Cold front is expected to make its way through Texas. But what can we expect in San Antonio? Forecasters weigh in.
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Fall is a fickle creature in Texas. She arrives on her own time – metrological and astronomical dates be damned. And despite there being no groundhog warning of six more weeks of summer, fall is running a little late for a majority of the Lone Star State. There were promises of cooler days ahead, but that is starting to look like a pipe dream.
Cold fronts have been reaching Texas. But they’ve been isolated to the northernmost regions, like the Texas Panhandle. Another northerner blowing in next week will keep temperatures about where they have been in the southern areas of Texas, but some areas further up will see some pretty significant cooldowns.
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Though, there were very early forecasts calling for a sub-80 afternoon high for most of Texas ate next week, the latest suggests this cold front will stall out before reaching the likes of San Antonio, Austin or anywhere south of the Texas Hill Country.
“It’s the time of the year where forecast models are pretty much always going to tease us with some fronts, especially when they’re like 7-10 days away,” San Antonio Express-News Meteorologist Anthony Franze told MySA. “When that happens, it’s often a good sign that the weather pattern will start to become more active, but the exact timing of the front really can’t be trusted.”
While it may be a bummer for those in South and Central Texas hoping for reprieve from 90-degrede days, there’s some lucky signs in the tea leave for those in North Texas and the Texas Panhandle.
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Texas Panhandle with 10-degree dip, sustained fall temperatures amid cold front
Texas Panhandle towns like Dalhart or Amarillo have seen pretty consistent cool downs this fall. It’s where cold fronts tend to stall out and crush hopes for the rest of the state for a sense of the season. That’s no exception for this past cold front that is still keeping afternoon highs in the mid to upper 60s in the region. Plus, just as things start to heat up this week, another front will cool it right back down.
In Amarillo, afternoons will quickly begin to hit the 80-degree mark by Tuesday, October 14, and throughout the work week. But just as the weekend approaches, another cold front will sweep through the Texas Panhandle Friday, bringing some temperate time off to the town. A similar story can be seen in the National Weather Service forecast up the Texas Panhandle al the way to the tip, Dalhart. They’ll see afternoons in the mid- to low-70s.
Cold front swerves San Antonio, Central Texas
Yet again, Central Texas is missing out on the action. Though early TV meteorologists, like News 4 San Antonio’s Chris Suchan, touted temperature plummets (well, dips into the upper 70s) the latest weather models show this was another bout of wishful thinking.
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Franze, at Express-News, tracked another hot start to the week in the region after an unseasonably warm start to the season. Franze, too, noted forecast models showed some glimmer of hope for cooler days ahead. But now he says it may be late October before a light jacket is called for.
From Monday, October 13, through Sunday, San Antonio and Central Texas will see afternoons climb into the low 90s and evenings cool down by about 20 degrees. It’s not exactly fall feels, but at least nights are a bit more bearable.
North Texas, DFW brace for nearly 10-degree overnight drop amid cold front
While this northern air may not be gracing Central Texas with its presence, North Texas, including the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, should see a nice change in weather as the weekend comes to a close. With most of the week breaking the 90-degree mark at the height of the afternoon, or just missing it, this cold front should sweep in by Saturday night and dip those highs to the low 80s.
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However, the National Weather Service 7-day forecast shows this mix of hot and cold air will bring a low chance of rain around 30% at the tail end of the week, starting Saturday.
“While this front may not deliver the fall-like cool down that so many of us where hoping for, this pattern change should be enough to nudge temperatures towards climate normals late this weekend into early next week,” the NWS long-term forecast states.