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What a wild weather ride this February! Record highs in the 80s for the second day in a row will be swept away by a cold front just a bit later today, returning winter for the final day of this warmer-than-normal month.

ABIA set a new daily high temp record yesterday with 88, while Camp Mabry made it to 87. Today’s records to beat: 86 at ABIA and 87 at Mabry, both from 1999. And both could fall!!

Morning clouds break to hot Friday sunshine ahead of the cold front, now sweeping south from I-20 to Waco around lunch to Austin before the afternoon commute. You’ll notice drier breezes picking up, especially by sunset. A surge of Canadian chill pumps strong winds and the feel of seasonal winter weather again by Saturday morning, with daytime highs into the low and mid 60s.

Winds will gust to near 30mph, prompting a WIND ADVISORY from 6am to 6pm Saturday across much of Central Texas. Very dry air also enhances the fire threat, so a FIRE WEATHER WATCH will also be in effect Saturday.

Sun shines supremely again this weekend, with cold morning 30s in town and upper 20s in the Hill Country and rural areas early Sunday. We’ll rebound to low and mid 60s Sunday afternoon.

As seen on the 8-day forecast, this is a true cold snap: temps will quickly rebound to 70s and maybe a few 80s next week as high pressure overhead moves back towards Texas.

Spring Allergies… In addition to the top four allergens on today’s pollen count, Dr. Hovanky reports the Elm and Ash count at 3, Myrtle/Bayberry at 2, and Acacia at 1. Expect quite a bit of pollen and lower mold behind today’s cold front.

Storm Season Ahead… We wrap up this Severe Weather Awareness Week with insight into flooding in the area and some important tips to prepare you for the next flood. You can review all of our special series online.

Enjoy your Friday and have a wonderful weekend!

Meteorologist
Burton Fitzsimmons

Our hot headlines today include near record temperatures! At Austin-Bergstrom, we may pass a 23 year old daily extreme of 87, and Waco’s record 90 (from 1954) may be in jeopardy.

Yesterday’s hottest:

90 Llano
90 New Braunfels
90 Mason
88 Austin-Bergstrom
88 Fredericksburg
87 Camp Mabry
86 Mansfield Dam

Not only the first regional 90s of ’09, the warmest temps in Austin since last October!

Today’s upper 80s come with very breezy south winds. Clouds re-thicken overnight to provide a gray start to Friday, though more sun and mid 80s will be possible before a cold front arrives late in the day. A surge of Canadian air follows suit into the south Saturday with a chilly breeze and snap of seasonal weather through Sunday, all made possible by a sharp drop in the jet stream to the deep south.

Warmer than normal temps resume for the first week of March, and we don’t see much more than a few drizzle drops in the forecast rainwise until possibly the end of next week. Typical of late winter, chilly air from the north warms up much more before arriving in Texas. About three months from now, those cold fronts will cease coming south at all.

Storm Season Ahead… Did you know flooding is our top storm-related killer in Texas. In today’s edition of our Severe Weather Awareness Week series, Marc Gomez shows how rescuers put themselves at grave risk to save flood victims. If you miss any of our weather stories, you can always watch them online.

Keep cool and enjoy your Thursday.

Meteorologist
Burton Fitzsimmons