The Austin area prepares for a dash of sunny skies before a serving of potential thunderstorms and heavy rainfall later in the week, according to the National Weather Service. Today, locals can enjoy mostly sunny weather with a high around 86 degrees, complemented by a light east southeast breeze at around 5 mph.
Tonight, the clarity of the skies will give way to partial cloud cover, with temperatures dipping to a low near 66 degrees, while the winds remain tame. As Thursday unfolds, more clouds are expected to roll in before gradually making way for sunshine again, with the mercury climbing higher to peak near 91 degrees. A calm wind will shift south in the afternoon, retaining a gentle pace of about 5 mph.
Moving into Friday, Austin residents should be on alert for a slight chance of showers before 10 am, following which, the forecast suggests, a chance of showers and thunderstorms will materialize. The probability of precipitation picks up substantially to 40%, as the day's highs are slated to reach near 88 degrees under alternating conditions of cloud and breezes gusting as high as 25 mph.
As night falls on Friday, the chance of rain and thunderstorms rises further, traveling up to an 80% likelihood of precipitation, with showers and possibly a thunderstorms after 1am. Some storms may carry heavy rainfall, darkening the prospect of a dry night as temperatures hover around 68 degrees. The winds, still blowing from the south southeast, are expected to gust up to 20 mph.
The wet weather is anticipated to carry over into Saturday, ushering in more showers and potential thunderstorms and drenching the hopes of any outdoor activity planners with a high chance of precipitation pegged at 90%. Meanwhile, the high is projected to be cooler than previous days, dropping to near 78 degrees as the winds persist gently from the south.
Forecasters suggest a silver lining by Saturday night with a decreased 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Clearing skies will follow, leading into a partly cloudy low around 63 degrees, and a wrap-up of the weekend offers more promising conditions. Sunday should bring mostly sunny skies with highs nudging back up toward the mid-80s and calm winds. As the new week begins, the weather seems to echo the sentiment, with Monday and Tuesday expected to sustain the trend of mostly sunny days and highs in the mid-80s.
