As high atmospheric pressure builds over Texas on Saturday, we can expect extreme heat and rain-free weather, along with morning temps in the upper 70s and afternoons near the 100-degree mark through the final week of July.
The past two weeks brought an active stretch of weather across Texas, from 2 feet of rain and river flooding to scorching heat and a tropical storm. However, it’s now time to settle back into a more typical late-July weather pattern through the weekend and into next week.
Austin will wake up Saturday morning to temperatures a bit lower than in the past few mornings, in the middle to upper 70s, under mostly cloudy skies. By midday, clouds will begin to thin, allowing for a mix of sun and clouds through the afternoon. Temperatures will climb into the middle to upper 90s, with humidity driving heat index values to as high as 102 to 105 degrees.
Sunday will be similar, but with fewer morning clouds. Temperatures will start in the middle to upper 70s before climbing to near 100 degrees in the afternoon, with humidity making the heat feel more like 103 to 106 degrees.
A ridge of high air pressure will remain firmly in place over the Four Corners region in the southwestern United States and the Texas Panhandle through next week, leading to continued hot and dry weather across Central Texas. This weather pattern will bring multiple days of triple-digit heat, adding to our 100-degree tally, which currently sits at three for the year.
Tropical Storm Bertha has come and gone in the blink of an eye, marking the second tropical cyclone in as many months to threaten Texas this hurricane season. Like Tropical Storm Arthur before it, Bertha set its sights on the Lone Star State, though its effects were far less significant.
After a wet spring, multiple rounds of heavy summer rainfall and two tropical cyclones, Texas is in much better shape when it comes to drought than is typical for this time of year.
Drought levels have improved dramatically across Texas, with only about 2.5 million of the state’s 32 million residents still experiencing drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. About 22% of Texas is in at least moderate drought, the lowest level on the drought monitor’s scale. But the percentage of the state in drought continues to drop week to week, with last week’s storms delivering beneficial rainfall from Central and South Texas into West Texas and the Panhandle.
The U.S. Drought Monitor numbers also show drought levels improving locally. In Travis County, about 64% of the county remains in moderate to severe drought, down from about 86% last week, and down from 100% three months ago.
While some drought conditions persist, the steady improvement is a sign that conditions are continuing to trend in the right direction.