A deep partial lunar eclipse is tonight — the best one visible anywhere on Earth until New Year’s Eve 2028. Here’s whether Texas skies will cooperate, plus storm chances and a drought monitor that just got a lot worse. It’s your Texas Weather Roundup for Thursday, August 27, 2026.
TONIGHT’S LUNAR ECLIPSE
Look east-southeast. The partial phase begins around 9:35 PM Central, hits maximum around 11:15 PM with about 96% of the Moon inside Earth’s shadow, and ends shortly before 1 AM.
At maximum you’ll see an orange-copper hue across nearly the whole disk — a thin sliver of uneclipsed Moon stays white. No equipment needed.
WILL CLOUDS GET IN THE WAY?
Storms and lingering cloud cover are expected tonight across Northeast Texas, East Texas, Southeast Texas, the Brazos Valley, Central and South Central Texas into the Hill Country, and parts of the Big Bend.
Everyone else should have clear enough skies, and even the cloudier zones should see breaks.
STORMS TODAY
Scattered thunderstorms this afternoon across the Hill Country, Central Texas, the Brazos Valley, Southeast Texas, the Coastal Bend and the Coastal Plains. Some can produce localized damaging wind gusts over 60 mph, dangerous cloud-to-ground lightning, and locally heavy rain capable of brief street flooding.
Locally heavy rain and isolated flooding are also possible across the Panhandle, West Texas, and Southeast Texas into the Golden Triangle. Wherever you are, a downpour could bring street flooding and modest rises on creeks and streams.
FRIDAY
Another round of scattered storms Friday afternoon across the Hill Country, South Central Texas, and east toward the upper Gulf Coast and Southeast Texas. Same hazards. When thunder roars, get your keister indoors.
DROUGHT MONITOR — 57% OF TEXAS
This morning’s update puts 57% of Texas in official drought, a major jump from last week. This flash drought has kicked into high gear, which is exactly what the heat and wildfire activity has been telling us.
Extreme to exceptional drought continues across Northwest Texas, West Texas and the Panhandle. Severe drought is back in North Texas, Texoma, parts of Central Texas, South Texas and a sliver of the Permian Basin.
FIRE DANGER
Better than earlier this week, but still High to locally Very High across the eastern half of Texas today and Friday. A lot more Low to Moderate is showing up statewide.
Saturday, High fire danger returns across the northern half of Texas and extends south to cover the eastern half. This sticks around until the fall pattern arrives, and that isn’t looking likely soon.
THE PATTERN
The heat dome’s core sits over New Mexico, giving Texas a weak northerly flow aloft that lets a few upper-level disturbances slide in. They’re weak, but with this much heat it’s just enough to spark storms.
That continues through Friday. Into the weekend and next week the heat dome recenters over Texas and rain chances drop off outside Gulf Coast sea breeze activity and the Panhandle. Today and tomorrow are the best chances you’re going to get.
Most folks won’t see rain, but under a heavier storm a couple inches in an hour is possible.
TEMPERATURES
Triple digits across the southeastern two-thirds of Texas today, with 90s along the Texas-Louisiana line into the Ark-La-Tex, the immediate Gulf Coast, the Panhandle and the Davis Mountains. Mostly 100 to 104 rather than the 108 to 110 we saw earlier this week.
Friday, mostly 90s with low-end triple digits. Overnight lows in the 70s, 80s in the urban heat islands, 60s in the Davis Mountains and western Panhandle.
Saturday brings 90s to East Texas, the Ark-La-Tex, Southeast Texas, the Gulf Coast, the Hill Country and Big Bend, with triple digits in North, Central and South Texas, the Panhandle and Borderland. Sunday, triple digits expand again.
Monday: 100 in DFW, 104 in Childress, 102 in Amarillo, 100 in El Paso, 95 in Houston and Texarkana, 91 in Beaumont — with atrocious humidity.
We’ll keep watching the Ross Fire in Palo Pinto and Jack Counties as containment climbs.
CHAPTERS
0:00 Eclipse Tonight & Storm Chances
0:50 Lunar Eclipse: Times & Where to Look
1:31 Will Clouds Block Your View?
2:15 Today’s Storms
2:40 Friday’s Storm Chances
3:29 Drought Monitor: 57% of Texas
4:22 Fire Danger Improving
5:02 Heat Dome Returns This Weekend
6:33 Temperatures Through Monday
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