The National Weather Service reports an Arctic cold front will push into San Antonio to begin 2022 and bring the first freeze of the season.
2021 is ending on a unseasonably warm streak in the Alamo City, where Christmas weekend highs pushed records.
A sharp cold front will push north to south through the Hill Country. Residents there will wake up to sub-freezing temperatures by daybreak Sunday morning.
Clear skies and light winds will prevail Sunday into Monday morning, which will allow for radiational cooling before sunrise Monday morning.
San Antonio, Austin and areas to the south and east are expected to see their first freeze of the season before sun up on Monday. Residents should cover or bring in tender plants around their homes, and outdoor pipes should be wrapped for protection against the freeze and for the ones ahead this winter. Accommodations should also be made for pets.
Gusty winds up to 25 or 30 mph are expected at times from New Year's Day to late Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, the cold front will not trigger any major showers, which the San Antonio area could use. December rainfall totals are more than an inch below normal totals for the month and the Edwards Aquifer Authority reports the water level in the aquifer is just 4 feet about the mark where Stage One water restrictions are triggered if it sits there for 10 days.
San Antonio will end 2021 about 2 inches above its annual rainfall average with nearly 35 inches of rain for the year.
What's left of the cold front should leave the area by Tuesday morning, allowing southerly winds and warmer temperatures to return.
Weather a chamber of commerce would be proud of is forecast in San Antonio on Tuesday with a high in the upper 60s under a mostly sunny sky and little to no wind.
