Heat & Humidity Returning Soon

Good afternoon everybody. It is an absolutely beautiful day across the state of Texas. We are currently in the 60s here in Austin under a picture-perfect blue sky. Very dry air moving over the area in the mid and upper levels of the atmosphere and a ridge of high pressure are responsible for the crystal-clear skies.

Large Mid-Latitude Cyclone (Upper Level Low Pressure System) that brought us the cold blast and the showers yesterday is now affecting the deep south and the eastern United States. A strong/severe line of storms is marching across the southeastern United States as I'm writing this with Tornado Watches in effect for much of Alabama and northwestern Georgia (including the Atlanta Metro Area until 11 p.m. EST)...as the significantly colder and drier air behind the front clashes with the warm, humid air ahead of it, thunderstorms have exploded. A large tornado dropped out of the sky near Macon, Mississippi earlier today. Check it out HERE

This is a look at the large storm system using Water Vapor Satellite Imagery; I've labeled some of the key features. The large red "L" represents the position of the upper level low pressure (remember, low pressure spins counter-clockwise) in the northern hemisphere:

After a brief, but potent, cool down yesterday, Mother Nature is going to be cranking up the heat and humidity as we head into the weekend and into next week.

Friday's Forecast: Chilly start in the 40s will give way to a mostly sunny & pleasant afternoon with highs in the upper 70s to near 80°F; Wind: SE 5-10 mph

Saturday's Forecast: Cool start in the 40s and 50s will give way to a mainly sunny, warm, and breezy afternoon with highs in the lower to middle 80s; Wind: SE 10-20 mph

Sunday's Forecast: Mostly cloudy and cool start to the day in the upper 50s will give way to a partly sunny and warm afternoon with a high in the middle to upper 80s; Wind: SE 5-15 mph

Monday's Forecast: Mostly cloudy and mild start in the 60s will give way to a partly sunny, warm, and humid afternoon with highs in the upper 80s to near 90°F; Wind: S 5-15 mph (AM DRIZZLE POSSIBLE)

Tuesday's Forecast: Mostly cloudy and mild start in the 60s to near 70°F will give way to a partly sunny, hot, and humid afternoon with a high near 90°F; Wind: S 5-15 mph (AM DRIZZLE POSSIBLE)

Wednesday's Forecast: Mostly cloudy and muggy start in the 60s and 70s will give way to a partly sunny, warm, and humid afternoon with a high near 90°F; Dry line will push into the western Hill Country where temps may climb well into the 90s thanks to the drier air; a strong front will push through late Wednesday Evening with a 30% chance for a strong/severe thunderstorm as instability levels look to be quite high. Unfortunately, rainfall will be very spotty and light in nature. (AM DRIZZLE POSSIBLE)

Thursday's Forecast: Mostly sunny, WINDY, and cooler with highs in the lower 70s behind an early morning cold front; Wind: N 15-25 mph

*Persistent southerly winds starting from tomorrow and lasting through Wednesday will help to pull smoke from agricultural fires burning and pollution from Mexico, therefore, expect hazy conditions to return by as soon as Sunday and persist through Wednesday until our next front arrives*

SLIGHT CHANCE FOR STRONG/SEVERE STORMS LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING ON WEDNESDAY: Dry line will push into the western Hill Country ahead of a strong front that will be pushing through the Panhandle...there is a slight chance for a storm or two to pop along that boundary late Wednesday afternoon and late Wednesday evening as a front pushes into the area. The atmosphere will be capped over the area, however, if there is enough lift present (rising motion in the atmosphere), the cap may be able to break, therefore, a strong/severe storm cannot be ruled out. Here's how the weather map should look Wednesday afternoon. Better chance for more organized thunderstorm activity will be across Oklahoma and north Texas. 

SEVEN DAY FORECAST: