CHILLY TEMPS & RAIN???

Behind last night's strong cold front highs today only managed to climb into the 40s across Central Texas after we woke up to widespread temperatures below freezing in the 20s. Tonight, mid and high level cloud cover streaming across the state from west to east will keep lows a bit warmer than they could have been if the sky were clear. Nevertheless, temperatures will drop below freezing tonight back down into the 20s. Low-lying river valleys will be the coldest with temperatures in the lower 20s possible there. I'm expecting upper 20s across most of the urban areas, including the Austin Metro Area.

500 MB (18,000 FEET) WIND ANALYSIS FOR NEW YEAR'S EVE:

Okay, let's get to the exciting news about the prospect of rain in our near future. Computer models are beginning to hint at a possible widespread rainfall event across the area for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. A large trough of low pressure sitting off to our west early next week will turn upper level winds out of the southwest. Those southwesterly winds aloft will help to pull plenty of Pacific Moisture across Mexico and into Texas. Combine that moisture with an approaching cold front from the west, rainfall is beginning to look more and more like a possibility. Early computer models are estimating anywhere from 0.50 inches to as much as 2 inches of rainfall could fall across portions of Central Texas early next week. Keep your fingers crossed. It has been since late October since we had a decent rainfall around here.

GFS Forecasted Accumulated Precipitation Map:

HPC Forecasted Rainfall Map:

SHORT TERM FORECAST:

TONIGHT: PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLEAR AND COLD WITH LOWS IN THE 20s

THURSDAY: PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY & COOL WITH HIGHS IN THE MIDDLE TO UPPER 50s

THURSDAY NIGHT: MOSTLY CLOUDY AND MUCH WARMER WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE 40s...AREAS OF DRIZZLE AND FOG ARE POSSIBLE

FRIDAY: FOG AND DRIZZLE IN THE MORNING WILL GIVE WAY TO A PARTLY SUNNY AND MILD DAY IN THE 60s AHEAD OF ANOTHER STRONG FRONT THAT WILL ARRIVE FRIDAY AFTERNOON...BREEZY AND COOLING CONDITIONS BEHIND FRONT

FRIDAY NIGHT: WINDY AND COOLER WITH A LOW IN THE LOWER 30s

SATURDAY: SUNNY AND COOL WITH A HIGH IN THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 50s

SATURDAY NIGHT: MOSTLY CLEAR AND COLD WITH A LIGHT FREEZE POSSIBLE

SUNDAY: PARTLY SUNNY AND COOL WITH HIGHS IN THE 50s

***KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED FOR RAIN...I WILL GET A BETTER GRIP ON THE PROSPECT FOR RAIN AS WE GET CLOSER TO THE NEW YEAR***