Heat, Heat and More Heat !!

From KRBC Chief Meteorologist Randy Turner ....

The heat isn't going anywhere, so we must adapt. Highs at or just above 100 degrees can be expected this weekend with no chance for rain. Overnight lows will be in the mid to upper 70's. A south or southeast breeze during the day of 10 to 20 mph with lighter wind 5 to 10 at night.

No major changes to the forecast going into early next week. Afternoon highs should be slightly lower but still upper 90's. The high pressure causing the heat looks to be locked in for the next seven days or more keeping storm systems away.

Be safe in the hot weather !!

Hot Weather Continues Into The Weekend:

Good Morning from Meterologist Chris Whited...

* The heat ridge continues over Texas and the Big Country so today will be another warm day with highs averaging across Abilene and the Big Country between 101 -105° and still very warm at night with lows only dropping into the middle to upper 70s.

* New data this morning keeps the triple digits in the forecast through the weekend with not much of a cool down early next week as we only drop highs into the upper 90s.

* Records: We will be watching closely the record high for Abilene today which is 106° from 1918.We will break close to this record high today as I am forecasting a high of 104° for the Key City today. Some places will be warmer than this today.

* Safety Tips: Remember during this very hot weather to stay cool and drink plenty of water. If you have to be outside, you will need the sunscreen because you will burn very easily in this extreme heat. Check out the Hot Weather Safety Tips graphic posted above the discussion here for tips for dealing with the heat.

* Please join us on television this morning for the lastest on your forecast as well as news from around Abilene & the Big Country on KRBC's Abilene Today starting at 6:00 AM and on Abilene Midday later this morning at 11:30 AM.

* Twitter: You can follow us on twitter anytime for quick weather updates by visiting the KRBC Weather Twitter. You can also check out news updates from KRBC via twitter also by visiting the Big Country Homepage Twitter.

Enjoy your Friday & Stay Cool...

Hot Now - But Major Changes for the Fall

From KRBC Chief Meteorologist Randy Turner ....

The heat wave will persist through the upcoming weekend, dangerously hot so take necessary precautions.

That being said, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a news release today concerning El Nino. You may be familiar with this phenomenon that tends to increase our chance for rain, which we need. Hopefully this shift in the weather pattern leads to a rainy Fall and Winter around here.

For now, however, hot and dry.

Thursday Night: Clear and 80. South wind 5 to 10.

Friday: Sunny and 103. South wind 10 to 20.

Saturday: Mostly sunny and 101.

Sunday: Partly cloudy and 100.

Record Heat On This Thursday:

Good Morning from Meterologist Chris Whited...

* The core of the heat ridge is now over Texas and the Big Country so today will be the warmest day so far with highs averaging across Abilene and the Big Country between 102 -106° and still very warm at night with lows only dropping into the middle to upper 70s. New data this morning keeps the triple digits in the forecast through the weekend with not much of a cool down early next week as we only drop highs into the upper 90s.

* Records: We will be watching closely the record high for Abilene today which is 103° from 1978, 1964 & 1918. I do expect we will break this record high today as I am forecasting a high of 104° for the Key City Today. Some places will be warmer than this today. The record high for Friday is 106° from 1918.

* Safety Tips: Remember during this very hot weather to stay cool and drink plenty of water. If you have to be outside, you will need the sunscreen because you will burn very easily in this extreme heat. Check out the Hot Weather Safety Tips graphic posted above the discussion here for tips for dealing with the heat.

* Please join us on television this morning for the lastest on your forecast as well as news from around Abilene & the Big Country on KRBC's Abilene Today starting at 6:00 AM and on Abilene Midday later this morning at 11:30 AM.

* Twitter: You can follow us on twitter anytime for quick weather updates by visiting the KRBC Weather Twitter. You can also check out news updates from KRBC via twitter also by visiting the Big Country Homepage Twitter.

Enjoy your Thursday & Stay Cool...

Blistering H O T !!!

From KRBC Chief Meteorologist Randy Turner ...

Frying an egg on the sidewalk may be possible Thursday as hot weather pounds down on the Big Country. I'm forecasting a high of 104 on Thursday in Abilene. The record high for Thursday is 103 which has been in the record books since 1978.

