Record heat continues across much of Texas this afternoon, with temperatures in the southwestern third approaching all-time record highs for May. It seems summer may be here to stay for the southern half of Texas, so residents should prepare for the steady presence of 90s and 100s.
Starting Friday afternoon and evening, isolated to scattered thunderstorm chances will return to Texas, continuing daily through at least Monday. Severe weather is possible, including very large hail and damaging wind gusts. While we might not encounter many storms each day, those that do develop are expected to be intense.
We will monitor the conditions closely to determine if certain days present a higher chance for significant severe storms. The Hill Country, Central Texas, North Texas, and Northeast Texas have the highest relative chance for severe storms on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday and Monday, we may see the risk of storms shift further west into the Big Country and Northwest Texas, as well as areas in Texoma and North Texas.
A busier severe weather pattern is anticipated to emerge across the Central and Southern Plains this weekend into early next week; however, it is expected to focus more on Oklahoma and Kansas. Nonetheless, we will keep a vigilant eye on the emerging trends. If most of the precipitation chances remain north of Texas, we can expect a continuation of above-average, summer-like temperatures and an uptick in wildfire danger.