Rain forecasts so far this year have been very similar to “Peanut” Lucy pulling the ball out of Charlie Brown, but Tuesday’s forecast for Austin from the National Weather Service says a 100% chance of rain. Don’t start celebrating the end of the Central Texas drought just yet – let’s keep these five things in mind:
1. Get ready for a tough Tuesday morning drive
As of Monday, the weather forecast indicates the time of the most precipitation in Austin between 6 and 11 am on Tuesday. Be prepared to dust off your umbrella and make sure you have a way to stay dry at the school bus stop in the morning.
Drivers need to be careful about sudden rain on dry roads; water droplets can lift oil left on the pavement by passing vehicles to make the road even smoother. The Texas Insurance Department offers the following tips if you have to drive in the rain:
- Make sure your tires have adequate air pressure and tread, and check your windshield wipers.
- Rain reduces visibility, so be sure to turn on your headlights.
- Reduce your speed by one third in the wet and increase your distance to three seconds.
- If you begin to lose control of the vehicle, ease up on the accelerator pedal and steer in the direction you are skidding. Avoid hard braking and sharp turns.
More:We could say goodbye to La Niña by spring. Here’s what that means for scorched Texas.
2. Austin gets at least an inch of rain, but also strong winds.
A severe storm system that will bring heavy rainfall to the Austin area will end by Tuesday afternoon, but not before 1 to 2 inches of rain remains in many areas. Forecasters expect localized flooding in low-lying areas, with the heaviest rainfall and most severe weather likely along and east of the Interstate 35 corridor.
Tuesday’s forecast for Austin also includes strong easterly winds of 15 to 20 mph, which will turn into cold west-northwest winds gusting up to 30 mph in the afternoon. Daytime temperatures are likely to remain below 56 degrees.
At night, the northwest wind will continue at a speed of 15-20 m/s. Wind gusts of 30 mph will exacerbate overnight temperatures, which could drop to 30 degrees.
3. It will take a lot more rain to fill the water supply.
Austin relies on a variety of indicators to gauge water shortages, but two major indices — Lake Travis water level and the J-17 well index in Bexar County — are still reading well below normal:
First time in Austin?Here’s a guide on what a “typical” year should look like with weather
4. We are in one of the most drought-affected areas of Texas.
Drought data released last Thursday from the US Drought Monitor, a collaborative effort between the National Drought Mitigation Center, the USDA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shows that dry conditions in Texas have increased to about 77.7% of the state. experiencing drought. an increase of about 4.5 percentage points from the previous week. About 7.2 million of the state’s 29 million residents live in drought-affected areas.
Meanwhile in Central Texas on Monday:
- Only about 19% of Hayes County along its western border continued to suffer exceptional drought, which is the worst level of drought and is characterized by widespread crop loss and fire susceptibility.
- The southwest corner of Travis County, or about 12%, is still suffering from severe drought, the second-worst level, which includes soil cracking, reduced yields, and the need for additional livestock feed.
- About 50% of Caldwell County along its southwestern border continued to suffer severe drought, characterized by poor grazing conditions, hard soils and low crop yields.
- About 63% of Williamson County continued to suffer from moderate drought, which can often mean stunted crops, early cattle sales, and more wildfires.
- Most of Bastrop County, about 80%, was considered abnormally dry, with the lowest drought levels, with only the northern portion free of drought.
5. It will be around zero at night
Cold air will follow the storms, keeping high daytime temperatures in the 50s and overnight lows in the 30s, forecasters say.
“Skys will be mostly clear by Wednesday morning, and with continued cold air advection, lows should be in the 30-degree range across the area, with frost likely in parts of the Hill Country,” the weather service said in a bulletin on Monday. “Dry weather will continue until Friday, and the cold snap will continue.
Here’s what the weather looks like in Austin this week:
- Wednesday: Mostly sunny, high around 57; mostly clear at night with lows around 34.
- Thursday: Sunny with highs around 56; at night partly cloudy with a minimum of about 34.
- Friday: Mostly sunny with highs around 60; Mostly cloudy at night with lows around 44.
- Saturday: 30% chance of rain with a maximum around 63; Cloudy at night with lows around 55.
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