The high pressure ridge will be around to bring us the blast furnace through Saturday before temperatures back off a few degrees by early next week, still very hot though.

The forecast high for Friday is 102 and 100 for Saturday.

No rain is in the forecast at this time !!!

Be safe in the heat !!

Very Hot Weather Is Here:

Good Morning from Meterologist Chris Whited...

* The heat ridge has settled right over Texas and the Big Country so expect extremely warm temperatures starting today and lasting into Saturday. Daytime highs will range between 100-106° (of course I wouldn't be surprised if some spot gets above 106°) and not much of a cool down with lows between 74-78° each night. The ridge will keep the air sinking so mostly sunny conditions and no rain chances the next seven days.

* Records: The record high for Abilene today is 105° from 1978. The record high Thursday is 103° from 1978 as well. The record for Friday is 106° from 1918 and the record for Saturday is 104° form back in 1998. We're going to have to watch the records the next few days as forecast temperatures will be close to, if not a bit warmer than the records.

* Safety Tips: Remember during this very hot weather to stay cool and drink plenty of water. Check out the Hot Weather Safety Tips graphic posted above the discussion here for tips for dealing with the heat.

* Please join us on television this morning for the lastest on your forecast as well as news from around Abilene & the Big Country on KRBC's Abilene Today starting at 6:00 AM and on Abilene Midday later this morning at 11:30 AM.

* Twitter: You can follow us on twitter anytime for quick weather updates by visiting the KRBC Weather Twitter. You can also check out news updates from KRBC via twitter also by visiting the Big Country Homepage Twitter.

Enjoy your Wednesday & Stay Cool...

Brutally Hot Rest of the Week

From KRBC Chief Meteorologist Randy Turner ....

Find yourself a cool spot and stay there for the rest of the week. The hottest temperatures yet this summer will find their way into our area starting Wednesday.

I'm forecasting 101 for a high Wednesday, 104 for Thursday and 102 for Friday before temperatures return to the upper 90's over the weekend.

Practice heat safety tips such as: 1) drink plenty of water; 2) wear light colored loose fitting clothing; 3) make sure pets are watered properly; 4) limit outdoor work to early mornings or late evenings, if possible; 5) check on the elderly often to make sure they have ample cooling and water; 6) wear sunscreen if in direct sunlight for any length of time.

We should get a little, not much, relief from the heat this weekend as more cloud cover will be around and the high pressure ridge won't be sitting right on top of us as it is now.

No rain in the forecast at this time.

Turning Hot:

Good Morning from Meterologist Chris Whited...

* Quiet weather today but temperatures will begin to warm up with highs climbing back into the lower to middle 90s and lows tonight into the lower 70s. Expect a partly cloudy day but I think the rain chances are very low so I'm not including a chance in my forecast package this morning. Will monitor and may add a chance later today for my midday forecast package if anything changes.

* Heat ridge begins building over Texas today with some very hot temperatures by the later half of the week for the Big Country. Highs expected between 100-105° (perhaps some spots even warmer) and lows in the middle 70s. Heat ridge and high in place will keep the air sinking so no rain chances in the forecast later this week.

* Join us on television this morning for the lastest on your forecast as well as news from around Abilene & the Big Country on KRBC's Abilene Today at 6:00 AM and on Abilene Midday at 11:30 AM.

* Twitter: You can follow us on twitter anytime for quick weather updates by visiting the KRBC Weather Twitter. You can also check out news updates from KRBC via twitter also by visiting the Big Country Homepage Twitter.

Have a great Tuesday...

The Heat Soon to Return !!

From the KRBC Weather Lab and Chief Meteorologist Randy Turner ...

There remains a slight chance for thunderstorms Monday night as upper level winds, blowing from the northwest, may push some storms into our area. Plus, south of Abilene, isolated storms may develop Monday evening in proximity to a boundary there.

Heavy rain fell early Monday morning across the Heartland counties such as Coleman and Brown. Rain amounts between 1 and 3 inches were common in that area.

The big weather story over the next several days will be the return of oppressive heat. High temperatures Tuesday should be in the middle 90's, but Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will be 100 degree days, so be ready. No rain is forecast Tuesday through the upcoming weekend.

