After reaching 85 degrees Wednesday, just 2 degrees short of tying the record high, Arctic air will drop us to the chilly 40s by Thursday morning and down to near freezing Thursday night.
A Winter Storm Warning and Freeze Warning has been issued from 9 PM Thursday until Noon Friday for all of the Coastal Bend except for the island for the potential of ice accumulation and bitterly cold wind chills.
An Arctic cold front will move through Wednesday night, close to midnight. A few rain showers are possible with the front but our best chance of rain will come Thursday through Friday morning as an upper level wave moves across south Texas.
There will be periods of a cold, light rain as temperatures fall into the low to mid 30s Thursday night. With a warm layer of air overriding the shallow dome of cold air at the surface, the type of precipitation will be changeable across south Texas.
The beaches will see mainly a cold rain while Corpus Christi and inland areas could see some freezing rain and sleet by early Friday morning with a brief period of snow possible farther west in Brush Country.
Temperatures will drop to freezing briefly in Corpus Christi so ice is less likely but since bridges and overpasses cool faster due to airflow underneath, there could be a glaze of ice in spots on bridges, overpasses and flyovers in the Corpus Christi area by early Friday morning.
Inland areas will drop to freezing sooner so there is a better chance of a wintry mix with freezing rain and sleet at times. Those traveling Thursday night through early Friday will need to use caution on roads.
Rainfall amounts of a quarter to half inch are expected but coastal areas could see amounts as high as an inch before we dry out Friday afternoon.
The weekend looks mainly dry with an isolated shower chance Saturday night into early Sunday. It will stay cool with highs in the 50s. The next upper wave brings another chance of light rain from late Sunday into Monday morning.
