Central Texas is preparing for a stormy start to the work week after nearly seven days of quiet conditions.
The weather pattern turned gusty on Saturday, as Waco Regional Airport observed wind gusts of over 30 miles per hour. Although most of Sunday will stay clear of precipitation, conditions will be cloudy and noticeably muggier ahead of the incoming storm system. Winds speeds are forecast to range between 15 to 25 mph, with gusts between 30 to 40 mph.
Monday should start off on a calm note as residents head out on their morning commutes. After the lunchtime hour, the First Alert 25 Weather Team will be keeping an eye on our western and northern counties. Atmospheric conditions will be quite favorable for afternoon storms. There will be plenty of energy present in the lower atmosphere (also known as Convective Available Potential Energy), a lot of moisture, and enough wind shear (turning of winds with height + increasing winds with height) to initiate heavy rain and strong thunderstorms.
The big question heading into the work week is the severe threat: will Central Texas experience severe thunderstorms? At this point, there is a slight threat for severe thunderstorms across all counties. Below is the most updated severe risk map for Monday afternoon and evening.
The First Alert 25 Weather Team is anticipating heavy rain across many of our western counties, as well as the potential for damaging winds and large hail. The threat for tornadoes is low, but certainly cannot be ruled out.
Stormy conditions will persist throughout Monday night and Tuesday morning before conditions start to clear up. There could be additional showers across Central Texas on Wednesday, but the forecast beyond mid-week becomes pretty uncertain.
One thing is for sure: the work week will start off on a stormy note. It will be important for residents to stay weather aware starting Monday morning. Make sure to download the First Alert 25 weather app to get the most updated weather information sent to your smart phone. The First Alert 25 Weather Team will be sure to keep you posted on any changes heading into the start of the week.
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