Some Storms Today, Otherwise Cloudy:

Good Morning from Meterologist Chris Whited...

* A band of showers and thunderstorms continues across the Heartland and northern areas of the Concho Valley this morning. At the time I'm blogging this, the Brownwood airport has recorded 2.26" of rainfall and 0.93" at the airport in Comanche. [Update here at 10:30 AM... officially Brownwood picked up 3.75" of rainfall since midnight! Comanche has picked up 1.68" of rainfall. Not a drop for Abilene...] Expect some areas of flooding along small streams and arroyos in that area this morning. Most of the activity is along and south of U.S. Highway 67. Most of this activity will move out of the southern viewing area by mid-morning. Otherwise, just cloudy and humid across the Abilene area, as well as Sweetwater, Anson, Haskell, Rotan and Albany.

* Scattered thunderstorms will be possible across the Big Country today. I'm putting the rain chance at about 30% in my forecast package this morning for the area. Any storms that do develop could produce some quick heavy rainfall. Isolated storms will remain in the forecast for tonight and Tuesday. Highs today only in the middle and upper 80s thanks to the clouds and rain chances, lows tonight near 70. Fewer storms and less clouds will allow us to warm up Tuesday into the middle 90s.

* Heat ridge really building in this week again from the east over Texas with some very hot temperatures by the later half of the week for the Big Country. Highs between 100-105° (perhaps some spots even warmer) are possible Wednesday - Saturday with mostly sunny conditions. Heat ridge and high in place will keep the air sinking so no rain chances in the forecast later this week.

* Join us on television this morning for the lastest on your forecast as well as news from around Abilene & the Big Country on KRBC's Abilene Today at 6:00 AM and on Abilene Midday at 11:30AM.

* Twitter: You can follow us on twitter anytime for quick weather updates by visiting the KRBC Weather Twitter. You can also check out news updates from KRBC via twitter also by visiting the Big Country Homepage Twitter.

Have a great Monday...

Scattered Thunderstorms Sunday Night / Monday

From KRBC Chief Meteorologist Randy Turner.....

As of mid-afternoon Sunday, showers and thunderstorms were bringing more much needed rain to the Big Country. As of 3:30pm, there were light showers moving northeast from Abilene and towns south of Abilene. There was another line of thunderstorms across the northern Big Country, stretching east to west, along highway 380 but that area was trying to drift south.

I'm forecast scattered thunderstorms to affect most of the Big Country Sunday evening and Sunday night. The remnants of a weak cold front will linger Monday so we should see more storms develop with the greatest chance south of I-20 on Monday.

Temperatures will remain below normal Monday with a high near 88, thanks to additional cloud cover.

Temperatures by Tuesday climb back to the mid 90's.

High pressure regains control of our weather pattern by Wednesday meaning dry and hotter weather. Expect temperatures around 100 Wednesday through Friday.

Hot Holiday Weekend, Rain Next Week:

Good Morning from Meterologist Chris Whited...

* The ridge will dominate the weather pattern for the Big Country until at least Independence Day. Expect highs each afternoon into the upper 90s and lows in the middle 70s with mostly sunny conditions.

* July 4th Holiday: Weather looks great for the holiday but it will be "hot as a firecracker" with afternoon highs near 100° under a partly cloudy sky. Only a light south wind.

* Rain Chances: Models continue to bring rain chances back into the picture for Sunday, Monday and into Tuesday. I've kept a 30% chance in my forecast package for Sunday and Monday and a 20% chance for Tuesday. A bit cooler on Monday but the otherwise temperaures will only drop into the middle 90s with the ridge easing up somewhat across the area and allows a weak front to drift across Northern Texas.

* Join us on television this morning for the lastest on your forecast as well as news from around Abilene & the Big Country on KRBC's Abilene Today at 6:00 AM and on Abilene Midday at 11:30AM.

* Twitter: You can follow us on twitter anytime for quick weather updates by visiting the KRBC Weather Twitter. You can also check out news updates from KRBC via twitter also by visiting the Big Country Homepage Twitter.

Have A Safe Holiday Weekend...