Hot Winds Sunday, Then Cooler Week
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - The wind has been the big issue today and will remain so tonight. But storms could also affect parts of North Texas after 2am late tonight..and especially between 5am and 8am Monday morning. A cold front will be sweeping in overnight but, as has been the case most of Spring, it will have a hard time overcoming our "cap", which is a layer of warmer air 2,000-4,000 feet above the surface. This cap acts to prevent clouds from building up tall enough to produce thunderstorms. We do expect the cap to weaken enough by early Monday to allow a few storms to form, especially east of I-35 and north of I-20. Some of the storms could be strong with coin size hail, and even stronger winds over 50 mph. Meteorologist Jeff Ray will be tracking any storms that form tomorrow morning.
BLOW OUT: STAYING WINDY ALL NIGHT AND ALL DAY TOMORROW
The south winds today have been incredibly gusty…we had peak wind gusts between 35 to 45 mph earlier this afternoon. Besides being a nuisance, it has made driving east-west highways difficult with such a tremendous cross wind.
The winds will stay strong overnight, but also shift directions…from south to northwest behind a strong cold front that should be arriving between 3a and 6a tomorrow morning. A WIND ADVISORY remains in effect for all of North Texas until 5p Monday evening…as winds will gust over 35 mph through this period. Be mindful again of driving and staying in your lane…avoid driving alongside high-profile vehicles such as 18 wheelers, as they can more easily be suddenly forced into the next lane by a strong gust of wind.
HIGH FIRE DANGER MONDAY
With the air drying out quickly behind the cold front Monday morning, a RED FLAG WARNING will go into effect throughout the day on Monday. We have been noting how dry North Texas is and with the soils lacking moisture, a small fire that quickly be spread with these windy conditions. Several North Texas counties are under a burn ban, so no outdoor burning allowed. Even so, all of the area should avoid outdoor fires, especially not throwing cigarette butts out the window of your vehicle.
FORECAST DETAILS
Tonight…Mostly cloudy and windy. Chance of storms early Monday, especially east and northeast of the DFW Metro. Low near 65. Chance of rain 30%.
Tomorrow…Clearing skies and still quite windy. High fire danger. Cooler with a high near 70.
Monday night…Clear, less wind but pretty chilly. Low near 42!
Tuesday…Sunny and turning breezy again. High near 73.
Wed-Fri…Partly cloudy and windy. Lows in the 50s Wednesday and then 60s Thursday and Friday. High temps in the 80s.
