Rain Looks Likely Locally Tuesday, but Snow?

winter-weather-tuesday

From KOXE Meteorologist Randy Turner – This coming Tuesday will likely be a cold, rainy and windy day in our part of Texas.  But will it snow? Time will tell how this plays out but here is how it looks as of Saturday morning.

What to Expect – A vigorous upper level low will track out of the southwestern U.S. Monday and cross our region of Texas on Tuesday. As a result, rain is very likely starting Monday night and through much of Tuesday. Tuesday morning looks to be our prime time for rain.

A cold front is forecast to arrive during the day Tuesday. High temps will drop from the 40’s into the 30’s by late Tuesday afternoon but stay above freezing. Wind will likely be blowing from the northwest at about 20-25 mph Tuesday afternoon behind the front which means wind chills into the 20’s by late Tuesday.

It looks like, as of now, the temperatures will remain above freezing while the rain is falling but temps should fall just below freezing Tuesday night. Any leftover standing water on roads could cause some slick spots on Wednesday morning but I’m not expecting major travel issues locally at this point.

But will it snow? Based on Saturday morning data, the majority of the snow with this system will stay north of Interstate 20, therefore north of our area. Could we see snowflakes in Brown County Tuesday evening? Yes, but don’t plan on building a snowman and missing school the next day because of weather. Amarillo and the rest of the Texas Panhandle should, however, become a winter wonderland on Tuesday.

All of the aforementioned forecast depends on the track of the upper level low. If it tracks to our south then this forecast will change.  As of my Saturday morning forecast (using GFS and Euro modeling) this system looks to be a nice rainmaker for our area (perhaps an inch of rain may come from it) but limited winter weather.  Yes it’s going to get much colder on Tuesday … and yes the wind is going to get gusty Tuesday … and yes, don’t be surprised to see some snow late Tuesday .. and yes it’s great weather for a fireplace with a good bowl of chili or stew.