Austin weather: Cold front brings chilly temperatures, gusty winds, and heavy rainfall

AUSTIN - A cold front sweeping across Central Texas brought chilly temperatures, gusty winds and heavy rainfall to the Austin area on Sunday, abruptly ending a stretch of unseasonably warm weather.

Austin weather today

The front pushed into the Austin metro area around 8 a.m., generating showers and isolated thunderstorms along its leading edge. While lightning was reported earlier near Junction and Mason, storms weakened as they moved east, leaving little to no threat of severe weather.

However, there is a low-end risk for localized flooding east of Interstate 35 as the system pushed toward the Gulf Coast, accompanied by wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph. Once the heaviest downpours moved out, misty, overcast conditions and off-and-on sprinkles were expected to linger into early Monday.

Early Sunday temperatures sat in the low 50s, including 52 degrees in downtown Austin, 53 in Mason, and 50 in both Rockdale and Lampasas. Highs are expected to remain stuck in the 50s throughout the day — a sharp drop from Friday's high of 80 degrees and well below the seasonal average high of 72.

Drier air from the north will lower humidity levels as the week begins, though chilly conditions are expected to persist before a gradual warming trend sets in:

• Monday: Morning lows in the 40s with afternoon highs remaining in the 50s — near the normal seasonal low of 51 degrees — alongside a 10% chance of early sprinkles before clearing by evening.
• Tuesday: Temperatures rebound into the 60s under drier skies.
• Late week: Highs are forecast to return to the 70s by Thursday as humidity increases and slim chances of rain re-enter the forecast.

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