CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Expect a fair and dry weekend with hot afternoons and mild nights through Sunday, but tropical moisture from the Eastern Pacific and Gulf of Mexico will mean increased humidity, rain and thunderstorms next week. Upper level high pressure that has dominated the Southwestern U.S. this week and gave us fair skies will hold through Sunday, but the remnants of Eastern Pacific Hurricane Norma, now a Category 4 storm, will overspread much of Texas Sunday night through Monday. The Coastal Bend will be on the eastern periphery of the rain area but still receive a half to three-fourths of an inch of much-needed rain from this system. Thereafter, a powerful mid-latitude disturbance diving through the Western U.S. and into the Rockies will draw the remnants of Norma into the Southern Plains and tap deep tropical moisture from the Western Gulf of Mexico. That will bring an extended period of scattered showers and thunderstorms through the upcoming work week.
Temperatures will remain at or a bit above normal through the week to come, and will be especially warmer than normal during the overnight hours. Expect daytime temperatures from the middle 80s to lower 90s Friday through next Thursday, with overnights moderating from the middle 60s Sunday to the middle 70s midweek. The Norma remnants will induce a strong south southeasterly wind Sunday night through Monday, with gusts near 30 mph on Monday.
In addition to Norma, the tropics remain active. In the Atlantic Basin, Tropical Storm Tammy is strengthening and will become a Category 1 hurricane tonight or Friday. This system will impact the Lesser Antilles this weekend before turning northward into the opens North Atlantic. In the Eastern Pacific, well south of Norma, is Disturbance 91E. This system is well offshore of Guatemala and showing a high probability of becoming a tropical depression by this weekend. Some of its moisture content may contribute to our rain chances by the middle of next week.