Weather Alert begins Tuesday evening for North Texas

FORT WORTH (CBSNewsTexas.com) -- The First Alert Weather Team has issued an alert for North Texas from Tuesday evening into early Wednesday morning due to the threat of severe weather.

Breezy southerly winds will gust to 35 mph and help boost afternoon highs into the mid to upper 80s under cloudy skies. A dry line will move east into North Texas this afternoon, dropping humidity levels to 15%-20% west of I-35.

The combination of low humidity and strong southerly winds will create an elevated to critical fire danger for the western half of our region.

We will also be watching for an isolated storm to develop out ahead of the dry line early this afternoon.

A strong cap is in place today, but if a storm can break through the cap it will likely become severe. Large hail and damaging winds are the main threats.

The risk of severe storms increases overnight into early Wednesday morning as a cold front moves through the area. Strong southerly winds could gust to 40 mph overnight ahead of the cold front. Rain and thunderstorms will develop out ahead of the front and track eastward before sunrise. 

Any storms ahead of the cold front could become severe with large hail and damaging winds the main threats, but an isolated tornado can't be ruled out. The greatest risk of severe storms is along and east of I-35.

Winds become northerly behind the cold front, ushering in a cooler and drier airmass for our Wednesday. A spring feel will return for a few days, with temperatures only warming into the upper 60s Wednesday afternoon.

A stalled out system to our south will keep rain chances in the forecast into Saturday, but the best chance for showers looks to be Friday. Easter Sunday is still on track to be a gorgeous day with a mix of sun and clouds and highs in the upper 70s.