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Bright, dry conditions provide comfortably warm weather as we close out the week and kick off our first weekend of the new season. The lower humidity air arrived, as predicted, providing a stable atmosphere ripe for good times outdoors!

Morning lows in the 50s will be found in many spots by sunrise these next few days, with a warmup through daytime 80s just barely grazing the 90 degree mark by a degree or two from 3-6pm. Evenings will feel nice, with temps quickly dropping into the 70s after sunset. Light easterly winds prevail at the surface while dry northerly winds continue aloft.

Our best advice for the weekend: wear your sunscreen! Very high U-V will continue, peaking each day at 10a-2p but ripe for providing a burn throughout the day. Whether you’re heading to the Austin City Limits Music Festival, a football game, or just having fun in the neighborhood, it looks like our weather will cooperate, all compliments of strong upper-air high pressure just to our west.

Rain unfortunately avoids our area through the end of October, it appears, allowing our extreme drought — the worst in Texas right now — to continue. A fall cold front’s still on schedule to cool much of Texas down next week, especially late in the week for our area, though arriving rain-free. See the 8-day forecast for all the details.

Tropics… That coastal low we monitored off the mid-Atlantic has moved into the east coast with very heavy rainfall (radar loop) and strong winds well up into NYC. Some one to two hour flight delays may result.

And the tropical wave that delivered heavy rains earlier this week to Puerto Rico developed into Tropical Storm Kyle yesterday, with sustained winds up to 60mph as of 6am. Kyle’s moving north at 12mph and might clip Cape Cod by Sunday though will otherwise avoid land according to the latest official forecast.

Enjoy your Friday and have a wonderful weekend.

Meteorologist
Burton Fitzsimmons

A disturbance bringing rain to South Texas may soon deliver a few showers our way — now a slightly better 20% chance. Drier air returns as we close out the week, keeping us in the comfort zone through the weekend.

24 hour rain totals:

0.21″ Smithville
0.10″ San Marcos
0.05″ Marble Falls
0.01″ Fredericksburg

We hadn’t been predicting any rain this week but, given this super dry September, it’s certainly welcome news. Brief, spotty showers may erupt from 2-6pm across I-35. Rain chances drop after today.

Expect a mix of sun and clouds this afternoon with highs near 90. Northerly winds aloft will soon dry out the atmosphere from top to bottom again, allowing our overnight lows to dip into the 50s and low 60s, maintaining high temps around normal for this time of year right through our first weekend of fall.

ACL Weather… The forecast looks bright and sunny for the outdoor fest with highs right near or slightly below 90 at the warmest. Bring along your sunscreen to Zilker Park, and be sure to drink plenty of water if you plan on attending this year’s festival.

Next Week… A strong fall cold front sweeps into Texas by Tuesday, setting the stage for cooler-than-norm temps as we wrap up the month. Check back for updates with all the details on the 8-day forecast.

Picture of the Day… Two weeks ago, a faint glow appeared on the horizon of the South Pole after six months of darkness. On Sunday, one day before to the equinox, researcher Ethan Dicks snapped this photo of the first true rays of sun peeking through. The layered ripples are created because of the refracting of sunlight through a thick atmosphere with varying temperature and density.

Enjoy your Wednesday.

Meteorologist
Burton Fitzsimmons