Rain could soon bring some relief from heat

The Rio Grande Valley could get some much needed rain beginning Sunday as a cool front makes its way to the area.

Although there won’t be much of drop in temperatures, the rain chances will increase to 40% Sunday and Sunday night and Monday and to 20%, according to AccuWeather. Rain chances of about 20% are expected to occur the rest of the week.

The high temperatures will be in the low 90s Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. They will increase to the mid 90s Wednesday.

The National Weather Service in Brownsville/Rio Grande Valley states, “High pressure overhead in the middle layers of the atmosphere will relinquish its hold on Deep South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley as the weekend arrives and progresses. The brief approach of a weak cold front from the north, followed by the approach and passage of a series of disturbances in the middle layers of the atmosphere, will generate mainly scattered showers and thunderstorms through much of the forecast period. Cooler high temperatures are also expected beginning on Monday.”

The NWS reports the last significant rain to fall in the RGV was April 25-26, which was described as a “one-off torrential rain event.”

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor, Cameron is County abnormally dry while Hidalgo and Starr counties are abnormally to moderately dry. Willacy County is also abnormally dry.

The dry conditions have prompted at least one Valley city to implement water restrictions.

The City of Los Fresnos this week activated its The Stage 2 Drought Contingency Plan,

Under the new restrictions, irrigation of landscaped areas with hose-end sprinklers or automated irrigation systems shall be limited between the hours of 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Residents on the southside of Ocean Boulevard or Highway 100 may water Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Residents on the northside of Ocean Boulevard may water Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

No landscape irrigation will be allowed on Sundays.