AUSTIN, Texas — Even after heavy amounts of rainfall earlier this week, Central Texans will need to be on alert for elevated fire weather concerns to close out the workweek.
The ground will stay moist for a short time after the beneficial rain, but high winds and dry weather will make a quick comeback.
Another cold front, this time a dry weather maker, dropped temperatures Thursday night. Accompanying the cooler temperatures are high winds.
The majority of gusts out of the north and west following the front will range from 30 to 35 mph, but a few 40 mph gusts can't be ruled out for isolated locations in the Hill Country.
The stiff winds will keep blowing at about this velocity through Friday before decreasing by nightfall.
In addition to the dry and windy weather on Friday, Central Texas has also had a dry and quite warm day Thursday. These conditions will help evaporate wet spots in the area, drying the ground.
All these ingredients could invoke the potential for high fire danger on Friday. Winds will be drawing in very dry air, with relative humidity at 20% to 30%.
Central Texas is still in the midst of a drought. And while we have had beneficial rain (and ice) in the past couple of weeks, the Climate Prediction Center is not forecasting that soils will be re-saturated from recent precipitation.
So for Friday, high winds, dry air and dry soils will set the stage for potential fires. Please be aware of this ahead of the end of the work week. Outdoor burning is discouraged.
The Texas A&M Forest Service has already put part of the Austin area under a "high" fire danger rating for Friday. This includes portions of Travis, Blanco, Gillespie, Llano and Williamson counties for now but could be updated to include more areas in the coming days.
Stick with KVUE for the latest on this developing forecast.
In the meantime, your 7-day outlook is below.
