While last weekend’s winter storm brought frigid temperatures and wintry precipitation to areas from Texas to the Ohio Valley to the Northeast, the incoming storm system is on a completely different track. Its target is the Deep South, from the eastern half of Texas, along the Gulf Coast and into the Carolinas.
Judging from this unusual weather pattern, parts of Texas and Florida will be colder than Juneau, the capital of Alaska, or even Nuuk, Greenland.
“The Arctic air mass that has been lingering over eastern Canada in late January is now being released southward, moving toward the eastern two-thirds of the United States,” meteorologists at the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center wrote in Friday’s forecast discussion. “The core of Arctic air is expected to dive unusually southward into the southeastern United States this weekend before exiting the coast.”
They go on to say that the coldest air will move over warmer water, creating energy that could help coastal storms form and rapidly intensify near the southeastern United States later this weekend.
What does this mean for Central Texas? While the cold weather will be concentrated along the East Coast, we will receive a secondary push from dry arctic air blowing in from Northeast Texas.
saturday morning
We’ll wake up Saturday morning to clear skies and a north wind blowing across the area. Morning lows will be in the mid-20s to near 30 degrees, with temperatures in the teens possible in some places. The National Weather Service has issued a cold weather warning for the Austin metro area and Hill Country until 10 a.m.
Temperatures will drop into the 20s across much of central Texas and the Hill Country, but wind chill values ​​or “feel like” temperatures will be in the teens or low 20s due to light winds. (National Weather Service)
Saturday noon
Although the sky is clear, the temperature rises slowly in the morning, with the maximum temperature at noon being only about 40 degrees. Winds will remain breezy from the north at 8 to 15 mph, with gusts around 20 mph.
North winds will continue into Texas into the early afternoon, with winds reaching 20 to 25 mph. (key)
Saturday afternoon
Winds will weaken and become easterly around 4 p.m. From Round Rock to San Antonio, we’ll see mostly clear skies with temperatures in the low 40s.
Afternoon temperatures in Austin will be about 10 degrees below the normal late January temperature of 64 degrees. (key)
saturday night
If you have dinner plans for Saturday night, be sure to dress warmly. Sunset will occur at 6:07 PM, but once the sun sets, daytime heating will disappear. Temperatures will drop into the 30s at 7 p.m. and below freezing at 10 p.m.
What about Sunday?
Well, some of the coldest air of the weekend will be felt Sunday morning. Clear skies and light winds will bring intense radiative cooling. With not much warming the day before, temperatures will be cooler, with lows in the teens and 20s.
Austin is expected to see its coldest temperatures of the weekend on Sunday morning, but with much lighter winds. (key)
The good news for Sunday is that the wind will shift to the south around lunch time, bringing warmer air with temperatures that will rise into the 50s, a few degrees shy of Austin’s average high of 64 degrees for the first day of February.
Our next storm system will arrive early next week, bringing seasonal temperatures and good rain chances to Central Texas.
Next week the chance of rain will increase in the Austin metro area on Tuesday and Wednesday. Rainfall amounts are expected to be light overall, with most of the rainfall concentrated in East Texas. (key)
