Temperatures as of 7 a.m. Sunday will range from the upper 40s to the lower 50s across Central and South Texas.
National Blend of Models/Pivotal Weather
For the first time since April 18, Austin overnight temperatures at Camp Mabry — the city’s main weather observation site — are set to drop to 49 degrees or possibly colder this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
The cool air mass settling in behind Friday’s cold front will come with some winter-like bite because of persistent northerly winds. But if you are expecting the chilly fall weather to last, you don’t know Texas weather. Temperatures are destined to return to the 80s by Tuesday. Here’s what the weather service said we can expect:
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What’s the Saturday forecast?
Austin on Saturday is shaping up to be sunny but blustery, with robust north-northeast winds of 10 mph, including gusts as strong as 30 mph. After morning temperatures climb out of the 50s, daytime temps will barely get out of the 60s, likely peaking at 69 degrees, which would be nearly 15 degrees below normal for mid-October.
The skies over Texas, seen in this weather satellite photo taken around 1 p.m. Friday, begin to open up after a strong cold front surged through the state.
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites/CIRA and NOAA
With clear skies and dry air at night, heat absorbed by the ground in the daytime can easily escape into the atmosphere overnight, leading to colder temperatures. Such radiational cooling Saturday night could sink temperatures to as low as 48 degrees in Austin before dawn Sunday.
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“Breezy wind eases through the day on Saturday,” the weather service said in a forecast bulletin posted Friday, adding that “the coolest temperatures of the period are forecast Saturday night into Sunday morning,” with predawn temperatures in the lower and mid-40s over the Hill Country and southern Edwards Plateau.
Warming trend starts Sunday afternoon
After a chilly sunrise, possibly in the upper 40s, Austin temperatures on Sunday will rebound and climb into the lower 70s, forecasters said. The brisk northerly winds will shift and become more easterly in the afternoon. That should help nighttime temperatures stay above 52 degrees under clear skies, according to the weather service.
“Light wind and mild temperatures from the middle 60s to middle 70s are expected Sunday, then a warming trend returns for the week with daily highs and lows creeping back to above-normal levels by Wednesday,” the weather service said in its forecast bulletin.
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By 1 p.m. Thursday, temperatures in Austin are expected to be back in the mid-80s, and slightly warmer than normal, according to the National Blend of Models, a composite weather forecast model.
National Blend of Models/Pivotal Weather
The work week for Austin should be relatively sunny, at times partly cloudy, but largely rain-free and dry. Look for temperatures to stay close to long-term normal levels for mid-October.
Austin on Monday will be mostly sunny, with a high temperature of 78 degrees. Winds will shift again, this time becoming light east-southeast breezes of about 5 mph. As clouds roll in at night, overnight temperatures will be warmer than they were over the weekend, staying above 58 degrees.
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Tuesday comes with mostly sunny skies. Temperatures should break the 80-degree mark, likely peaking at 83 degrees, which would be right around average for this time of year. Nighttime again will be marked by increasing cloudiness, which will help keep temperatures from dropping below 62 degrees overnight.
However, by Wednesday, Texas weather will reveal that the stretch of mild days might have been part of a “false fall” because Austin’s forecast for Wednesday and Thursday calls for sunshine and unusually warm daytime high temperatures between 87 and 89 degrees.