Beginning on Friday, August 7, parts of North Texas will see hail, and other cities near San Antonio will experience some showers.
The Amarillo office of the National Weather Service (NWS) said thunderstorms could form in the Central Panhandle this afternoon. Several towns, including Amarillo, Stratford, and Wheeler, are at a level 1 out of 5 risk of these systems becoming severe, forecasters say.
According to the NWS, the most damaging hazards the storms could bring include quarter-sized hail, 75 mph wind gusts, and a very low tornado risk. Canadian, Perryton, Borger, and other surrounding cities may see severe storms begin at 4 p.m. and last through 9 p.m. Farther west, toward Vega and Amarillo, the action could begin at 6 p.m. and linger through 10 p.m.
By the early morning hours of Saturday, August 8, the storms should dissipate, meteorologists wrote in an office forecast discussion. This will catapult the region into a few days of strong heat, especially in the southern plains.
“This will once again see the highs in the upper 90s to low 100s with the hottest areas such as Palo Duro Canyon potentially reaching past 105 [degrees],” the NWS wrote. “This brings the specter of heat risk once again, so proper hydration is recommended to stave off heat illness.”
The Panhandle will be the hardest hit, but it’s not the only region experiencing gloomy weather before the weekend. The NWS says there is about a 20% chance of showers over La Grange, Gonzales, and counties slightly east of San Antonio. These showers would hit during the afternoon and evening hours, according to forecasters. It could bring some relief to the area, as hot and mostly dry conditions are expected to persist through next week.
Similarly, the Dallas-Fort Worth office reports a 10 to 20% chance of isolated storms in the Brazos Valley and north of Interstate 20. Stray showers could affect Canton, Waco, Killeen, Dallas, and Palestine.
“A select lucky few will get some rain today as low storm chances return to the region the next couple of days,” the NWS wrote in a post on X.com. “Regardless of whether you get rain or not, summer heat will be in full force with near 100° highs and heat indices up to 104 degrees.”