Austin Braces for Coldest February Temps with Approaching Cold Front, Wind Gusts Over 40 mph Forecasted

Austinites, brace yourselves for a weather rollercoaster as a significant cold front is expected to barrel through the region tonight, introducing the chilliest air we've seen this February. According to the U.S. National Weather Service, the Austin area will see a 20 percent chance of rain before noon today with skies staying mostly cloudy, temps climbing to a high near 72 degrees, and swift southwest winds hitting between 5 to 15 mph, including gusts as high as 20 mph.

Transitioning into the evening, those clouds will persist, dipping temperatures to a low of around 41 degrees. The North wind picks up, 5 to 10 mph initially but will increase to 15 to 20 mph after midnight—winds could gust as high as 25 mph. But before this front sweeps in this evening, light and scattered rain showers are likely, mainly south and southeast of Austin, primarily impacting areas like Fayette and Caldwell Counties with rain totals falling well under a quarter of an inch, as reported by KXAN.

The cold front's arrival isn't just bringing lower temperatures; it's also expected to whip up serious winds. Gusts may exceed 40 miles per hour in some zones come Saturday as the colder air rushes in. Following this frosty reception, the weekend weather should be dry, with the high barely breaking into the 50s on Saturday, and morning lows potentially dipping below freezing on Sunday, per the National Weather Service.

Runners facing the Austin Marathon on Sunday can anticipate near-freezing conditions at the starting line in downtown Austin under sunny skies, where a northerly wind will lay low at 5-10 miles per hour, "Sunny skies, dry air, and cool temperatures continue through the entire race," KXAN notes. The upcoming week promises a warm-up, with Washington's Birthday seeing a sunny high nearing 71, and temperatures climbing to the low 80s by Thursday.