Warming Up, Thunderstorms Returning Midweek:

Good Morning from KRBC Meteorologist Chris Whited...

* A cold start for the area this morning with lows dropping down into the upper 30s and lower 40s. There is even a bit of frost on some of the car tops this morning! As we go through the day expect mostly sunny conditions but temperatures should be about 10° warmer today as our high temperatures will climb into the upper 60s. A few clouds will return tonight with lows much warmer into the upper 40s and a few spots in the lower 50s.

* Wednesday will see temperatures warming up into the upper 70s with increasing clouds. Showers and thunderstorms will be likely Wednesday night and Thursday as a cold front moves into the area. There is a risk for some strong to severe storms (see the summary of that below) with this system. The rain should end late Thursday for most of us, with some lingering chances on early Friday in the far eastern counties. Temperatures will cool back into the 60s.

* Severe Weather Threat: The Storm Prediction Center now has the Big Country, Heartland and Northern Concho Valley outlined in a "Slight Risk" for severe weather late Wednesday and into the day on Thursday. The latest discussion suggests the main threat would be in the form of damaging winds. There is also a slight chance for large hail and a few isolated tornadoes. The SPC and model data is suggesting a squall line will move across the area late Wednesday and Thursday. Stay tuned for updates...

* Weekend: Weather looks great for Saturday across the area with mostly sunny conditions for Halloween with highs in the lower to middle 70s and overnight lows near 50. We can expect about the same conditions as we get into Sunday. Also don't forget get we all get an hour back on Sunday!

* Time Change: Don't forget we have a time change coming up this weekend.. It's time to "fall back" one hour on early Sunday morning as we go back to standard time. So don't forget to set the clocks back before you go to bed. It's also a good idea to change the batteries in your smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and also check those batteries in your weather radio. We'll stay in standard time until we get to early March.

* First Freeze Dates: The average first freeze of the fall season for most of us is in the early to middle part of November. Here are just a few of the dates as reported by the San Angelo National Weather Service: Abilene - November 12, Coleman - November 13, Brownwood - November 13, Ballinger - November 9, and Rotan - November 12.

* Drought Information: For the lastest on the drought here across West Central Texas and the Big Country please visit the U.S Drought Monitor website by clicking here. The data is updated by the government every Thursday morning.

* Tropics: For the latest information please visit the KRBC/NBC Hurricane Season 2009 Tracker on the weather section of our website by clicking here. You can also visit the National Hurricane Center website by clicking on the link here.

* Join us on television this morning for the latest 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 severe weather updates and other random weather information 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...