Still Hot — But Rain Chances Are Climbing

It stays hot, but storm chances are climbing — sea breeze storms today, a weak front into the Panhandle Wednesday with a landspout risk, and CPC now showing above-average rain chances out west next week. Your Texas Weather Roundup for Tuesday, September 8, 2026. STORM CHANCES TODAY Sea breeze storms this afternoon — a 50-50 shot along the upper Texas Gulf Coast, Southeast Texas and the Golden Triangle, with cloud-to-ground lightning, heavy rain and gusty winds. By mid-afternoon a few isolated storms could work west into the Brazos Valley, Central Texas and East Texas. Most stay dry. Isolated storms are also possible in the Borderland, far West Texas and the Trans-Pecos. WEDNESDAY — THE FRONT & A LANDSPOUT RISK A repeat of today in the east, with storms reaching farther west into the Hill Country. Lots of moisture in place and the heat dome shifts just far enough west to allow higher chances. Tomorrow could be a stormier day near the coast. A weak cool front moves into the Panhandle Wednesday afternoon and evening. As it slides south, isolated to scattered storms are possible near it across the Panhandle and West Texas — locally damaging wind gusts, heavy rain, lightning, and we can't rule out a landspout tornado. Landspouts are typically very weak but quite photogenic and usually very visible. FIRE DANGER Today: Moderate to High generally, with Low across the Borderland, far West Texas, the Big Bend and parts of Southeast and East Texas that got Edouard's rain. Wednesday drops to Low to Moderate statewide with High in North Texas. Thursday holds Low to Moderate — much better than 10 to 14 days ago. High does continue in deep South Texas. WHERE THE HEAT DOME GOES NEXT The heat dome shifts into the southwestern US over the next couple days, far enough west to give us weak northerly flow aloft. That's what lets the cold front move south Wednesday and Thursday, and with less sinking air over the eastern half, it's why we get sea breeze storms. No major pattern shift this week or early next. There are indications toward mid next week of just enough shift for a front trying to push into far northern Texas, but where that dome sets up determines everything and guidance keeps flipping. If it lands east of us, better rain chances here. LATE WEEK & WEEKEND Scattered storms continue Thursday into Friday across the Panhandle and West Texas, with a possible severe risk Thursday up there. Rain chances continue through the weekend across Southeast Texas, the upper Gulf Coast, the Golden Triangle and the Piney Woods. WPC is highlighting localized flooding Friday across Southeast Texas and the Golden Triangle — though a downpour today, tomorrow or Thursday can still drop a couple inches in a hurry. Through 7 AM Sunday, one to two inches regionally from the Victoria Crossroads northeast through Galveston, Houston and Beaumont, locally higher under the downpours. TEMPERATURES No sugarcoating it. Upper 90s to triple digits statewide, except Southeast Texas, the Golden Triangle and the Davis Mountains in the low to mid 90s. Outside Alpine, the humidity makes it feel just as obnoxious. Tonight, lows only into the 80s in Abilene, DFW, Austin, San Antonio and Houston. Everyone else in the 70s, a few 60s in the northwestern Panhandle and Big Bend. Wednesday runs 90s to triple digits, triple digits along I-35. Thursday the front reaches the Panhandle — 62 in Dalhart, 69 in Amarillo, low 90s for highs. Everyone else: 100 in DFW, Austin, Abilene, San Angelo and Wichita Falls, 105 in Zapata, 102 in McAllen, 89 in Beaumont, 96 in El Paso. Friday brings upper 80s to low 90s in Southeast Texas and the Golden Triangle. Everyone else, including the Panhandle, back to mid to upper 90s, triple digits Saturday. Don't expect a drastic cool-off from that front — a couple days in the low 90s instead of upper 90s, and storm chances to go with it. LONG RANGE CPC has above-average temperatures continuing across Texas through the second week of September. But here's a change of pace: CPC now shows above-average precipitation probabilities across the western half of Texas next week, thanks to that heat dome trying to shift toward the southeastern US and letting monsoonal moisture increase. Better than nothing. CHAPTERS 0:00 Heat Holds, Changes Coming 1:20 Storm Chances Today 2:29 Panhandle Front & Landspout Risk 3:01 Fire Danger This Week 3:51 Where the Heat Dome Goes Next 5:49 Late Week & Weekend Storms 8:00 Temperatures This Week 10:37 CPC Long Range: Rain Out West