Texas' cold plunge

A strong but brief cold front pushed through Texas on Wednesday. Another cold front is on the way to end the week.

The passage of a cold front produced gusty winds above 30 mph at times across much of Texas on Wednesday, and a line of storms also moved through, exiting the Lone Star State through the Houston area by the afternoon. The skies quickly cleared, allowing the temperatures to plunge overnight.

There was a 20-degree difference between Wednesday and Thursday morning in North and Central Texas. Parts of the valleys in the Austin region had light freezes as temperatures dropped to the low to mid-30s overnight. Thursday afternoon will warm up nicely across the west as the winds will be coming from the south, while the east portion of Texas will remain near-average temperatures.

Friday morning will continue to be cold. Another cold front will push through Friday afternoon, bringing another cooldown for the east, reinforcing the near-freezing temperatures from the DFW area through Austin and in the upper 30s to Houston and its surroundings. There is a warming trend for the weekend as high pressure shifts the winds, ramping the afternoons into the 70s for most of Texas, except for the panhandle, where they will be in the 50s.