weather will continue into next week, so keep your rain boots out.