SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

LIBERTY, October 14, 2009 - UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES TO PREVAIL AHEAD OF A STRONG COLD FRONT.

UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES AND HIGH HUMIDITY WILL PREVAIL TODAY AND AGAIN ON THURSDAY AHEAD OF A STRONG AUTUMN COLD FRONT. SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO WARM INTO THE LOWER AND MIDDLE 90S THIS AFTERNOON AND THURSDAY AFTERNOON. THE ONLY FACTOR LIMITING THE WARM UP WILL BE CLOUD COVER. DEW POINT TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN IN THE MID AND UPPER 70S SO HEAT INDEX VALUES WILL EXCEED 100 DEGREES DURING THE AFTERNOON. UNUSUALLY HIGH DEW POINT TEMPERATURES WILL ALSO LIMIT THE TEMPERATURE DROP OVERNIGHT. MINIMUM TEMPERATURES THIS MORNING ONLY FELL INTO THE UPPER 70S. LOW TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO DROP INTO THE UPPER 70S AGAIN BY THURSDAY MORNING.

HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORDS COULD BE THREATENED THIS AFTERNOON AND AGAIN THURSDAY AFTERNOON IF CLOUDS ERODE AND ALLOW MORE SUNSHINE TO AID IN HEATING.

A STRONG AUTUMN COLD FRONT WILL CROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS THURSDAY EVENING AND CROSS THE COASTAL WATERS THURSDAY NIGHT. LOW TEMPERATURES FRIDAY MORNING WILL BE 10 TO 15 DEGREES COOLER THAN THURSDAY MORNINGS LOW TEMPERATURES. EVEN COOLER TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED OVER THE WEEKEND WITH LOW TEMPERATURES POSSIBLY FALLING INTO THE UPPER 40S NORTH OF I-10 BY SUNDAY MORNING. NORTH TO NORTHEAST WINDS WILL INCREASE IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT. MARINERS SHOULD PREPARE FOR A WIND SHIFT THURSDAY NIGHT AND ALSO PREPARE FOR CONSIDERABLY STRONGER WINDS IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT.