Freezing Temps Returning To Austin Area

AUSTIN, TX — If you thought it was chilly during the day in Austin on Monday, you may want to brace for the cold come nightfall when it's expected to dip just above freezing.

Temperatures hovered in the low 50s for most of the day on Monday — a reinvigorating nippiness that some accustomed to the Texas temperate digits find downright chilly. If you're among those finding frigidity amid such climate, you may want to stay in tonight as the low temperature is expected to dip to a low of 33 degrees.

Making matters worse for the cold-vulnerable are wind gusts being forecast that could reach up to 20 miles per hour. This comes after a weekend that saw a high temp of around 80 degrees. If our math is correct, that's just short of a 50-degree differential.

It'll be pretty much a repeat on Tuesday — but slightly colder still. While it will be sunny during the day with a high near 53 degrees, the low temperature come nightfall is expected to drop to 31 degrees. Those pesky wind gusts will linger at around 15 miles per hour during the day, making it feel that much colder.

Brace yourself: With the wind chill factor taken into account, it will feel like 27 degrees during the early morning hours. Sorry.

Those who hate the cold are in for more misery given low temperatures for the rest of the work week before a warming trend mercifully arrives by the weekend. Here's the rundown, according to National Weather Service forecasters:

• Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 58. West northwest wind around 5 miles per hour becoming calm in the morning.
• Wednesday night: Clear, with a low around 32. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 miles per hour.
• Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 59. Light and variable wind becoming south southeast 5 to 10 miles per hour in the afternoon.
• Thursday night: A 20 percent chance of showers after 7 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. Southeast wind around 5 miles per hour.
• Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 66. Southeast wind around 5 miles per hour becoming northwest in the afternoon.
• Friday night: A 20 percent chance of showers before 7 p.m. Mostly clear, with a low around 41. North wind around 5 miles per hour.
• Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 67.
• Saturday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 41.
• Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 70.
• Sunday night: Clear, with a low around 43.