textproduct: Austin/San Antonio

KEY MESSAGES

- Dry weather with above normal temperatures through the end of this week. A brief cooling trend follows into early next week.

- Elevated fire weather conditions Rio Grande plains and Hill Country through Friday; Elevated to near critical fire weather conditions for most of the region Saturday and Sunday.

SHORT TERM

(Tonight through Thursday night) Issued at 1205 PM CST Wed Feb 18 2026

Above normal temperatures will persist through the short term portion of the forecast as high temperatures peak in the 80s to near 90 degrees today and Thursday. Overnight lows will be in the mid 50s to mid 60s tonight, with lower 50s to lower 60s tomorrow night. The slightly lower temperatures Thursday night into Friday morning will be due to some drier air across portions of the Hill Country and southern Edwards Plateau region.

LONG TERM

(Friday through next Wednesday) Issued at 1205 PM CST Wed Feb 18 2026

Above normal temperatures continue into Saturday, but we will see the beginning of a cooling trend develop as a cold front pushes into the region very late Friday night into Saturday morning. Gusty north winds are anticipated behind the cold front across all areas on Saturday, with gusty conditions favored for areas near and east of I-35 on Sunday. Temperatures will ease back closer to climatological normals for Sunday into Monday with highs mainly in the 60s and overnight lows in the mid 30s to mid 40s.

Southerly winds return on Tuesday and will be gusty during the late morning and afternoon hours. Another dryline/Pacific front combination may move in on Wednesday. However, we have seen some disagreement among the 12Z operational models and prefer to keep the warming trend going as we head into the middle of next week.

AVIATION

(18Z TAFS) Issued at 1205 PM CST Wed Feb 18 2026

There are some MVFR level clouds in Austin and San Antonio areas. In San Antonio they have formed a ceiling. This should scatter out within the next hour. Then all terminals will be VFR through the afternoon and evening. Low clouds will return overnight to Austin and San Antonio. MVFR ceilings are most likely, but IFR is possible especially in San Antonio. There is a very low chance for LIFR conditions. Ceilings will last until late morning Thursday.

FIRE WEATHER

Issued at 1205 PM CST Wed Feb 18 2026

Minimum humidities drop to near 20% this afternoon across portions of the Rio Grande plains and Hill Country as a dryline lingers over the region. The dryline briefly surges back to the north and west tonight allowing for good to excellent humidity recovery. The dryline pushes eastward toward the I-35 corridor on Thursday, bringing some elevated fire weather conditions to the Rio Grande plains and Hill Country due to low humidity levels in the teens. Minimum humidity levels in the teens to near 20 percent are expected Friday afternoon over the southern Edwards Plateau and nearby Rio Grande plains. A cold front moves in from the west late Friday into early Saturday, bringing dry air and gusty north winds to all areas Saturday into Sunday.

PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS

Austin Camp Mabry 83 64 84 59 / 0 0 0 0 Austin Bergstrom Intl Airport 83 63 84 58 / 0 0 0 0 New Braunfels Muni Airport 82 61 84 59 / 0 0 0 0 Burnet Muni Airport 81 60 80 54 / 0 0 0 0 Del Rio Intl Airport 85 56 86 56 / 0 0 0 0 Georgetown Muni Airport 83 64 83 56 / 0 0 0 0 Hondo Muni Airport 83 59 86 58 / 0 0 0 0 San Marcos Muni Airport 83 62 85 59 / 0 0 0 0 La Grange - Fayette Regional 80 66 82 61 / 0 0 0 0 San Antonio Intl Airport 82 63 84 61 / 0 0 0 0 Stinson Muni Airport 82 63 86 61 / 0 0 0 0

EWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

None.