Austin residents are in for a string of balmy days, but they should enjoy the warmth while they can because a pair of incoming Pacific storms could shake things up this weekend and into next week. As per the National Weather Service, today's forecast puts the high at a comfortable 82 degrees with a west-northwest wind pushing a mere 5 to 10 mph and continuing clear skies into the evening with a low dipping around 52.

The tranquility is maintained through Friday, the National Weather Service says sunny with a high near 84 and a southwest wind that could gust as high as 20 mph, but change is on the horizon with Saturday looking to be mostly cloudy as winds pick up again – South wind 15 to 20 mph with gusts as high as 30 mph. While only a slight chance of showers late Saturday night is expected, stormy weather may take hold by Monday with the Weather Service giving a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, during the day and continuing into the night.

Local news outlet KXAN is keeping a close eye on the weather patterns, reporting that the pleasant dry northwest winds will soon be interrupted by a pair of Pacific storms, the first arriving this weekend and posing a potential dampener for those looking forward to the celestial spectacle of a total solar eclipse on Monday afternoon.

Despite the impending showers and thunderstorms possibly obscuring views, KXAN offers a silver lining: a possibility exists that drier air behind the first cold front might hold off the thicker clouds and rain just long enough to allow for some visibility of Monday's total solar eclipse, however, Austinites are encouraged to stay tuned as forecasts evolve, heaven knows, an eclipse under an open sky is always the preferred theater for nature's grand performances.