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Lake Travis water levels in June 2024, above, were running well below capacity. On Tuesday, the surface elevation at Lake Travis was about 666 feet or about a foot below the historical average for February.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner \/ American-Statesman<\/p>\n
February has been a warm one across the Austin metro area<\/a>. We\u2019ve already logged eight 80-degree days and could log one every day until the month ends Saturday.\u00a0<\/p>\n We could tie\u00a0February 2017, when 12 days reached 80 degrees<\/a>. Austin\u2019s late-February average afternoon high temperature is close to 70 degrees, and temperatures will run about\u00a012 to 15 degrees above normal for the rest of the week<\/a>, though they should remain below the daily records.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Daily record highs for the week:<\/p>\n Wednesday: 92 degrees (set Feb. 25,\u00a02008) Wednesday in Austin will begin with temperatures in the lower to mid-50s under a partly cloudy sky at sunrise. Breezy south winds of 8 to 15 mph could include gusts topping 25 mph. Those southerly winds will draw atmospheric moisture from the Gulf Coast into Central Texas through the first half of the day.<\/p>\n By the afternoon, a surface system of low atmospheric pressure moving into North Texas will push into Austin a\u00a0dry-line frontal boundary separating dry and humid air masses. As it arrives, any lingering low clouds will shift east of the city, replaced by a hot, dry west wind flowing in from the Edwards Plateau and Hill Country into the capital. That shift will send temperatures soaring to well above normal.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The afternoon is expected to reach the middle to upper 80s and could feature the warmest temperatures of the month, surpassing the 86-degree readings recorded on Feb. 9 and Feb. 19.\u00a0<\/p>\n South and Central Texas temperatures will climb into the middle and upper 80s on Wednesday afternoon with breezy west to southwest winds.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pivotal<\/p>\n The wildfire threat will remain\u00a0elevated in the moderate to high category<\/a> across Central Texas, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.\u00a0<\/p>\n Thursday will be just as warm, but southerly winds won\u2019t be quite as strong, staying below 20 mph for the most part. A dry cold front is expected to move through during the afternoon, with low relative humidity behind the front creating more wildfire weather concerns across the region.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The air behind the front won\u2019t be particularly cold, as the coldest air remains well to our northeast, but we can expect a modest dip in temperatures through Friday.<\/p>\n Average late-February temperatures are about 48 and 69 degrees, But Austin daily temps will be well above that for the next seven days.<\/p>\n Roberto Villalpando<\/p>\n If you\u2019re hoping for that rare, wet substance we call rain, you\u2019ll need to wait about 10 days for a strong enough front to bring a meaningful chance of showers. In the meantime, southerly winds from Friday onward will continue funneling Gulf Coast atmospheric moisture into Central Texas, which might help ease the wildfire threat through early next week.<\/p>\n Drought update and lake levels<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\nThursday: 93 degrees (set Feb. 26, 1954)
\nFriday: 91 degrees (set Feb. 27, 2009)
\nSaturday: 89 degrees (set Feb. 28, 1932)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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