The Brief
- Flash flood risks escalate Monday and Tuesday as a potent storm system brings widespread heavy downpours, overnight rain, and 1 to 3 inches of accumulation.
- A rough Tuesday morning commute is expected across Central Texas, with forecasters warning drivers to prepare for slick roads and low visibility.
- Saharan dust arriving Monday will drop air quality and could trigger “blood rain”—leaving a brownish-red residue on cars—but will keep temperatures below normal.
AUSTIN – After a scorching start to July that brought the region’s first triple-digit temperatures of the year, Central Texas is bracing for a shifting weather pattern packed with heavy rainfall, localized flooding risks, and an incoming plume of Saharan dust.
The multi-day wet stretch follows a brief reprieve on Saturday, which marked the area’s first below-average temperature day of the month and brought much-needed moisture to parched lawns, including nearly an inch and a half of rain at Camp Mabry.
While Sunday’s storm coverage is expected to remain widely scattered, a much more potent system will take hold early in the workweek, significantly elevating the risk of flash flooding.
Flash Flood Risks Escalate Monday and Tuesday
Scattered showers and storms are expected to bubble up Sunday afternoon during peak daytime heating, bringing potential heavy downpours and a low-end risk for localized flooding. High temperatures are forecast to top out in the lower 90s, a welcome break from recent triple-digit heat, though high humidity will keep conditions feeling exceptionally muggy.…