The National Weather Service reported on Wednesday that a gusty cold front was expected to barrel through San Antonio on Thursday, getting March off to a very windy start.
The cold front will stir up winds by the end of the morning commute on Thursday. Gusty winds will subside around noon on Friday.
Sustained wind gusts of 20 mph or more can be expected during that stretch of time, and occasional wind gusts of 40 mph were possible, especially Thursday night.
The bad news is the front was expected to bring only a slight chance of rain. Forecasters said there was a chance of little more than an inch of precipitation east of San Antonio. If any rain falls on the city, it will be much less. The cold front will drop the daytime high temperature by 10 or 15 degrees.
The winds will also increase the risk of wildfires west and northwest of San Antonio. Residents in those areas were advised to avoid all activity that might spark a fire.
Forecasters also said more damaging weather could not be ruled out.
"There will be a primary risk of damaging straight line winds with any storms that do develop in our area," weather experts explained, "but there is also atornado risk with this event, andisolated largehail cannot be ruled out. A lot of details to work out on thetornado threat for our area."
The best chance for severe weather was expected to remain in the upper I-35 corridor or eastern Hill Country.
A long drought continues to linger for San Antonio. The U.S. Drought Monitor reported all of Bexar County remained in drought conditions, with the worst dry spots in north and northwest Bexar County.
The weather service reported just under two inches of rain has fallen on San Antonio International Airport since Jan. 1. The city is nearly two inches behind its average rainfall total so far this year. The city ended 2022 with a rainfall deficit of more than 20 inches.
The city’s residents remained under Stage 2 restrictions, meaning residents can only water their yards with automatic sprinklers once a week based on street address.
