Rain Stays in the Forecast TFN

From KRBC Chief Meteorologist Randy Turner ..

Rain is in the forecast each of the next seven days - and no, I don't know how long it's been since I've put rain in the forecast everyday for a week.

But, I do know that a big pattern shift is coming our way and while this isn't the final end to summer, it's going to put a big dent in the heat and our chance for rain is good.

A big upper level low came out of Canada Thursday morning and was spinning over eastern Montana Thursday afternoon. The low is forecast to track south and slightly southwest Friday and Saturday and end up roughly between Denver and Amarillo by Sunday, positioned to pinwheel some disturbances and cooler air in our direction. That cooler air in the upper levels of the atmosphere serves to destabalize the air above which helps to create thunderstorms and rain. Warm moist air at the surface with cooler air above is what we're looking for.

The low looks to get stuck through Monday which means a continued good chance for rain in our area. By Tuesday, the low should start moving east but our chance for rain won't totally go away at least through this time next week.

CAUTION - While it's too early to say if we will see any flash flooding issues, keep in mind that systems this time of year tend to move slowly, and any heavy rain can cause flash flooding issues quickly. We're approaching the one year anniversary of Erin which flooded much of Taylor County and Abilene. While we're not dealing with a tropical system this time, we are dealing with plenty of Gulf moisture and a strong cold front (by this time of year standards) so just keep the potential for flooding in mind and monitor the weather along with us here on KRBC.

It's going to be a gradual change, so let's take it day by day.

Friday: I'm going with a slight chance for thunderstorms with highs in the low 90's. East wind 5 to 15.

Friday Night: Thunderstorms which develop northwest of us will move our direction, so a 30% chance for rain with a low around 70.

Saturday: The chance for rain begins to improve to 40%. Highs cool to near 86, lots of clouds around.

Sunday: Cloudy with a 50% chance for rain, some locally heavy amounts possible. High near 83.

Monday: Cloudy with a 50% chance for rain, some locally heavy amounts possible. High near 83.

Tuesday: Partly cloudy with a 40% chance for rain, high near 86.

Wednesday and Thursday: Partly cloudy to mostly cloudy with a 20% chance for rain, upper 80's to near 90.