BurtonFitzsimmons.com

It’s a spooky start to a warm Halloween… but don’t get too used to the weather because a frightening front will soon sweep away that skin-crawling humidity. Late night creepers will really feel the chill after midnight as some temps drop to the 40s.

The batch of moisture responsible for Monday’s spooky cloudcover moved east, so we’re in for more sun today. This morning’s humidity and early mild 60s don’t really feel much like fall, and neither will the mid and upper 80s later this afternoon. Rather warm for some of our costumed friends!

But here comes that next fall front; perfectly timed, I might add.

Temps dropped below freezing in Amarillo a few hours ago as the bitter breeze took over the Panhandle, and we’ll expect that chill to blow our way late afternoon to early evening. Fortunately for all the ghosts and goblins, our rain chance is slim: only 20%. Drizzle or a few spotty showers may briefly move through the area but skies are expected to clear somewhat later tonight. The coldest won’t arrive until tomorrow, so jackets won’t likely be needed (of course, that depends on the costume.)

Clouds will increase again tomorrow as the warm Gulf wind blows up our way and is forced to rise up and over the cooler, more dense air at the surface. This “overrunning” causes clouds and light rainshowers to form. Our forecast calls for a 30% chance for chilly rain Wednesday and Thursday, with a break on Friday. It’s a fairly big pattern shift for us, and it’ll be quite cool under the clouds.

Seventies resume this coming weekend, but we’re not done with rainfall, yet. A larger upper-level disturbance will sweep our way from Rockies with showers and even a few storms possible Saturday and Sunday. At this point, we’re not very certain of the timing on this system. Check back through the week for updates here and on the 8-day forecast.

Tropical Update… The Western Caribbean continues to look a bit active with heavy rains extending from Jamaica to Cuba towards the Bahamas. Elsewhere, the tropics are quiet.

Halloween Treats… Share your Halloween fun with us and our viewers! Send your digital photos to photos@news8austin.com and watch for the best to air on ‘Weather on the Eights.’

Enjoy your Tuesday and have a safe Halloween.

Meteorologist Burton Fitzsimmons

Our cold front arrived just prior to midnight last night without many storms. But we can all feel that breeze outdoors this morning, with sustained winds up to 20mph and gusts to 32mph. Hold on to your hats, and get ready for an awesome weekend ahead!

The heaviest rain report came from Thorndale as storms clipped our northeastern counties around 7-8pm.

Thorndale .44″
La Grange .23″
College Station .16″
Lake Fayette .07″
Georgetown .03″
Lockhart .02″
Bull Creek@360 .01″

A cooler, much drier breeze from the northwest has taken over an will be a big feature in today’s weather. From 10am to 6pm, the National Weather Service hoists a Red Flag Warning for much of our area as the fire threat will be higher than normal thanks to the wind and very low humidity. The north half of Texas is under a Wind Advisory through 6pm, including Bell and McClennan counties.

The front continues marching south and east, bringing comfort statewide.

We’re in for abundant sunshine and high temps in the mid 70s today. After sunset, we’ll see the breeze relax. Expect a clear, calm, chilly night ahead with metro lows near 50 by daybreak Saturday. Widespread 40s will be found in rural areas, and a few may even drop into the upper 30s. I have a hunch Sunday morning may be a few degrees colder!

Afternoon highs this weekend will end up near 80, making it quite beautiful. According to today’s 8-day forecast we’ll see another cold front move in late Halloween night, but only with a slim chance for rain. We anticipate temps in the mid to low 70s for trick-or-treaters. Another front arrives on Thursday.

Gameday Forecast… Our strong north wind will mean slightly lower gas mileage for those headed northbound today, unfortunately, but the weather looks great along the way! Longhorns take on Texas Tech tomorrow at Jones Stadium in Lubbock. We anticipate low 70s with sunny, dry conditions for the 6pm kickoff. Hook ‘em!

Tropical Update… A small Tropical Depression 18 continues moving away from the West Coast of Mexico, and will likely grow into Tropical Storm Rosa before too long. As of 6am, the storm’s moving west at 9mph with winds at 30mph — actually bit lower than yesterday. With the storm moving away from land, the threat to life and property will be minimal.

In the Atlantic, a tropical wave nearing the Lesser Antilles looks quite disorganized. We’ll keep an eye on it for possible growth.

Picture of the Day… Pete Lawrence of Selsey, UK, took this photo of Comet Swan just last night. What a beauty! Astronomers noted a sudden surprise in the last few days: Swan just got a lot brighter! The running theory: a crack in the nucleus may have allowed sunlight to melt some of the “snowball,” allowing moisture to vent and a brighter tail to form. Swan may be viewable to the naked eye the next several nights. Best views will be found away from the city lights after sunset; look west towards the constellation Hercules. Click here for a viewing chart.

Enjoy your Friday and have a great weekend.

Meteorologist
Burton Fitzsimmons