Rainy July an unusual treat
Water pours off of the roof of the Llano County Sheriff’s Office during an unseasonal storm on July 22, 2024. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
An unseasonable summer cold front is bringing rain and cooler temperatures to the Highland Lakes throughout the week of July 22-28. The National Weather Service calls for widespread rain totals of 2-4 inches across Central Texas from Monday through Sunday, a forecast backed up by Lower Colorado River Authority meteorologist Bob Rose.
“An unusual July weather pattern is taking shape, with heat domes now situated across the western and southeastern U.S. and a rare cold front draped across Central and South Texas,” reads a July 19 weather report from Bob’s Blog. “This unusual pattern is forecast to strengthen and … to bring a week-long wet weather pattern to much of Texas.”
Heat domes were cooking the Highland Lakes this time last year. The region was in the throes of a brutal heatwave with 51 consecutive days of 100-plus degree highs starting on July 8, 2023.
This week’s forecast calls for highs in the mid- to high 80s and overnight temperatures as low as 70 in the Highland Lakes.
Some parts of Llano and Burnet counties have already seen multiple inches of rain.
As of Monday, LCRA rain gauges near Llano, Tow, and Kingsland recorded over 2 inches of precipitation in a 48-hour period. The rainfall has not been uniform, however, with gauges near Marble Falls, Spicewood, and Buchanan Dam recording less than one-half of an inch in the same timeframe.