A late-season cold front barreling toward Texas is set to drastically drop temperatures across the state, bringing freezing temperatures mid-spring to some areas. With this mix of cold air hitting a stagnant storm system, many major cities may be at risk of prolonged severe storm odds.
By Friday night, March 17, this burst of arctic air is slated to cross the Texas border, sending temperatures in the Texas Panhandle nosediving. The northernmost edge of the area should see a nearly 50-degree plummet in mere hours, bringing windy weather and freezing overnight temps.
By Saturday afternoon, thermostats shouldn’t read above mid-60s across the Panhandle – a significant dip after several days well above 80 degrees. Evenings should feel quite chilly, sinking into the mid-30s and even upper 20s up in the Dalhart area.
“Saturday, the weather system has a moderate chance of ejecting out of the intermountain west and move across the Great Plains. In doing so, it would pass a cold front north to south across the panhandles most likely early Saturday,” the National Weather Service Amarillo office warns. “This would cause cooler air to stream in generally leading to cooler temperatures across the panhandles.”
This northern front should reach North Texas cities, namely the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, by Saturday. Afternoon highs that day should hover in the mid-70ss, but evenings will dip into the low 50s – a chilly contrast to the warmer weather of the work week.
This front brings a lingering storm chance to the region, however. After nearly a full week of gloom, storm chances dip on Thursday for the DFW area. But by Saturday, those odds skyrocket back up to 40% and linger through to Sunday morning.
In South Central Texas, a 30-degree drop is expected between Saturday afternoon and evening. After several days reaching nearly 90 degrees, San Antonio can expect to see highs in the low 70s and evenings dip into the 50s.
“Towards the end of the week, as the broad western U.S. trough slides farther east, ensembles are in agreement that a decently strong mid-April cold front will approach South Central Texas Saturday into Sunday,” the National Weather Service Austn-San Antonio office reports. “Rain and thunderstorms are probable on this front, but it is too early to gauge the severe weather and heavy rain risk.”