Chamber of Commerce weather is expected across our great state this weekend!  That means very NICE weather perfect for getting out and about, getting those outdoor chores accomplished or even taking a quick day trip to enjoy your local State Park!  Temperatures will be mild and generally at or above seasonal averages.  Winds will calm to slightly breezy and there will be plenty of sunshine for a good dose of Vitamin D!  Rain doesn’t return to the forecast until Sunday afternoon across the western half of the state with the arrival of our next weathermaker.  More on that in just a bit.

Weekend Temperature Outlook

Rainfall Outlook

No rain is expected anywhere for Saturday through Saturday night and most of Sunday, so no worries about any outdoor plans being cancelled.  An upper level disturbance will move across the desert southwest today and into western Texas by late Sunday.  This area of low pressure will track across the state on Monday which will bring chances for rainfall beginning Sunday afternoon out west, and through Monday for parts of southwest, central and southeast Texas on Monday.  Unfortunately the further north you live, the less rain you’ll see.  But for folks mainly south of the I-20 corridor, most should see a healthy amount of rain for winter gardens.  The graphic below provides the estimated total rainfall beginning late Sunday through Tuesday.

Winter Weather Chances Return Wednesday – Thursday

Winter weather chances return by mid-week with our next strong Arctic front.  This will NOT be a repeat of last winter’s apocalypse.  At this time, local forecasters are predicting at least some form of mixed winter precipitation across north Texas and possibly down into central Texas behind the front Wednesday night into Thursday, but exactly how much and where is still uncertain.  Temperatures will be quite chilly mid to end of week, but they are expected to rise above freezing each day, so lingering effects of any ice or snow will be minimal.  Again…NOT a repeat of last year; however, any threat of wintry precip does raise concerns for commuters and kids heading out to school each morning, so be sure to pay close attention to the forecast as it evolves into the work week ahead.  We will be here to bring you the latest as the forecast develops, so please stay tuned!

A Word About Social Media and Weather Forecasting….

Pardon me while I step up on my soapbox for a moment….And as always, be careful with what you see and believe out there on social media.  Know that your local National Weather Service office is always your most reliable source for weather information.  This is where we always look to first when developing the forecast we deliver to you in our blogs and live weather coverage.  Sadly, there are lots of “pop up” weather enthusiasts out there that love to toss scary looking weather graphics out there and kick the ant pile just to get lots of views purely to generate advertising revenue.  We see more and more of them every year, and it’s almost like it has become a whole other subculture of forecasting for the sole purpose of “weather entertainment” rather than protecting and saving lives.  And we field a lot of questions from folks asking “Is this for real????” and most of the time it’s complete rubbish.  Just be careful with what you see, believe and spread out there on social media.  If it looks super duper scary and has giant arrows and clown colors all over the place, it’s probably just click bait.  I can promise you we will never EVER do that.  If there’s anything you need to be seriously concerned about, we’ll deliver the message in a mature, professional and truthful manner with factual information to help you and your family make the best decisions for your safety.  Our mission is to help keep people weather informed and weather safe…not drive people to our super duper scary graphics just for advertising revenue.   Ok, I’ll step off my soapbox now.  Thank you for following us and stay SAFE everyone!!