Severe weather threat continues east of I-35

An approaching cold front has already produced severe thunderstorms in North Texas and it now could produce severe storms here locally during the remainder of the morning and afternoon. A tornado WATCH is in effect until 5 PM for Falls, Limestone, Freestone, Navarro, Robertson, and Leon Counties. The nature of today’s storms favors quickly strengthening storms that could quickly produce a tornado. While today’s tornado threat doesn’t come from large tornadoes, the quick-forming nature of these storms and the rotation within them means you may not have a lot of time to prepare for a tornado moving in. Be sure to download our free KWTX weather app so you can stay ahead of those storms throughout the morning.

Today’s front sweeps through the area from west to east. By lunch time, the front should have already crossed over the I-35 corridor and will exit the Brazos Valley by 5 PM. The morning warmth and humidity changes after the front passes through. Immediately behind today’s front, we’re forecasting temperatures to fall from near 70° into the upper 50s and 60s. As west winds whip as much as 30 MPH this afternoon, some dry air could erode the morning clouds. With partly-to-mostly cloudy skies, late day temperatures could rebound back into the upper 60s and low 70s. A gradual drop in temperatures is forecast as an overnight push of cold air arrives with morning lows starting out in the mid-to-upper 40s. A small disturbance passing behind today’s cold front could push through our area Wednesday morning. While a few scattered showers may form from the disturbance, rain chances are capped at 20%. We’re expecting returning sunshine and returning north winds Wednesday helping to cap highs in the low 60s. Upper 50s are then in the forecast Thursday with low 50s Friday and Saturday. Afternoon highs are dropping and morning lows will too. After the mid-to-upper 40s arrive Wednesday morning, we’re forecasting low-to-mid 30s every morning through at least Sunday.

CAUTION! The forecast after Saturday becomes increasingly complex and potentially increasingly impactful as multiple storm systems usher in an Arctic airmass into the United States. Wintry weather may be possible at some point next week, but it’s far too early for any specifics. Now that we have that out of the way... Multiple storm systems are expected to move through next week. The first system, arriving Sunday and/or Monday will actually help to boost temperatures. The storm, moving in from Mexico, will cause highs to warm into the mid-50s Sunday and the upper 50s and low 60s Monday. The storm system gives us a 20% to 30% chance of rain but the bigger story is the cold air it’ll pull into Central Texas. Temperatures will again dip into the 40s for highs and 30s for lows Tuesday and Wednesday with another front potentially moving through Wednesday. As of right now, cold air is expected to be in place potentially in time for wintry weather next Thursday with morning lows in the upper 20s and afternoon highs in the upper 30s. Will we see rain, sleet, snow, graupel, freezing rain, or a combination of any of those? We just don’t know at this point, but we’re at least growing confident that temperatures may be close to or even over 20° colder than average late next week. Stay tuned for the latest updates!

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