New Year’s weekend is quiet but warm

New Year’s Eve Forecast: Sunshine is coming back out tomorrow along with a gusty southwest wind. The combination of those things leads to a quick warm up for the final day of the year. We start chilly with temperatures in the low to mid 40s. That’s because the clouds and rain clear out from west to east tonight. Enjoy the sunshine and warmth -- we keep the warm wave going into the new year but the sunshine gets traded for cloud cover by Sunday. With the surge of moisture overnight Saturday into Sunday - there could be some dense fog after midnight/early Sunday morning. Be mindful of that if you plan to be out late/up early celebrating the start of the New Year. Don’t worry though - the fog won’t come until after clock strikes midnight so firework viewing will a-okay. Temperatures will be cool - in the upper 50s.

New Year’s Day Forecast: We won’t start out 2023 as hot as we started out 2022 (with a January 1st high of 81°...), but temperatures will be nearly 20° warmer than average! Returning cloudiness throughout the day on Sunday will not be enough to stop morning lows in the low-to-mid 50s from warming into the mid-to-upper 70s. Sunday’s clouds likely won’t produce any rain, except for maybe a stray shower after sunset into the overnight hours, but the clouds should limit the temperature somewhat as highs only reach the mid-70s. Some spots could reach the upper 70s if enough sunshine peeks through the clouds.

Tracking First Storm Chance for 2023: The returning moisture Sunday will lead to a chance of storms Monday as a cold front moves through. Monday’s front likely swings through midday/early afternoon which should limit the severe weather threat somewhat. That said, strong storms are possible locally, especially near and east of I-35. Damaging winds, large hail, heavy rain, and even tornadoes could be possible Monday afternoon for parts of the country. We will be tracking this carefully and keeping tabs on how the weather here in Central Texas will play out through the weekend.

After next Monday’s front, drier and cooler air returns. We’ll see temperatures in the mid-70s Monday drop into the mid-60s Tuesday and maybe even down to the upper 50s by next Thursday.

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