Austin residents should be ready for a wet start to the week, with a high chance of showers and potential thunderstorms today. According to the National Weather Service's forecast, there is a 70% chance of precipitation, and the area could see new rainfall amounts between a half and three-quarters of an inch. Today's temperatures are expected to hover around 82 degrees with southwest winds picking up in the afternoon.
The unsettled weather will likely continue into tonight, with showers and thunderstorms expected before 10pm, then tapering off with only a slight chance of rain between 10 pm and 1 am. The evening will bring a low around 75 degrees and a calming south southeast wind. "Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms," says the latest update from the National Weather Service.
Looking ahead to Monday, Austin will experience a slight chance of showers between 1 pm and 4 pm, followed by an opportunity for showers and thunderstorms after 4 pm. With a high near 92 and heat index values reaching as high as 100, it'll be a hot start to the week. The chance of rain drops to 20%, with winds remaining light and moving from the south in the afternoon.
As for Monday evening, there's a 10% chance for early thunderstorms before 7 pm, after which skies will remain mostly cloudy with a low temperature of about 75. The serene south southeast wind will shift to a calm breeze post-midnight. The rest of the week appears to warm up gradually, moving towards higher temperatures approaching 94 degrees and staying mostly sunny, with winds ranging from calm to a moderate south breeze at 5 to 10 mph.
The variability of weather is not unusual for Austin's summer months, where heat and humidity often stir up sporadic thunderstorms. The rest of the week should provide some respite from the rain, with conditions stabilizing to somewhat more predictable summer warmth. The clear message for Austinites: brace for showers today, but prepare for sunnier days just around the corner.
