Warm temperatures, slight chance of rain expected this week

Bianca Moreno-Paz, Austin American-Statesman
Rain obstructs the view of the Capitol down Congress Avenue in January. There is a 50% chance of rain Thursday.
Rain obstructs the view of the Capitol down Congress Avenue in January. There is a 50% chance of rain Thursday.

Varying patterns of rain and rising temperatures could have Austinites alternately reaching for their umbrellas and bathing suits this week before temperatures drop back down over the weekend.

Precipitation chances are approximately 20% Monday and Wednesday and 50% Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. Unseasonably high temperatures will hit the upper 80s Tuesday but stay in the mid-70s to low 80s the rest of the week. According to data from the National Weather Service, normal high temperatures are in the low 70s in the beginning of March.

A cold front is expected early Saturday, when the high will be in the upper 60s. Strong winds will prompt a wind chill in the lower 40s Saturday morning.

"We're currently predicting a quarter inch of rain or less, though there might be some pockets that are higher than that," Jason Runyon, a meteorologist at the Central Texas National Weather Service, said of the probability of rain Thursday. "Everyone in the Austin metro area and Travis County will have the same chances of rainfall."

Runyon said the weather service has not determined whether Thursday's rainfall will be concentrated in any specific part of the area.

Austin's forecast this week

Monday

  • High: 79

  • Low: 66

  • High levels of humidity and mostly cloudy skies, with some rainfall 20% likely from midday into the evening.

Tuesday

  • High: 86

  • Low: 62

  • Rain chances and humidity will drop as temperatures skyrocket into the upper 80s.

Wednesday

  • High: 83

  • Low: 59

  • Mostly cloudy skies, with rain chances up to 20% by nightfall.

Thursday

  • High: 75

  • Low: 63

  • Thunderstorm chances vary throughout the day, with rain most likely from noon to 5 p.m.

Friday

  • High: 76

  • Low: 61

  • Precipitation chances will vary from midnight to 11 a.m., with wind gusts up to 23 mph.

Saturday

  • High: 67

  • Low: 50

  • Minimal rain chances, with a cold front slated to roll in early Saturday morning, bringing wind chills in the low 40s. Wind gusts up to 28 mph are likely throughout the day.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Warm temperatures, slight chance of rain expected this week

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