Happy New Year!! Staying Warm To Start 2026
Near Record Temperatures On Friday
Happy New Year Central Texas!! I hope 2026 gets off to a fantastic start for you...the weather will certainly be doing so! Temperatures will still be a little warmer than normal on Thursday aftenroon (70’s) but partly cloudy skies and quiet weather is nothing to complain about. However, if you aren’t a fan of windy conditions and/or breaking high temperature records - then you might have some complaints about the weather on Friday.
The first day of 2026 should be a good one weather wise! Temperatures will be chilly out the door, but not quite freezing. Central Texas will warm up into the low 70’s in the afternoon with partly cloudy skies.
Near Record Warmth And Windy Conditions Friday
Things get even WARMER on Friday, January 2nd. Multiple weather models are indicating high temperatures in the upper 70’s and lower 80’s. This is significant, because the high temperature record for January 2nd is 80° set in 2009. We have the potential to tie or even break that record based on the model data shown here. Model 1 (above) trends a little bit cooler, staying just at or under 80, while Model 2 (below) trends warmer, showing Central Texas breaking the temperature record.
It will also be quite windy on Friday afternon, despite the warmth. This is thanks to another approaching cold front that is set to arrive on Friday evening and into Saturday morning. This will bring cooler temperatures by Saturday, January 3rd, but expect some windy conditions in the meantime. Winds could gust up to 30+ miles per hour on Friday afternoon!
Temperatures should fall back into the 40’s on Saturday morning and should not get warmer than the upper 60’s and lower 70’s on Saturday afternoon. Winds will shift to the north at about 5 to 15 miles per hour, which is much calmer than the winds we are expecting to see on Friday.
Rainfall Potential Late Next Week
Central Texas will be riding the temperature rollercoaster once more, thanks to at least 2 to 3 different cold fronts in the next week and a half. We have already discussed Friday’s front in the paragraphs above, but another (second) front is expected on Tuesday. Speaking of - we could get near ANOTHER temperature record on Tuesday afternoon - but there is not as much confidence in that right now, it is simply just a possibility at this time.
Regardless, the first two fronts over the next week and a half will not have much moisture to work with. That is, until we get to the third potential cold front that arrives by the end of next week. By Wednesday and Thursday of next week, the Gulf moisture should return, leading to our first rain opportunities in Central Texas in quite a while! Temperatures also look to fall back into the 60’s by the end of the forecast, thanks to that third and final cold front. This is surely going to change a lot, so don’t get too excited yet - but it is a decent possibility that we could at least see some sprinkles of rain next week!
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