Freeze warning issued, but race weekend looking pretty good
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The National Weather Service has issued the first freeze warning of the season for the Austin metro area, and most surrounding counties, including all of the Hill Country.
While many urban locations in the Austin area will remain above freezing early Tuesday morning, temperatures in the suburbs, coldest valleys and other low lying areas are expected to fall to 28-32 degrees before sunrise.
Most locations in the Hill Country will likely experience at least a light freeze. The low lying areas in counties east of IH-35 could also experience a brief, light freeze.
The freeze warning includes all of the KXAN viewing area except Caldwell and Fayette counties.
The anticipated freeze is right on schedule, as the average first freeze in the Hill Country is during the second week of November.
However, it will be an early freeze if the temperature falls to 32 at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, where the average first freeze is Nov. 27. In Austin, Camp Mabry’s average first freeze doesn’t occur until Dec. 2.
Area residents in locations where freezing temperatures occur early Tuesday should be aware that sensitive plants and tender vegetation may be killed. Covering those plants or bringing them indoors may be necessary.
Mornings will be chilly all week, though Tuesday morning is expected to be the coldest. Afternoons will remain cooler than average, with highs only in the 60s through mid-week.
Fortunately, for race fans and anyone who’ll be outside over the weekend, warmer weather is expected for the coming Formula One festivities. High temperatures will return to the 70s by Thursday, then remain very pleasant through Sunday.
Morning will still be a bit cool, but near November normals–in the upper 40s to low 50s.
Probably the best news for Austin’s inaugural F1 event is the decreased chance for rainfall. Last week, computer models indicated the possibility of a wet weather system moving across Texas this weekend.
But now they have backed off that scenario. There now appears to be only a slight chance for showers on Sunday.
Here are the Freeze Warnings in effect for the KXAN viewing area:
URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX 353 PM CST MON NOV 12 2012 ...FREEZE WARNING IN EFFECT FOR TONIGHT ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS AND THE HILL COUNTRY...
.COOL AND DRY WILL SETTLE OVER SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS TONIGHT. MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO PROMOTE RAPIDLY FALLING TEMPERATURES. THE FIRST FREEZE OF THE FALL SEASON IS EXPECTED FOR LOCATIONS ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM MOUNTAIN HOME TO KENDALIA TO BASTROP TO GIDDINGS. THE FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO BE MAINLY IN THE 28 TO 32 DEGREE RANGE AND LAST FROM TWO TO SIX HOURS. LLANO-BURNET-WILLIAMSON-KERR-GILLESPIE-KENDALL-BLANCO-HAYS-TRAVIS- BASTROP-LEE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...LLANO...BURNET...GEORGETOWN... KERRVILLE...FREDERICKSBURG...BOERNE...BLANCO...SAN MARCOS... AUSTIN...BASTROP...GIDDINGS 353 PM CST MON NOV 12 2012 ...FREEZE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM TO 9 AM CST TUESDAY... * TEMPERATURE...EARLY MORNING LOWS OF 28 TO 32 DEGREES. * IMPACTS...A LIGHT FREEZE MAY DAMAGE OR KILL TENDER VEGETATION. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A FREEZE WARNING MEANS SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE IMMINENT OR HIGHLY LIKELY. COVER SENSITIVE PLANTS TO PREVENT OR LIMIT DAMAGE. ----------------------------------------------------------------
URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 316 PM CST MON NOV 12 2012 ...FREEZE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM UNTIL 9 AM TUESDAY... .DRY AIR...LIGHT WINDS...AND A CLEAR SKY WILL ALLOW FOR TEMPERATURES OVERNIGHT TO DROP TO OR BELOW FREEZING. LAMAR-COLLIN-HUNT-DELTA-HOPKINS-TARRANT-DALLAS-ROCKWALL-KAUFMAN- VAN ZANDT-RAINS-JOHNSON-ELLIS-HENDERSON-MILLS-HAMILTON-BOSQUE- HILL-NAVARRO-FREESTONE-ANDERSON-LAMPASAS-CORYELL-BELL-MCLENNAN- FALLS-LIMESTONE-LEON-MILAM-ROBERTSON- 316 PM CST MON NOV 12 2012 ...FREEZE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM TO 9 AM CST TUESDAY... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FORT WORTH HAS ISSUED A FREEZE WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM TO 9 AM CST TUESDAY. * TEMPERATURES...OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL FALL BETWEEN 25 AND 32 DEGREES. TEMPERATURES WILL FALL BELOW FREEZING BETWEEN 3 AND 5 AM AND REMAIN BELOW FREEZING UNTIL A COUPLE OF HOURS AFTER SUNRISE. * IMPACTS...TENDER VEGETATION MAY BE KILLED IN FREEZING WEATHER. AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER SYSTEMS MAY CREATE ICY PATCHES ON ROADS AND DRIVEWAYS. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A FREEZE WARNING MEANS THAT THE SEASONS FIRST EPISODE OF SUB- FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE LIKELY TO OCCUR. THESE CONDITIONS WILL KILL SENSITIVE PLANTS AND RESIDENTS ARE ADVISED TO PROTECT TENDER VEGETATION. AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER SYSTEMS SHOULD ALSO BE TURNED OFF TO AVOID CREATING ICE PATCHES ON NEARBY ROADS...DRIVEWAYS...AND SIDEWALKS. ----------------------------------------------------------------------
URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX 253 PM CST MON NOV 12 2012 ...HARD FREEZE POSSIBLE TONIGHT... .CLEAR SKIES AND VERY LIGHT WINDS WILL ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO FALL INTO THE MID TO UPPER 20S ACROSS MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS TONIGHT. FISHER-NOLAN-STERLING-COKE-RUNNELS-IRION-TOM GREEN-CONCHO- CROCKETT-SCHLEICHER-SUTTON-HASKELL-THROCKMORTON-JONES-SHACKELFORD- TAYLOR-CALLAHAN-COLEMAN-BROWN-MCCULLOCH-SAN SABA-MENARD-KIMBLE- MASON- 253 PM CST MON NOV 12 2012 ...FREEZE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 8 AM CST TUESDAY... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAN ANGELO HAS ISSUED A FREEZE WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 8 AM CST TUESDAY. * TEMPERATURES: 25 TO 28 DEGREES MANY AREAS...COLDEST IN LOW LYING RIVER VALLEYS AND NEAR AREA CREEKS AND STREAMS. * IMPACTS: SENSITIVE PLANTS MAY DIE. UNPROTECTED WATER PIPES MAY EXPAND AND BURST. EXPOSED LIVESTOCK AND PETS COULD HAVE COLD RELATED INJURIES. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A FREEZE WARNING MEANS SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE IMMINENT OR HIGHLY LIKELY. THESE CONDITIONS WILL KILL CROPS AND OTHER SENSITIVE VEGETATION.
