It's Almost Over

By Gene Norman
Follow @genenormanwx

Yeah, I know, it is January, but this chill-to-the-bone feeling and dreary skies are, well, depressing.  Not to mention the occasional dribble of rain that has you occasionally tapping the windshield wiper.  There is a glimmer of hope though; things will begin to turn around in a few days so expect long lines at the car wash when the sun returns.

While we didn't break any records for cold mornings, we came close to another kind or record today.  The lowest high temperature on this date was 37° set in 1917.  We began the day at 37° and the thermometer only nudged up two degrees all day.  

So, what's next?  I'm tracking one final round of light to moderate rain sliding in from the southwest.  That should arrive later tonight and again, there could be a rain/sleet mix mainly in locations north of I-10.  I don't expect icing on any roads, but they could be slick, especially where temperatures flirt with freezing, from Montgomery County northward.  After tonight's last round of rain, gradual clearing will occur as another in a series of upper-level lows pulls across the state:

This one is a little further north than the one that gave us the deluge last week.  However, the point is, we're continuing this pattern of west coast disturbances that move across Texas after cold air settles in.  If the timing of these two is just right for us, it could lead to the kind of snow Dallas saw this morning.  Looking down the road, I don't see that happening, but the pattern could re-establish itself later this month.

TONIGHT: Cloudy and cold with periods of light rain mixing with or briefly changing to sleet mainly north of I-10.  Lows fall in the mid 30s, but near freezing from Montgomery County northward.  Steady north winds 10-15 mph leading to wind chills in the upper 20s.

NORMAN NUMBER FOR WEDNESDAY: 5
WEDNESDAY: Cloudy and cold early with cloud bases lifting by late afternoon.  There may actually be some sun peeking through in western neighborhoods towards the end of the day.  Temperatures start in the mid 30s but slowly rise to the upper 40s.  North winds 10-15 mph.

NORMAN NUMBER FOR THURSDAY: 8
THURSDAY: Sunshine returns.  After a near freezing cold start, temperatures steady warm to near 60°.  West, northwest wind 10-15 mph.

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