Central Texas begins the new week under a familiar blanket of above‑normal warmth, a pattern that will hold steady through midweek. Afternoon highs will climb into the upper 80s and lower 90s, with heat indices pushing toward 100 degrees. While most areas remain dry, isolated showers and thunderstorms may pop up across portions of North and Central Texas both today and again Tuesday afternoon, offering brief relief from the lingering humidity.
But the quiet, warm stretch won’t last. A shift in the weather pattern arrives midweek as an approaching cold front begins to influence the region. Shower and thunderstorm chances increase Wednesday afternoon and continue through Thursday night. Behind the front, a noticeably cooler air mass settles over North and Central Texas, bringing below‑normal temperatures by Friday and continuing into the weekend. After several days of summerlike heat, the late‑week cooldown will be a welcome change.
Farther south, the Austin and San Antonio areas face another round of warm, humid conditions today, with highs ranging from 86°F to 96°F and peak heat indices reaching as high as 106°F. Breezy southeast winds will accompany isolated to scattered afternoon showers and storms, mainly near and east of the I‑35 corridor. The pattern holds through midweek, with heat indices potentially climbing to 108°F and continued chances for isolated to scattered storms east of I‑35.
Late Thursday into early Friday, the same cold front pushing through North Texas will sweep into Central and South‑Central Texas. Expect breezy north winds, increasing rain chances west of I‑35, and a noticeable drop in temperatures heading into the weekend. After days of muggy warmth, the front promises a refreshing shift.
Nationally, the Weather Service notes a dynamic start to the week across the country. Heavy rainfall continues over the Great Basin and Desert Southwest as a slow‑moving cold front and lingering tropical moisture fuel widespread downpours from Utah to Arizona. Flash flooding remains a concern, especially in areas already saturated from recent storms. Higher elevations in Nevada and Utah may even see early‑season snow as a closed upper‑low lowers snow levels.
By Tuesday and Wednesday, the focus for unsettled weather shifts eastward into the Central and Southern Plains, where moisture interacting with a slow front and sharpening dryline could spark scattered severe storms from Kansas City to Lubbock. Rainfall totals of 2–3 inches are possible from western Missouri to the Texas Big Bend. Meanwhile, a developing frontal wave will spread showers and thunderstorms across the Northern Tier from the Upper Midwest to New England, with accumulating snow possible in parts of Maine.
A stark temperature divide will stretch across the nation through midweek. Much of the Central and Eastern U.S. will see well‑above‑average warmth, with highs in the 80s and lower 90s and even a few record highs possible. In contrast, the Intermountain West will remain much colder under the influence of the upper‑low, with highs only in the 40s and 50s. As the front pushes south and east, cooler air will eventually reach the Northern Plains, Upper Midwest, and New England, bringing a noticeable drop in temperatures over the next 48 hours.
