As residents of Austin woke up to a sunny sky, the weather remained firmly in the territory of unexpected warmth for this time of year, holding on desperately to the coat-tails of summer. According to National Weather Service, South-southeast winds could contribute to an increase in the already sweltering temperatures for a typical October day, possibly matching or exceeding records set in decades past.
Early risers in Austin today were met with balmy temperatures, fluctuating from the mid to upper 50s in the western half of the Hill Country to the mid to upper 60s from I-35, eastward. "Camp Mabry’s low was 66°, eight above normal. The low at Austin-Bergstrom fell to 61°, also eight above normal," detailed a report from KXAN. Monday's forecast is heating up to threaten a long-standing record of 89° set in 1917, but today, the high is expected to tap out just shy of the 93° record set in 1995.
Rain, which has been all but absent from this month's weather narrative for the area, is anticipated to return. "The ridge of upper-level high pressure will be departing in the next two days as a trough of low pressure develops in the western U.S. This will bring in moisture to the area from the Pacific Ocean," KXAN reports. Adding to the incoming precipitation, surface high-pressure patterns will invite moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, bringing with it increased chances of rain later in the week.
This potential shift in weather patterns brings hope to a region that has seen only 0.01" of rain recorded at Austin-Camp Mabry for October, save for the 0.06" picked up in Horseshoe Bay on the 18th. Most of Travis County remains gripped by severe drought, prompting Blanco County to enforce a burn ban, joining the ranks of numerous other county precautions, except Gillespie County. Despite a slight cooling toward the week's end, temperatures are projected to sit above normal, a slate of highs and lows defiance of the season's changing moods.
As for the tropical storm updates, the atmosphere shows a calming trend. "The Atlantic Basin is quiet today. In the eastern Pacific, Tropical Storm Kristy continues to weaken," according to KXAN. With no imminent U.S. tropical landfalls expected in the next 7-10 days, Austinites can focus on the fluctuating balance between the stubborn warmth and the anticipated long-awaited rainfall.
