Windy Cold Front

Forecast Discussion
Hello folks! Well, we did it again. We set two brand new record highs today in Austin at both Camp Mabry and the airport. The mercury soared to a record-smashing 83ºF at Camp Mabry beating the previous record high for this date of 77ºF last set in 1946. The mercury soared to a record-breaking 85ºF along the west runway at Austin Bergstrom International Airport beating their previous record high for this date of 77ºF last set in 1984. Breezy southwesterly winds helped temperatures soar today.

Cooler & Windy Thursday
A cold front is pushing through north and northwest Texas right now and will arrive in Austin overnight tonight. Cooler and WINDY conditions will settle in behind the front. Highs on Thursday are expected to be some 20-25 degrees cooler across the area in the upper 50s/lower to middle 60s. While temperatures will be significantly cooler, the windy weather this front is going to bring in its wake will be the big story. Sustained north northwest winds between 15-25 mph will be possible with gusts at time topping 35-40 mph. It is not going to be a good day for allergy sufferers.

Thursday Night & Friday
Lows drop into the 30s/40s Thursday night...freezing temperatures are not expected, but it will feel quite chilly (more like late December). Highs only rebound into the mid to upper 50s on Friday under a mainly cloudy sky as southerly winds override the cooler air at the surface as the southern branch of the jet stream becomes more active over the area.

Weekend/Next Week
Above normal temperatures quickly return for the New Year's Eve and New Year's Day with highs rebounding into the upper 60s/lower 70s across the area. Some spotty light rain will be possible during the day Saturday, but where it occurs it should not amount to much. Mid to upper 70s return by Monday and Tuesday of next week ahead of what looks to be our next Arctic cold front the middle of next week. More to come on that in future posts, but it looks like a much colder weather pattern will be developing across a large portion of the country. See the Climate Prediction Center's 6-10 Day Temperature outlook below (valid January 3-7, 2016)