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As our luck would have it, more sun and more summer heat will be found even as we transition to fall this weekend. Rain likely won’t be an issue at all in our part of Texas, though fear of a tropical menace will have us monitoring the Gulf quite close…

With strong high pressure overhead, drier air mixed into our atmosphere and helped eradicate the clouds yesterday evening, leaving our area mostly clear overnight. A perfect setup for a cool morning!

Some of the coolest since early June:

50 Stonewall
59 Bertam, Cedar Creek
59 Cedar Park, Cow Creek
59 Dripping Springs, Elgin
59 Jonestown, Llano
59 Spicewood
60 ABIA

This dry air warms quickly under abundant sunshine, with highs running into the low to mid 90s by mid-afternoon.

Abundant sunshine will rule as we close out summer ’07. Look for comfortable wake-up temps in the upper 60s to near 70, with highs in the low to mid 90s this weekend. We expect lots
of sunshine and very little rainfall, if any. The high pressure cell currently over Texas will hold at least for another 36 hours.

Horns vs. Owls… Football fans will be taking to DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in the heat this Saturday, with a 6pm kickoff temp in the low 90s under abundantly sunny skies. After sunset at 7:28pm, temps will cool into the mid and low 80s. Hook ‘em!!

Scanning the Gulf… While no suspect storms can be found in the Western Gulf right now, the Eastern side holds the hub of activity as that slow moving low finally eases a bit further from peninsular Florida. It’s nearly 100 miles south of Apalachicola and moving slowly northwest. Doppler radar and satellite imagery indicate some strengthening has occurred since yesterday, and there’s potential it could still attain tropical depression status later today. Hurricane hunters will fly into this storm later this morning to collect more data. And computer models continue to offer some relief for Texas, suggesting the storm will mostly likely move onshore in the Central Gulf.

Slow-moving Ivo… We’ve tracked Hurricane Ivo for several days now, yet he’s moved very little. Located just off the west coast of Mexico, Ivo continues as a weak category 1 storm with sustained winds at 80mph. He’s moving NNW at 8mph, and is forecast to sweep towards the Baja with high surf, strong winds, and heavy rains this weekend, making landfall in northwest Mexico early next week as a weaker tropical depression.

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall… All good things must come to an end, the adage goes, including our mild summer 2007. With more than 50 consecutive days of below normal temps and only three 100+ degree days, it’s been milder than most. More importantly, it’s the first summer in more than 10 years in which all of Texas officially held above drought status. A 20″ rainfall surplus and full lakes are clear results. The fall season arrives in the northern hemisphere with the the autumnal equinox at 4:51am Sunday.

We don’t see much fall-like weather in the immediate forecast, with high temps in the low 90s into next week. A weak cold front appears late Tuesday into Wednesday, possibly stalling out somewhere in the south, prompting a slim rain chance by midweek on the 8-day forecast.

Enjoy your Friday and have a fantastic weekend.

Meteorologist
Burton Fitzsimmons

We see less than four full days of summer left yet plenty of warmth in the forecast ahead. Saturday’s game will be a big send-off for summer and kickoff to fall!

A few spotty showers and storms rolled north from the coast Tuesday afternoon, bringing a tad bit of relief from the warmth to a few areas.

1.02″ Bastrop
.22″ LaGrange
.20″ Manor
.15″ Round Rock
.06″ Elgin

Showers died with sunset, leaving grounds damp and ripe for fog. Visibility dropped to 1/4 of a mile from 7-740a in San Marcos, with 1/2 to 1/4mile visibility at ABIA from 730a-830a. Skies have turned partly cloudy through mid-morning, offering highs near or just above 90 by afternoon.

A “mainly dry” forecast holds a 20% chance for a few isolated storms today mostly west of I-35 in the Hill Country along a stretched out area of low pressure in the atmosphere aloft (we call it a trough.) It will be the focus of more rain through the next 24 hours. Then, high pressure is forecast to strengthen over the state, warming temps into the mid 90s by early weekend with a lower risk for showers.

The big forecast challenge this week? An area of low pressure over Florida, site of heavy showers and storms these last eight days, now shows signs of a low-level circulation (Jacksonville radar loop.) Whether or not this system becomes a true tropical depression, it’s expected by computer models to roll westward then move up into the Gulf coastline near Louisiana by Saturday. Some outer bands of rain will effect the upper Texas Coast but should stay east of our area. There’s a chance its path could change, so we’ll watch closely.

Longhorn Fever… Saturday’s game against Rice presents a warm rivalry, with a 6pm kickoff temp in the low 90s. Expect upper to mid 80s by fourth quarter. We expect very little rain to develop this weekend.

Our weather continues warm and mostly dry next week. Check back for updates on the 8-day forecast.

Tropical Update… A recently upgraded depression off the west coast of Mexico is now Tropical Storm Ivo. As of 6am, the storm’s center is nearly 570 miles south of the southern tip of the Baja (enhanced sat loop.) Sustained winds are at 60mph, with the storm moving WNW at 10mph. The official forecast calls for Ivo to become a weak cat 1 hurricane at sea by early Friday then curve northeast towards Mexico as a strong tropical storm by the weekend. No doubt, surfers will enjoy! Heavy rains and strong winds will accompany this system towards the Cabos by Monday, if it holds together.

Equinox Ahead… Summer ends at 4:51am Sunday, the autumnal equinox. It’s one of two times during the year that, due to the tilt of the earth, the sun will beam directly overhead the equator, offering an equal amount of day and night across planet earth. Fall typically brings Central Texas’ best weather of the year! Let’s keep our fingers crossed…

Enjoy your Wednesday.

Meteorologist
Burton Fitzsimmons