2026 starts out the way 2025 ended...mostly warm!

2025 is almost over and it’ll go down as, well, a near average year in the rainfall department. Despite December being the 7th driest December in history, we still finished only 0.05″ shy of our average yearly amount of rain. Of course, we would have LOVED to reach that mark, but three out of the last five years have been much drier than normal. Despite a late-year Arctic front pushing through just a few days ago, we’re set to start 2026 with a whole lot of warmth and not a lot of rain. At least, not yet.

Temperatures this morning are starting out a bit warmer than yesterday, but it’s still chilly! Out the door temperatures in the low-to-mid 30s will warm steadily into the mid-to-upper 60s late-day with highs both about 10° warmer than yesterday and 10° warmer than average. The sunny skies will return again early Thursday morning, but partial cloudiness is expected to arrive as breezy south winds return ahead of our next cold front. Temperatures in the upper 30s and lower 40s in the morning will reach the low-to-mid 70s late-day.

Our next cold front swings through during the day Friday and the specific timing of the front could help to boost our temperatures. Instead of a sharp wind shift as the front pushes in, it’ll be a more gradual shift from the south to the west and eventually to the north. Since the front is expected to push through later in the day, those west winds should boost highs into the upper 70s for some and lower 80s for most. There’s a chance we could contend with mid-80s for high temperatures, but we’re at an 81° high for now until we can pin down the timing of that front. 81° is just enough to set a new record high. Friday’s record is 80° set back in 2009. Two days into the year and we already have record warmth? Woo.

Because of how warm Friday will be and since the cold front has origins in the Pacific Ocean, highs Saturday will dip into the upper 60s and lower 70s only. Morning temperatures Sunday will dip as low as the lower 40s, but we’re warming right back up from there with mid-70s Monday and potentially another day of lower 80s Tuesday ahead of another cold front swinging through between Tuesday and Wednesday. The second cold front won’t have much of any moisture to tap into for rain, but it also won’t really push moisture out of the atmosphere. A third storm system could be on the way late next week into next weekend and that one should bring us at least a halfway decent chance for rain, but we’re still talking about a storm system a week and a half away. Specifics are sparse right now, but a word of caution! You may see a flurry (hah) of maps showing a big winter storm across the Southern Plains late next week into next weekend. Not only is it FAR too early to determine whether or not that’ll happen, it also doesn’t appear like there will be cold enough air for wintry weather shenanigans. Long-range forecast model data is suggesting another big drop in temperatures could be lurking in about two weeks time, but it’s anyone’s guess right now.

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