Mother Nature often makes us look foolish during the cool-season months, but she usually doesn’t do that in August. However, that’s exactly what happened overnight and this morning! A group of storms in Kansas and western Oklahoma unexpectedly turned east on Interstate 40, swept into Oklahoma City, and then veered south until they moved into the Gulf this afternoon. This turned what was forecasted to be a quiet night into a chaotic one, bringing heavy rain, damaging winds, and lightning from Oklahoma City down Interstate 35 through North Texas, and along I-35 and I-45 to the Gulf! I apologize for the inaccurate forecast yesterday.
Today, storms may continue in South Texas and along the Coastal Plains, possibly along the Upper Texas Gulf Coast as well. Otherwise, isolated severe storms could develop this evening in the Texas Panhandle after 6 PM, lasting into early Tuesday morning. These storms could produce very large hail, damaging winds, and possibly a brief tornado. Activity should decrease early Tuesday, but as we saw this morning, forecasts can be tricky. We will monitor the situation closely, with storm chasers in the Panhandle this evening to document the developments.
The main weather story this week will be a rise in temperatures across the state, with triple-digit highs expected along and west of Interstate 35 by Thursday and Friday. Some areas might see afternoon temperatures over 105 degrees. The eastern part of Texas will be less hot at the start of the week but will catch up by Friday, with higher humidity making it feel even hotter.