Cameron County residents can kiss summer temperatures goodbye as the season’s first real cold front blows into the border region.
“It will really manifest overnight on Wednesday,” National Weather Service at Brownsville Warning Coordination Meteorologist Barry Goldsmith said. “The contrast between tomorrow afternoon and Wednesday afternoon will be stark.”
Today, there is a 40 percent chance of rain with afternoon highs ranging between 76 and 83 degrees, according to the NWS. By Wednesday afternoon, Goldsmith said Cameron County will experience a 30- to 40-degree difference in temperature.
“What they feel (Tuesday) will be summerlike and what they feel on Wednesday will be winter-like,” Goldsmith said.
By Wednesday, temperatures will range between 46 to 51 degrees and because of sustained winds of 17 to 18 mph, the air will feel like temperatures are between 38 and 43 degrees, Goldsmith explained.
Those sunny skies will disappear with the temperature drops and turn into gray overcast skies accompanied by light rain and drizzle, he said.
The cooler weather will stick around for at least two days, but could hang around longer. Goldsmith said if conditions are right, the cooler weather could stick around to Friday.
“There are signs, however, that the average to below average temperatures may last more than these three days, or two days,” Goldsmith said. “It may be a stretch that goes for seven to 14 days.”
And while it may seem like a significant drop in temperature for a region that is typically warm and sunny, the drastic change is not unprecedented.
Most recently, Goldsmith said the Valley experienced a similar dramatic temperature drop last year when on Dec. 7, 2016, it was 79 degrees and the following day temperatures dropped to 39 degrees with wind chill.
“This was in 2016,” Goldsmith explained. “That’s the type of thing we are talking about on Tuesday to Wednesday’s difference. … It can be shocking if people aren’t ready for it.”
He said Thursday has the potential of being the coldest day this week.
“It’s going to begin to feel a lot like Christmas, but there won’t be any snow,” Goldsmith said.
