A cold front will move through Texas’ northern counties this week, bringing cooler temperatures and rain on Tuesday, June 23, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
Forecasters at the agency’s Amarillo office say the front is moving south across both Panhandles. Temperatures are expected to reach about 87 degrees during the day, then drop to about 68 degrees after sunset, according to the NWS. Wind gusts are expected to reach about 20 mph.
The front could help trigger thunderstorms in the region between 7 p.m. Tuesday and 4 a.m. Wednesday, June 24, meteorologists say.
“This system will pass mainly across the northern to eastern portions of the Panhandles, leading to a low to medium chance for thunderstorms,” the NWS said in its most recent forecast discussion.
There’s a 20% chance of rain throughout Tuesday. Amarillo, Canadian and Dalhart are among the cities under a Level 1 risk out of 5 for severe storms. Beaver is under a Level 2 risk. According to the NWS, the main hazards are hail the size of a hen’s egg and 70 mph wind gusts capable of damaging structures. There’s also a low but still present chance a tornado could form, meteorologists say.
The weather pattern is expected to remain unsettled over the next few days. Forecasters say daytime heating will remain strong, so storms that do form could intensify in an unstable environment. They add that even if storm chances remain low, some systems could produce torrential rainfall.
“This means there is at least a low chance for flash flooding, which can be made all the worse since it would occur overnight,” the NWS said.
Residents in these areas are encouraged to set up multiple ways to receive weather notifications on their devices. Current models show rain chances lingering between 20% and 30% each day of the workweek and peaking at 40% on Wednesday, June 24.