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Big Chill To Depart North Texas Over The Weekend

BJ Austin
/
KERA News

Temperatures Thursday were 30 degrees cooler than the day before as the fifth in a series of strong cold fronts rolled through North Texas. 

Ted Ryan is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.  He says the cold fronts, four in April and the May 1st blast are the results of a quirky weather event called a ‘blocking upper pattern.’

“What that means is that there are upper level lows and upper level highs that are kind of stuck at various places around the continent," Ryan explains. "And when this happens, the winds in the mid and upper levels of the atmosphere tend to turn out of the north and they bring really cold air down a lot farther south than what they should.”  

The forecast called for record low temperatures across North Texas Friday morning, in the 35 to 38 degree range.  Ryan says the long range forecast indicates this will be the last really strong cold front this spring.   Weekend weather looks better.  Saturday's forecast calls for sunshine and a high near 72. 

Former KERA reporter BJ Austin spent more than 25 years in broadcast journalism, anchoring and reporting in Atlanta, New York, New Orleans and Dallas. Along the way, she covered Atlanta City Hall, the Georgia Legislature and the corruption trials of Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards.