A winter storm spreading upwards of a foot of snow in Colorado while a hurricane bears down on Cancun in the Yucatan Peninsula?  Yep, it's October.  And while that may be what the calendar says -- walk outside and it hasn't quite had that "almost Halloween" feeling with highs hitting the mid-to-upper 80s by the afternoon.  Well, that is about that all change...

Bringing Back the Chill

That snow we talked about in Colorado is being driven by an upper-level trough swinging across the Rocky Mountains today, headed for the Plains later this afternoon and evening.  That will push our next cold front through The Lone Star State and into the Brazos Valley by the morning hours on Thursday.  Highs will go from closer to 90° ahead of the front to the pleasant, mild 70s for the weekend.  Overnight lows will once again tumble into the 40s for most, although there could be a few locations that dip into the 30s by Saturday and Sunday mornings.

What to Expect

Ahead of the front: Early Thursday morning, patchy fog and temperatures in the humid, mid-to-upper 60s will be expected.  As the front pushes through, daytime highs in the 60s will occur for the northern and central Brazos Valley, while temperatures will be able to warm into the low 70s for the southern half of the area (where a frontal passage between 10am and noon is more likely). A 40% chance for a thin line of light showers will be in the forecast as the front is knocking on the door of your backyard.

Behind the Front:  Blustery north winds will take over sustained at 10-20mph, with higher gusts upwards of 25-30mph possible through the day.  Due to warmer air from the Gulf of Mexico in the upper levels of the atmosphere overrunning the cooler air at the surface behind the front, overcast skies will remain overhead for much of Thursday along with the occasional wind-blown drizzle shower from time to time. While the chance for drizzle looks good, total rain accumulation with this system won't be impressive -- if we're lucky we may pick up a tenth of an inch or two at most. 

Temperatures fall off through the day:  As mentioned above, daytime highs will be achieved early in the day.  Once the front passes, expect temperatures to fall off slowly.  By 5pm, our northern counties should be down into the upper 50s with our southern counties finding temperatures down to the low 60s.  Temperatures continue to fall into the mid-to-upper 40s by Friday morning.  Factor in that gusty north wind and it'll feel a bit cooler than what the thermometer says from time to time as well.  Find the long-sleeves

Halloween Weekend Plans

Thursday will be the raw day out of this week.  By Friday afternoon, gray skies clear back to mostly sunny conditions with highs topping the upper 60s thanks to a breezy northerly wind.  Saturday and Sunday are looking like they'll provide the perfect fall weather to get out and enjoy -- lows in the 40s, highs in the low 70s!