Increased rain chances going into the weekend

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Rain chances across the Rio Grande Valley will increase as we head into the weekend.

We are not expecting an all-day washout, but we could have a few scattered showers and thunderstorms, especially in the afternoon.

The forecast will also bring slightly cooler temperatures for the weekend.

The combination of high pressure, an influx of moisture, and little disturbances, combined with the heating of the day and the sea breeze action, will all conspire to give us a good chance for scattered showers and possibly a strong thunderstorm or two.

This could include pockets of heavy rain, gusty winds, and frequent lightning.

Highs on Saturday and Sunday are expected to remain in the low to mid-90s instead of the 100-degree temperatures that we saw earlier this week.

The National Weather Prediction Center is forecasting most of our rain totals through Monday at one inch or less.

However, with the amount of moisture in place, some of our showers or thunderstorms could quickly drop an inch or more of rain in a very short period, which could lead to nuisance flooding in the usual low-lying areas that are prone to water ponds in heavy rains.

Our rain chances peak over the weekend, then decrease on Monday.

By Tuesday, we should have just enough moisture left in our atmosphere to give us a chance for an isolated shower or two with the sea breeze in the afternoons through the middle of next week.