CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Happy Wednesday, Coastal Bend!
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Partly cloudy skies today with highs in the upper 90s
- A few 'chispas' or isolated showers along the sea breeze
- Tropical moisture arrives early Thursday morning, increasing rain chances
Hump day weather
This morning, a few showers could develop in our Northern coastal communities. If you are commuting from Aransas or Refugio counties this morning, you might need the windshield wipers, so give yourself a few extra minutes as you head out the door. As high pressure shifts towards the Southeastern US, the clockwise flow is helping to usher in some extra tropical moisture across the Gulf and into Coastal Texas. You can think of this extra water in the atmosphere as more 'fuel' in the tank to provide more rain to some of our neighborhoods. Throughout the afternoon today, pop-up showers will develop following the sea-breeze pattern. With lots of water in the air for these storms to take advantage of, some showers could provide a good 'drink' of rain at times. The forecast still looks to be wettest on Thursday. As clouds roll into the region overnight into Wednesday into Thursday morning, we might run into more showers for the morning commute, but a majority of the on-and-off showers throughout the day will likely remain closer to the coast.
Air you can wear!
Corpus Christi set a new record high temperature on Tuesday of 99ºF, beating the previous record of 98ºF. At this point in the month, temperatures still remain much warmer than average with a streak of middle to upper 90s holding strong in the forecast. Expect a very hot and humid Wednesday across our neighborhoods as 'feels-like' temps approach 110 degrees today. Late Wednesday into Thursday, cloud cover increases overnight, and with our best rain chances still expected on Thursday, high temperatures could be knocked down a few degrees, but it will still feel quite muggy out there! Clouds and some rain-cooled air will also help to reduce the heat risk by Thursday and Friday. For Wednesday, major to extreme heat risks persists across our neighborhoods, meaning if you are not practicing heat safety, you are more vulnerable to heat-related illnesses. Please drink plenty of water, look before you lock, and turn up the air-conditioning!
Drought
No measurable rainfall has been observed at Corpus Christi International Airport since late July.
As we cross the halfway point of September, we have yet to see measure rainfall at CCIA! Our rainfall deficit is now at 3.43 inches, which is only prolonging the drought conditions throughout the Coastal Bend and Coastal Plains. With modest accumulations in the forecast, don't expect much improvement with the drought monitor in the meantime.
In The Tropics
Unusually quiet conditions continue across the Atlantic Basin. We're watching one area of interest in the Atlantic with low development chances, but there is no risk to the Coastal Bend. 
Have a great rest of your Wednesday!
