After a weak cold front brought a brief dose of rain to South-Central Texas, hot and dry weather resumes Sunday in San Antonio and continues through next week, according to the National Weather Service.
Although Sunday is shaping up to start off mostly cloudy, San Antonio can expect skies to gradually become sunnier, with temperatures exceeding normal levels for Aug. 2 and hitting 101 degrees, forecasters said. The rare August cold front ended up bringing us slightly drier air, so humidity-driven heat index values will be only as high as 105. At night, look for mostly clear skies over the Alamo City, with temperatures staying above 77 degrees into Monday morning.
Because dry air warms up more efficiently than more humid air, forecasters also noted that, “by air temperature, Sunday and Monday are expected to be the hottest days of the week with the aid of the drier conditions.”
In San Antonio, Monday will be sunny with daytime temperatures expected to peak at 101 degrees. Moisture-rich air from the Gulf of Mexico begins to flow back into our region, thanks to the return of south-southeast winds in the afternoon. At night, under mostly clear skies, temps will stay balmy, bottoming out around 78 degrees before sunrise Tuesday.
“By Monday, the low pressure area associated with Saturday’s front will move off into the eastern U.S., and southerly winds will return,” the weather service said in its forecast bulletin. “Expect a slight delay between that switch and the return of humid Gulf air, giving another day of relatively drier heat on Monday before the region returns to a regular routine of hot and humid days with muggy nights.”
San Antonio on Tuesday will once again be sunny and hot, with afternoon temperatures expected to soar into the triple digits and hit 101 degrees. Southerly winds will kick up to 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as strong as 25 mph, as we head into nightfall and the overnight hours.
Although Wednesday and Thursday both should feature plenty of sunshine, temperatures will start retreating to more seasonable levels in the upper 90s.
Wednesday’s projected high will stay in the double digits, climbing only to 99 degrees as south winds persist at 5 to 10 mph. Then on Thursday, San Antonio again will be mostly sunny, but temperatures will top out around only 97 degrees.
“The elongation of subtropical ridging (of high air pressure) across the area will secure a dry pattern for the week ahead with minimal rain chances,” the weather service said, adding that the public should “continue to practice heat safety, and stay cool and hydrated.”