CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — DROUGHT UPDATE: Moderate drought conditions continue to expand south in the Coastal Bend while lake levels only continue to drop. Stage 3 drought restrictions start at a combined lake level of 20%. It was the fourth driest October on record, and there's not much rain in the extended forecast.
THURSDAY: Heat and humidity are back. The southeast wind has returned and will continue to pump moisture into the Coastal Bend. Watch out for some patchy fog and isolated rain showers this morning. Heat index values are back in the 90s this afternoon.
The wind will be breezy into the afternoon out of the east, southeast 12-22 mph. Temperatures will be in the mid to upper 80s under partly cloudy skies. There's still a low chance of rain, but I think we will see the most before lunchtime.
LOOKING AHEAD: The heat and humidity that comes with the onshore wind will keep lows in the 70s again tomorrow. Temperatures fall a little bit over the weekend, but not much.
That small drop in temperatures will come with a cold front that will stall just off the coast. This is the cold front that will work to keep Hurricane Rafael away from Texas. For the latest info on the tropics, head on over to our tropical page.
There's still a lot of uncertainty in the forecast path of Rafael, but this front will keep the impact minimal in Texas. One thing we will notice is higher waves and longer periods. This will come as a combo with the cold front and Rafael working to create rough seas. The weather impact will be on local beaches with coastal flooding likely to continue, along with dangerous rip currents.
The weekend cold front will not drop temperatures much. Highs may be around 5 degrees cooler between Friday and Saturday afternoon. There will be a chance of isolated rain between now and Saturday. The wind won't be too strong but will shift out of the north on Saturday 8-18 mph. This will drop humidity a bit, but not much. High pressure builds into next week and we will see more sunshine.
Temperatures remain uncomfortable above seasonal average, topping out in the upper 80s. That's about TEN degrees above average for the date. Overnight lows near 70° next week until....
A stronger cold front looks like it'll be heading for the region Wednesday night or Thursday. This cold front could bring a much more noticeable change, bringing cooler and drier air into the region for a more prolonged period of time. We'll start putting numbers out in the coming days. For now, it's warmth and humidity for South Texas.
TROPICS: Rafael heads for the Gulf of Mexico. For the latest info on the tropics, head on over to our tropical page.