The holiday weekend began with clear, sunny skies on Friday, but severe storms quickly developed across Central Texas, offering a brief break from the region’s unseasonably warm temperatures. While the storms posed minimal tornado risk, they brought heavy rain, strong winds, and localized flooding.
Austin has already reached triple-digit temperatures — more than a month earlier than its average first 100-degree day since 2000, which typically falls around June 24.
Severe weather is expected to continue in Austin this week, even as much of the Lone Star State cools off after a cold front swept through Sunday, dropping highs into the 80s.
Here’s what to expect.
What will Austin weather look like this week?
Another round of showers and storms is expected to develop late Tuesday along the Rio Grande and move eastward. Isolated to scattered severe storms are possible, with threats including large hail, damaging winds, and the chance of one or two isolated tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service office in Austin.
These scattered storms are likely to continue with minimal impacts through Friday. Clear skies are expected to return by the weekend, with highs climbing back near triple digits by Sunday afternoon.
How much rain did the Austin area get over Memorial Day weekend?
Austin
Boerne
Georgetown Lake
New Braunfels
San Antonio area
Seguin
What’s in the summer forecast for Texas?
Texans can expect a season of sizzling heat, scattered storms and heightened hurricane risk, according to multiple long-range forecasts.
The Farmers’ Almanac, which predicted a wet and stormy spring followed by rising temperatures, appears to have been accurate so far this year. After a cooler-than-average start to spring across Texas, Oklahoma, and the Great Plains, the region has transitioned into above-average warmth by May — just as forecasted. That warming trend is expected to continue into summer, with the Almanac now calling for hot and dry conditions across much of the state, punctuated by what it describes as a “sizzling, showery” summer.
While much of the U.S. is expected to see near-average precipitation, the West will likely remain drier than normal — raising concerns about widespread wildfires. In contrast, the Farmers’ Almanac predicts that Texas and other Southern Plains states, along with the Gulf Coast and Florida, are expected to experience wetter-than-usual conditions due to frequent showers and thunderstorms.
Looking ahead to holiday weekends, here’s what the Farmers’ Almanac predicts:
As for hurricane season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued an especially active outlook, predicting 13 to 19 named storms in the Atlantic basin — well above the seasonal average of 14. Of those, six to 10 could become hurricanes, with three to five expected to reach major hurricane status (Category 3 or higher).
Texas is likely to be in the path of some of this activity. According to researchers at Colorado State University, the Lone Star State faces a 70% chance of experiencing a tropical storm, a 44% chance of a hurricane, and a 19% chance of a major hurricane making landfall within 50 miles. AccuWeather has echoed these predictions, pointing to “analog years” as a basis for an elevated risk of direct impacts in Texas.
For context, 2017 saw Hurricane Harvey cause catastrophic flooding in Texas in August, and Hurricane Irma devastate parts of the Caribbean and Florida in September.
Earlier this week, AccuWeather also emphasized a heightened risk of tropical impacts reaching well inland again this year.
“We witnessed tragic examples of just how far inland the impacts from hurricanes and tropical storms can reach. Hurricane Beryl spun up more than 60 tornadoes along its nearly 1,200-mile-long path from the Texas coast to
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: More storms expected in Central Texas. How much rain did Austin get over the weekend?
Reporting by Brandi D. Addison, Austin American-Statesman / Austin American-Statesman
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
