San Antonio Weather Thread (Houston, Austin: how much, move to, parking)

[Bo]

Radar is showing showers moving toward Bexar County from the west. Maybe there is hope of getting some rain tonight?

[spursfan]

the radar shows it to be right over my house but i'm getting nothing....virga maybe?

[AnthonySA]

It's raining here... but very light. We won't see too much.. just enough to get the ground wet.

[sapphire]

It rained for about 10 seconds in my front yard a few minutes ago. It's chilly, though!

[1StarRanch]

Loving this cool front were having, reminds me of winter

[doss1]

Originally Posted by 1StarRanch

Loving this cool front were having, reminds me of winter

We only have 7 months to go for the cool front to come back. Nearly half way there...

[AnthonySA]

Tonight will without a doubt be colder than last night. Clear skies, very low humidity, and calm winds spell ideal conditions for radiational cooling... therefore mid 40's or even cooler especially north of town looks like a great bet.

[AnthonySA]

Alright, I know it is still a little bit early to be looking this far ahead, but I have noticed some trends that will be crucial towards constructing a long-range forecast this summer. This is all preliminary educated guesses and is subject to many "flies in the ointment" and amendments as warranted. Feel free to jump in and tear me a part -- or any other input, of course!

Overall, my gut feeling tells me that this summer will go down as a hot and dry one. I feel this way because the current storm track does not favor frequent storms over our area -- and in fact, nearly all winter and spring long, the storms tracked well off to our north. Areas that were in drought last year are now seeing plenty of rain this year, and conversely the wet areas last year are dry now. This is crucial for guesstimating where the key weather player in the summer, yes...the dreaded "heat" ridge, sets up shop.

There is a direct coorelation to ridge development and warm-dry weather. We have enjoyed a warm, and definitely dry spring in comparison to other areas of the Southern United States. That is, the rain helps keep atmospheric thicknesses lower (the higher the atmospheric thickness.. usually the higher the pressure -- in the summer). There is also a direct coorelation between atmospheric thickness and temperature.. the higher the heights, the warmer the temperature. Such an environment is not ideal for storms to follow.

That means that the ridge will most likely develop over the region that is the warmest and the driest, as there is the most ease. Unfortunately, based on the current Winter and Spring trends, that region is here. My current gut feeling tells me that this summer will be similar to that of 2006, which was indeed a very hot one for San Antonio.

Of course, we still have more than a month to monitor the latest trends and patterns, and we'll have a better idea on where to expect the "heat high" to set up. If we are able to get more rain in May and in June, we may luck out and I will have to of course readjust my forecast.

What are your thoughts on this summer?

[benandgrace]

Originally Posted by AnthonySA

Alright, I know it is still a little bit early to be looking this far ahead, but I have noticed some trends that will be crucial towards constructing a long-range forecast this summer. This is all preliminary educated guesses and is subject to many "flies in the ointment" and amendments as warranted. Feel free to jump in and tear me a part -- or any other input, of course!

Overall, my gut feeling tells me that this summer will go down as a hot and dry one. I feel this way because the current storm track does not favor frequent storms over our area -- and in fact, nearly all winter and spring long, the storms tracked well off to our north. Areas that were in drought last year are now seeing plenty of rain this year, and conversely the wet areas last year are dry now. This is crucial for guesstimating where the key weather player in the summer, yes...the dreaded "heat" ridge, sets up shop.

There is a direct coorelation to ridge development and warm-dry weather. We have enjoyed a warm, and definitely dry spring in comparison to other areas of the Southern United States. That is, the rain helps keep atmospheric thicknesses lower (the higher the atmospheric thickness.. usually the higher the pressure -- in the summer). There is also a direct coorelation between atmospheric thickness and temperature.. the higher the heights, the warmer the temperature. Such an environment is not ideal for storms to follow.

That means that the ridge will most likely develop over the region that is the warmest and the driest, as there is the most ease. Unfortunately, based on the current Winter and Spring trends, that region is here. My current gut feeling tells me that this summer will be similar to that of 2006, which was indeed a very hot one for San Antonio.

Of course, we still have more than a month to monitor the latest trends and patterns, and we'll have a better idea on where to expect the "heat high" to set up. If we are able to get more rain in May and in June, we may luck out and I will have to of course readjust my forecast.

What are your thoughts on this summer?

I'm trying to compare SA weather to weather in Austin. There's only an hour's difference between the two cities, so is it safe to assume that Austin isn't any cooler during the hot months than SA?

[Bo]

Originally Posted by benandgrace

I'm trying to compare SA weather to weather in Austin. There's only an hour's difference between the two cities, so is it safe to assume that Austin isn't any cooler during the hot months than SA?

Maybe a degree or two. There's not a significant difference.

I've noticed that Austin gets a few more thunderstorms than San Antonio.