Warm And Dry This Weekend, Rain Chances To Begin Workweek – KCBD

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Spring returns to the South Plains this weekend with dry, sunny conditions and afternoon highs in the 70s.

A cool start to your Saturday but plenty of warmth this afternoon as temps climb into the 70s across the South Plains. Winds will be relatively calm today with a breeze from the southwest around 10-15 mph. We will stay dry and sunny all day.

A rather mild night overnight with a continued breeze from the southwest and clear skies, lows in the upper 30s to mid-40s.

Changes begin to take place Sunday as our next system approaches the area. This low pressure system will bring us the chance for rain Monday but Sunday it will be a wind machine. Expect sustained winds from the south 20-30 mph with wind gusts upwards of 50 mph possible. Blowing dust, reduced visibilities, and high fire danger are all factors on Sunday. Temperature-wise, though, Sunday will be even warmer with highs in the upper 70s for most of the area with some lower 80s possible. Mostly sunny and dry Sunday. NO BURN DAY SUNDAY!!

Rain chances begin late Sunday night into early Monday morning with rain showers off and on throughout the day. Widespread rain looks possible right now with some areas of heavier rain possible, and the chance for a thunderstorm or two. Winds will remain strong throughout the day Monday and continuing to be breezy/windy all the way through Wednesday. This system will also send a cold front through the area leaving us cooler for most of the workweek, but a rebound in temps looks likely just in time for the weekend. Beyond this rain chance, rain looks to be hard to come by next week.

Drought update

Our latest drought monitor update shows an increase in extreme (D3) drought for most of the South Plains including a good portion of Lubbock county. We have also seen a recent addition of exceptional (D4) drought in the southern and eastern portion of the KCBD viewing area. A lack of any measurable rainfall for most of winter has only worsened our drought conditions and unfortunately our rain outlook for the next month looks to be dry/below average, per the Climate Prediction Center.

First day of Spring

Spring Equinox, or the official start of Spring, is this Sunday at 10:33 am CST for the northern hemisphere. This is the exact time when the sun is directly shining on the equator, creating equal day and night. Our days will get longer (more daily sunlight) from here until next fall.

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