CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — It's a popular question coming off of a long, hot summer in South Texas - "When is the first Fall cold front coming?" Cold fronts are one of those things where the 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' type of things. Meaning, a cold front may come, but is it cold enough for a particular person's taste? NOTE: There is no such thing as a 'cool' front 🙂
Instead of talking about when the first cold front moves through the Coastal Bend on average, let's look at when certain temperature thresholds are reached. I broke down when the temperature gets below 70, 65, 60, 55, and 50 degrees for the first time at any time of day (usually not afternoon highs). I further broke the data down to the historical averages dating back to the 1800s, the 30 year average (1991-2020), and last year (2021).
September is a month that usually brings the first post-Summer temperature reading below 70°. To me, that's notable because it often stays above 70° all Summer in Corpus Christi. For example, this year, it has not been below 70° at any time of day since May 26. On average, The middle of September brings a temperature reading below 70°, typically because of a less humid atmosphere, not necessarily a cold front. Hasn't happened yet in 2022.
By the end of September and into October, fronts get a little stronger and temperatures (usually overnight) will get into the middle to lower 60s. It doesn't mean that EVERY night will get there, these are just dates of when the first time a temperature reading is below a threshold happens.
By the middle to later parts of October/early November, temperatures may periodically get into the 50s or even 40s overnight. Colder air filters farther south as days get shorter and Earth's axial tilt points away from the sun in the Northern hemisphere during Winter, meaning less direct sunlight and for a shorter duration each day.
CURRENT FORECAST (SEPTEMBER 20) - A weak cold front will likely move through South Texas early next week (Sept 26/27). While it will not be a strong one, it may keep temperatures in the daytime below 90 and drop overnight lows into the 60s by the middle of next week. A step in the right direction if you're looking for relief from the Summer heat; at least for a short time. This will not be a cold front that brings out the jackets...not even close.
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