Heat and repeat

The end of last week in Abilene didn’t promise many changes. A slow, slow moving boundary was sinking towards the Lone Star State, but ultimately, no changes were ever seen in Abilene. Like, none. It was 101 for a high, 80 for a low on each day of our verification, with nary a drop of rain. The Weather Channel and WeatherNation secured a tie for the verification.
Actuals: Thursday – High 101, Low 80
Friday – High 101, Low 80

Grade: A-B

Abilene, Texas

Abilene is the first big town you see west of Fort Worth in Texas. The entire state is so big, though, it is a regional hub all by itself out there in the Plains.

At 752AM, CT, Abilene was reporting fair skies with a temperature of 82. West Texas and much of the southern Plains were south of a mostly stationary boundary along the Kansas-Oklahoma border, and it promised to get well into the triple digits south of this boundary. Heat advisories were in place for the area.
Little change is anticipated for the region. The boundary has sagged south through the last couple of days, and a wave moving through the Canadian Prairies will push it even further south. The dry line will become more entrenched in eastern New Mexico, and a few clouds and increased humidity in Abilene may bring temperatures down out of the triple digit range, but if then, not by much.
Tomorrow – Partly cloudy and hot, High 100, Low 77
Friday – Partly cloudy, more humid, High 98, low 78

TWC: Tomorrow – Mostly sunny skies High 101, Low 79
Friday – Sunny, along with a few afternoon clouds. High 99, Low 79

AW: Tomorrow – Mostly sunny and very warm High 101, Low 79
Friday – Mostly sunny and very warm High 98, Low 79

NWS: Tomorrow – Sunny and hot, High 101, Low 79
Friday – A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Sunny and hot, High 99, Low 80

WB: Tomorrow – Sunny, High 100, Low 81
Friday – Sunny. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon, High 97, Low 81

WN: Tomorrow – Mostly sunny, High 101, Low 79
Friday – Mostly sunny, High 100, Low 78

FIO: Tomorrow – Clear throughout the day. High 100, Low 77
Friday – Humid throughout the day. High 100, Low 78

Hot, hot hot. But for the most part, everyone agrees it will “cool down” a bit on Friday. Make sure the sweaters are nearby.

Yuba City, California to Abilene, Texas

Hi! Happy Saturday! We are heading into what is usually one of the busiest travel times of the year. This year will obviously be a little bit different, but the weather will still carry on, so let’s drop this three day forecast for the southwestern part of the country. Our drive will cover 1,606 mile at a pace of 67.6mph, which will indicate a pace of 541 miles on those first two days, and a shorter day on Tuesday. Let’s hit the old dusty trail.

DAY ONE (Sunday)

Yuba City, California

There is a bit of a system moving into the west coast this weekend, but in the part of the coast that you would expect it, not the Mojave desert or San Joaquin Valley. In fact, a thermal ridge suggesting pretty warm temperatures will be in place as we drive through the Golden State. We won’t make it out, stopping at the dusty oasis of Ludlow.

DAY TWO (Monday)
Low pressure dives in from the Pacific Northwest to the central Rockies on Monday, and by the end of the day, may start causing some issues in the higher terrain. We will drive from Ludlow through Arizona without any concerns, buy in the last couple of moments, some rain and elevation snow may be possible in New Mexico. We will still remain mostly dry, stopping for the night in Mesita, west of Albuquerque.

DAY THREE (Tuesday)
The low in the center of the country will deepen fairly quickly as it descends into the Plains. Not a lot of wet weather will move into eastern New Mexico and west Texas, but a healthy rush of cold air will run into the region. There will be a few storms ahead of us, but they will be out of Abilene before we get there. Bundle up, furnaces aren’t as efficient in this part of the world.

Abilene, Texas By Atownbman – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74638447