South Texas has entered an unusually active weather pattern for this time of the year. Often, high atmospheric pressure dominates the forecast during August, resulting in unrelenting triple-digit heat. Uncharacteristically, though, high pressure has moved off to the west and is now centered over Utah, Arizona and Colorado.
With high pressure out of the picture, several atmospheric disturbances, including a weak cold front, will move through the region this week, offering the chance for several rounds of showers and thunderstorms. Some storms could result in frequent lightning, damaging winds and flash flooding. Here’s what you can expect.
Wednesday’s forecast
Wednesday is expected to start mostly quiet across Central and South Texas, as temperatures hover in the mid- to upper 70s before 9 a.m. under mostly clear skies. Temps will rise fast, though, reaching 90 degrees by around 11 a.m.
Afternoon temperatures will top out in the upper 90s by 3 to 4 p.m., with humidity-driven heat index values likely to reach the triple digits. Daytime heating will cause rising motion to develop in the atmosphere, which will interact with high atmospheric moisture and produce widely scattered showers and thunderstorms…