As Austin residents navigate through a typical week, they will encounter a potpourri of weather conditions that swing from the mild to the near-freezing, according to National Weather Service forecasts. Today's relatively temperate climate, with mostly cloudy skies and a high hovering near the 61-degree mark, gives little hint of the cooler and more volatile weather that is lurking around the corner, as reported by the NWS.
Tonight, the clouds persist, and the air, almost still, will carry a 40 percent possibility of showers after midnight. The forecast, wrapped in a calm before the unsettled weather, promises a finicky south southeast wind that should not exceed 5 mph. Now, turning towards Wednesday, as stated by the National Weather Service, we should expect morning showers with a slight 20 percent chance before giving way to mostly sunny skies and a more comforting high near 70 degrees.
Thursday's forecast continues the trend of mostly cloudy conditions, flirting with a high of 74 before dipping again to a low around 57 in the evening. Residents yearning for sunlight will find Thursday deceiving—calm but overcast, teasing warmth without a clear sky.
The week's weather crescendo arrives on Friday with cloudy skies once more dominating the view and a notable 50 percent chance of rain. During Friday's daybreak, the light winds will carry a northeast chill, escalating to gusts as high as 20 mph, clouding a once calm cityscape with the promise of wetter hours ahead. The temperature drop Friday night is steep, as the mercury plummets to around 30, while showers persist, and the winds maintain their blustery pace with gusts equally as strong, according to the same weather forecast.
As if unwilling to relent, Saturday insists on a continuation of dismal and chilly conditions, presenting a hefty chance of rain or freezing rain before transitioning to a potential freezing rain scenario in the afternoon. The high will struggle to reach 34 degrees amid persistent north winds that can reach unsettling speeds, with gusts clocking in at as high as 25 mph. Saturday night does little to remedy the freeze, dropping to a low around 17, and maintaining a dicey 50 percent likelihood of more freezing rain.
Those seeking respite from the cold will be partially gratified on Sunday, with the sun parting the clouds, though the high will only manage a nudge up to 31 degrees. The evening will mirror the previous night's chilliness, resting at around 18 degrees. The new week offers reprieve, with mostly sunny conditions on Monday and a marginally higher high near 41, heralding a temporary return to more manageable and milder weather conditions.
