There may not be any snow on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but there will be some chilly temperatures.
The National Weather Service in Brownsville reports a cold front is forecasted to push through the Rio Grande Valley on Christmas Eve with evening temperatures dropping down to between 47 to 52 degrees, and then dropping between 38 to 45 degrees at midnight.
“This sets the stage for ‘Jack Frost nipping at your nose’ Christmas Eve night, with temperatures bottoming out near or just below 32 degrees across many rural areas early Christmas morning,” the NWS stated on its website.
Blustery conditions are forecasted for Christmas Eve and the combination of winds and dry conditions will lead to near-critical fire weather conditions.
The temperatures on Christmas morning will be between 31 to 38 degrees and warming up in the afternoon to upper 60s and low 70s.
The NWS reports there’s a chance of a light freeze in an area north of Harlingen through northern Hidalgo and most of Starr County. This could occur between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. Christmas morning. In addition, the area could experience colder pockets that could drop to 27 or 28 degrees.
Additional minor “freeze curing” on open fields is possible, said Barry Goldsmith, NWS’s warning coordination meteorologist in an email. “There’s also potential for minor fruit damage due to evaporative cooling (also known as “wet-bulbing”) where slightly above freezing temperatures can combine with below freezing “wet bulb” temperatures to cause issues. “
Goldsmith said if people have any doubts, they should protect tender vegetation Thursday evening
Temperatures on Wednesday will be in the 80s prior to the cold front’s arrival.
