Remember how terrible the wind was on Saturday? Well, the weather thought we haven't seen enough wind lately and we'll be kicking up that wind on Thursday afternoon. A weak cold front will be approaching from the west during the day Thursday. As it gets closer, wind will increase in the afternoon to 20-30 mph, with gusts to 40 mph at times. Since it has been a dry month so far, don't be surprised to see blowing dust and dirt in the afternoon. This will cause driving issues in terms of the gusts of wind and lower visibility at times. Wind will blow around larger trucks and SUVs, especially on open areas of I-27 and Highway 84 and 87. So be careful if you will be out and about Thursday afternoon. The wind will become lighter by 8:00-10:00 pm.
The weather since Thanksgiving has been pretty uneventful. We have seen several temperature swings, which is pretty typical for this time of year. Highs made it to the upper 60s yesterday and mid 60s across west Texas on Wednesday. Thursday is going to be the warmest day that we have seen in quite some time. Highs will top out in the low 70s for most of us. Skies will be sunny and the air very dry. It won't feel like the low 70s because of that wind. The wind will cause blowing dust and dirt at times in the afternoon. Looking ahead into early next week, high temperatures will be all over the place. There will be two cold fronts passing through the region, but both will be dry. The first will be heading our way by Friday. So highs will go from the 70s Thursday, to the mid 50s on Friday. It will actually feel like it should Friday. We'll get warmer air for the weekend, before another front drops highs by Monday.
If you're looking ahead to the weekend, expect the wind to remain. However, it will not be as strong as it will be Thursday. Wind will be at 10-15 mph on Saturday. Clouds will still be sticking around through early afternoon. Then, we'll get mostly sunny skies. Saturday's highs will be in the low 60s, just five-to-eight degrees above average area-wide. Sunday is going to be a warmer day. There will be low 70s in the eastern counties, with upper 60s for most of the rest of us. The next cold front will drop highs down to the upper 50s on Monday. So be ready to have all kinds of different combinations in your wardrobe through Monday. Then, stay warm Tuesday and Wednesday next week with much cooler air.