Mostly cloudy, windy and much cooler this afternoon; morning rains have left the area but more expected

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A strong predawn cold front generated showers and thunderstorms today, along with much colder and windy conditions. A series of upper-level disturbances will bring periodic showers through Monday. Temperatures hovered in the 50s across the Coastal Bend this afternoon but will plunge deep into the 40s overnight. Wind chill values early Saturday and Sunday will dip into the lower 30s. In fact, daytime readings will linger in the 50s Saturday, Sunday and Monday before slowly warming into the 60s, 70s and 80s next week. A strong northerly wind will persist through the weekend, gusting in excess of 25 mph each day. The dome of high pressure bringing the wind and cold will move eastward into the lower Mississippi Valley by Tuesday, returning onshore flow to South Texas and beginning the warming and humidification process. Isolated rain showers may be expected Tuesday, but no additional significant precipitation is anticipated.