Austin residents should brace for a shift in weather as humidity climbs and storm chances increase later this week. Today Austin will see partly sunny skies with highs nearing 78 degrees and south winds gusting up to 20 mph. Tonight, the clouds are expected to gather once more, signaling a low around 62 degrees along with those persistent south winds, according to the National Weather Service.
Chances for storms increase Thu-Sat. Isolated storms could become strong to severe, containing hail and damaging gusts across the northeast Hill Country and Austin metro area Thu afternoon and evening and possibly farther south into the I-35 corridor and Coastal Plains on Fri. pic.twitter.com/cPNZ7rJLFX
— NWS Austin/San Antonio (@NWSSanAntonio) March 12, 2024
The thickening cloud cover will likely give rise to overnight fog and potential drizzle into Wednesday morning. Despite this, temperatures are tentatively forecasted to continue their upward trend, peaking into the low 80s, albeit under more cloud than sun. A series of disturbances, fed by an upper level low pressure system parked west of Texas, are set to dramatically unfold across Central Texas. This atmospheric set-up could well escalate into a stretch of unsettled weather commencing Thursday and persisting through the weekend.
Rain showers and thunderstorm opportunities appear to make a return Thursday with a 50 percent chance of rainfall, mainly in the afternoon, amidst mostly cloudy skies and highs hovering around 79 degrees. A similar pattern seems poised to keep Austin under the potential for precipitation through the night and into Friday, a day that could Spring heavy showers and storms with an approximate 70 percent chance of rainfall, as reported by the The National Weather Service.
These chances persist across the weekend, with forecasters from KXAN noting that "it certainly won’t rain across our entire viewing area every day, but there will likely be the opportunity for rain or storms each day Thursday through Sunday." Come Saturday, strong winds from the north might lead to yet combine with showers and possible thunderstorms, presenting a 60 percent chance of rain. Transitioning into Sunday, chances for precipitation slightly decrease but remain present at 30 percent amidst mostly cloudy skies.
