Forecast: Severe weather risks Monday and Tuesday

AUSTIN, Texas — Confidence is now high that there will be a mostly cloudy sky for a majority of Central Texas during the total solar eclipse. Low clouds and patchy fog/drizzle are ongoing Monday morning and, unfortunately, the low clouds will be pretty stubborn even into the afternoon. 

In some spots, there could be breaks in the clouds that give way to better viewing, especially in the Hill Country. But the majority of us are likely dealing with mostly cloudy conditions and only brief breaks in the clouds. 

After totality, our focus quickly turns to a severe storm risk between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Monday. The storms will be scattered, so not everyone will see stormy weather, but impacted areas could be severe with hail, wind or an isolated tornado. Most of Central Texas is under a “slight” – level 2 out of 5 – risk for strong storms Monday. 

Overall, there will be a much higher storm chance for Tuesday and Tuesday night. During this timeframe, there will likely be several rounds of rain and storms. The Storm Prediction Center recently increased most of Central Texas to an “enhanced” – level 3 out of 5 – risk for severe weather on Tuesday, with the rest of the area under a “slight” risk.

The last of the rain will move out by early Wednesday morning. The forecast then looks warm and completely dry through the weekend.