Arctic Cold Will Give Way to Temps Near 90 This Week

SAN ANGELO – Temperatures in San Angelo will drop to the mid 20s Saturday night before a warming trend moves in pushing the mercury to near 90 degrees by Thursday.  

A surge of surface high pressure originating from the north is poised to dominate the region today and settle over the area overnight. Following yesterday's passage of a cold front, brisk cold air advection persists, ushering in temperatures well below seasonal norms across the area. Expect a gradual reduction in cloud cover throughout the day, yielding mostly clear skies by tonight. While brisk north winds will prevail through the morning hours, they are set to diminish later this afternoon, transitioning to light and variable by nightfall. Daytime highs will struggle to reach the 40s, ranging from the lower 40s in the Big Country to the low to mid 40s elsewhere.

Tonight, under predominantly clear skies and with light winds accompanying a dry airmass, expect robust radiational cooling. As night falls, temperatures will plummet swiftly, with predawn lows primarily settling in the mid to upper 20s. In select sheltered locales, readings in the lower 20s may manifest.

Sunday through Thursday, look for a pronounced warming trend in the early and mid-week period ahead. The forecast remains conspicuously dry, devoid of any precipitation prospects throughout the week.

Following a chilly dawn, temperatures will ascend into the mid to upper 50s for Sunday's highs, under a canopy of unimpeded sunshine. Winds will shift to the south, as surface high pressure advances toward the Texas coast and lower Mississippi Valley. Overnight, a persistent southerly breeze will prevent temperatures from plunging drastically, holding lows in the mid 30s to around 40.

Come Monday, an upper-level ridge will consolidate to the west before gradually traversing eastward over Texas by midweek. Monday will witness notably warmer conditions, buoyed by copious sunshine and downslope effects from southwest to west winds. Highs will soar into the lower and mid 70s. The warming trajectory will persist into Tuesday and Wednesday, with temperatures peaking between 80-85 on Tuesday and surging into the mid to upper 80s across much of the area by Wednesday. Such anticipated highs stand 20-25 degrees above seasonal norms for this juncture in February. Despite this departure from the norm, forecast highs remain below the February 21 record highs of 92 in Abilene and 93 in San Angelo. Nighttime temperatures will also exhibit a marked rise, ranging from the lower to mid 40s on Tuesday, ascending to the upper 40s to lower 50s on Wednesday, and settling in the 50s by Thursday.