Christmas Day in Austin to be cold and windy. Look ahead at this week’s weather forecast

Residents of Austin and Central Texas can expect a week of sunshine. The mornings, however, will bring a significant windchill to make early mornings feel particularly cold, the weather service reports.

Looking a week out, New Year’s Day temperatures are expected to range from a high of 40 degrees to the low 60s.

More: 10 New Year’s Eve events in Austin to celebrate, ring in 2024

Meanwhile, the rains we experienced on Dec. 23 and Christmas Eve reached up to 1.1 inches at Camp Mabry, yet still not enough to replenish aquifers, with nearly 80% of the county still experiencing ‘extreme drought,’ according to the National Integrated Drought Information System. In the last 30 days, parts of Travis County have experienced less than 25% of the historical average for the area, compared to the same date range from 1991–2020. 

According to the United States Geological Survey, a sustained amount of soaking rain over several months would be needed to replenish an area’s groundwater. Meteorologists are hoping El Niño winter rains will recharge the desperately needed rain in the months to come.

Here’s the weather forecast for the week ahead:

Monday, Christmas day.

• High: 57
• Low: 43
• The early-morning windchill is forecast to reach 36 degrees, with a northerly wind, gusts up to 22 mph will make Christmas day a crisp, cold day.

Tuesday, the start of Kwanzaa, which runs through Jan. 1.

• High: 60
• Low: 37
• A chilly start to the day before it warms, blue skies, temperatures should reach 60 degrees by mid-afternoon

Wednesday, Dec. 27:

• High: 61
• Low: 39
• The windchill will make it feel like 34 degrees in the early morning, before the sun warms temperatures to a high of 61 by 2 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 28:

• High: 58
• Low: 38
• The windchill will make temperatures feel like freezing from 5 to 7 a.m., thanks to some northerly winds, which will reach up to 21 mph.

Friday, Dec. 29:

• High: 60
• Low: 35
• The windchill is expected to drop Friday morning to below freezing, via a combination of partial cloud cover and some mild wind. Rain chances will still be nearly nonexistent.

Saturday, Dec. 30:

• High: 61
• Low: 38
• Another early morning windchill should have temperatures hover just above freezing, and then warm up as the day progresses, with faintly cloudy skies.