SAN ANTONIO – Temperatures on Thursday jumped into the upper 60s in San Antonio, but the warm spell will be extremely short-lived as a strong cold front is expected to arrive soon. As of 3 p.m.Thursday, the front had entered the northern portions of the Texas Hill Country.
Temperatures are falling sharply behind the front into the 30s and 40s.
Winds will become breezy as the front moves through, out of the north around 10-20 mph, with some isolated gusts to 25 mph.
Skies will be overcast Thursday night and temperatures will fall to the freezing point by early Friday. Wind chill readings will hover in the mid- to upper 20s.
Friday will be a cold and gray day, with afternoon high temperatures struggling to get out of the mid-30s. There may be a few spots of some localized sleet pellets, but it will not amount to much and is not expected to accumulate and have any impact. Otherwise, be ready to grab the big coat to stay warm if you plan on venturing out.
As we head into the weekend, the clouds will clear out and there will be plenty of sunshine on both Saturday and Sunday. Mornings will begin with a hard freeze, with temperatures in the lower 20s. The Hill Country will see temperatures drop into the teens. Protect sensitive vegetation and provide some shelter and warmth for outdoor pets.
The low so far this season was 25 degrees on Dec. 19. The temperature is forecast to fall to 24 on Saturday and 23 on Sunday. If this occurs, this would be the biggest push of cold air this season.
Afternoon highs will still be plenty chilly, with highs in the mid- to upper 40s.
As fast as the cold air comes in, it will exit by the start of next week. We’ll see a mixture of clouds and sun on Monday and Tuesday, but temperatures will modify back into the 70s through the work week.