It is that time of year when Daylight Saving Time ends so we turn our clocks back one hour as we head to bed on Saturday night. The good news is we all get an extra hour of sleep! This is also a good time to check the batteries in your smoke detectors and weather radios.

So where did Daylight Savings come from? Well, the idea came about as a way to add more sunlight in the afternoons. This would then allow farmers more time in the fields to harvest their crops. It also allowed local businesses to stay open later and make more money. Another reason was to save energy costs since you would not have to run lights but modern energy techniques have countered that. Recent studies suggest there really is not a good reason why we change our clocks. It has become more a nuisance than anything. I personally like the longer days in the summer and shorter days in the winter. However, going home in the dark after work takes a while to get used to. — First Alert 25 Meteorologist Conley Isom

Cold front by Thursday morning

It looks like everything is coming together for a storms Thursday morning with the approach of our next storm system and cold front. A line of storms is expected to develop after midnight to our northwest. This line will be tracking eastward across Central Texas. We are currently under a slight risk for severe weather with about a 30% chance that we will have severe weather. The main threats will be winds over 60 mph, large hail, and an isolated tornado cannot be rule out. The winds are going to create a lot of turning or spinning in the atmosphere so if a storm can develop ahead of the line, it will likely rotate. This storm system is very dynamic and strong so be ready for a stormy Thursday morning. Don’t forget you can always get the latest severe weather on our 24/7 weather channel, the only one in Central Texas. It is on digital channel 25.3 or Time Warner Cable Channel 11.

Flash Flood Watch

One more severe weather threat will be the chance for flash flooding. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, we now have a Flash Flood Watch in effect for most of the area until 7 PM Thursday. The only areas not under the watch are our extreme western counties including San Saba, Lampasas, Mills, and Hamiliton. Heavy rain will be likely with the line of storms and since we have already seen lots of rain on Monday and all month, it will not take much to cause more flooding problems. Local creeks and rivers are also going to be in trouble since they are already have high levels. For the month of October, the airport in Waco has had 9.68″ of rain, making it the third wettest October on record. We only need 0.84″ more to become the wettest October in history. Now that is a lot of rain! We needed the rain to get out of the drought but now we are dealing with too much. So goes Texas weather. — First Alert 25 Meteorologist Conley Isom

Slight Risk from SPC

We are tracking our next storm system and cold front that will move into Central Texas overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning. Most of the area is currently under a slight risk for severe weather from the Severe Prediction Center. We will likely see storms develop west of the DFW area late Wednesday night with a squall line developing after midnight. That line of storms will move into the I-35 corridor by Thursday morning. The main severe weather threats look to be large hail, gusty winds, and flash flooding. We cannot rule out an isolated tornado if any storms form ahead of the main line. The rain may also lead to flooding, especially in creeks and rivers that are already way up due to the rain on Monday. A Flash Flood Watch will likely be issued sometime on Wednesday.

Big snow storm for Denver

Temperatures will also take a nose dive but there is a question of how cold it will get. The computer models have been jumping back and forth on warm and cold. I am going to lean more towards colder since that has been the trend with our cold fronts. One thing to point out is the fact this system will drip 8-12 inches of snow in Denver and in the Rocky Mountains. So there is cold air associated with this system but we just don’t know how far south that cold air will go. Bottom line…get ready for more rain and cold weather by the end of the week. — First Alert 25 Meteorologist Conley Isom

Rain Vision radar estimated rainfall totals.

As we expected, we saw a lot of rain across Central Texas on Monday which did lead to some flooding. The heaviest rain fell south of San Saba, in parts of Hill and Bosque counties, and around Mexia towards Fairfield. These areas saw over 3 inches of rain, while everyone else averaged 1-3 inches. Areas that typically flood did and our local creeks and rivers are very full as they take in the run off. If you have photos of flooding in your neighborhood, you can email them to us at weatherpics@kxxv.com.

We do get a brief break from the rain on Tuesday but our next storm system will be quickly approaching by Wednesday. Right now computer models show the next cold front arriving Thursday with more storms and heavy rain possible. The Severe Prediction Center already has us under a slight risk for severe weather. The main threat will likely be flash flooding again, since we have already seen a lot of rain. Looks like October will go down as one the wettest months this year. — First Alert 25 Meteorologist Conley Isom

Heavy Rain Possible Monday

Mother nature has good timing with this fall weather. The weekends have been great and the rainy, cold weather has occurred during the week. This cycle will continue this week with not one, but two cold fronts that will move through Central Texas. The first cold front arrives on Monday morning with storms likely. We are not anticipating severe weather but some of the storms could be heavy, with rainfall totals of several inches possible. As the graphic above shows, some models are depicting 2-4 inches across parts of the area. This could lead to more flooding, especially our creeks and rivers that cannot take much more water. It will also turn chilly again with temperatures falling behind the front, and down into the 40s by Tuesday morning.

Cold front number two arrives Thursday but the computer models are having a hard time with the forecast. We will be fine tuning the forecast over the next several days so stay tuned for more updates. — First Alert 25 Meteorologist Conley Isom

I know this is more sports related but I wanted to share this with everyone. Friday was the Providence golf tournament out at Twin Rivers in Waco. The weather was really cold in the morning but it was a perfect day for golf. Our own news anchor, Bruce Gietzen, had the chance to sink a 60 foot putt for 10,000 dollars. You read that right! 10K for making a putt on the practice putting green. The putt was uphill with not much break. Below is the video of his attempt.

Talk about heart breaking! I get sick every time I watch it. To think, he was less than inch away from $10,000. Bruce took all in stride but will never forget how close he was to all that money! — First Alert 25 Meteorologist Conley Isom

Riverside Trail in Temple

As you can see from the picture, we did have numerous roads that were flooded during this past rain event. Most of them were in the southern and western counties where rainfall totals were over 4-6 inches. Remember that anytime it floods, do not cross roads with water running over them. Turn around, don’t drown. Flash flooding kills more people every year than any other type of severe weather. It is crazy to think we were dealing with a major drought over the summer and now we are above average on rain for the year. The bad news is that it will only get wetter over the winter as we settle into this weak, El Nino pattern. In return, the above average rain will likely keep our temperatures below average as well. Get ready for a crazy winter season! — First Alert Meteorologist Conley Isom

Heavy rain possible overnight

A Flash Flood Watch remains in effect for most of Central Texas until 6 AM Thursday. We have already seen some rain Wednesday morning but the heaviest activity won’t move in until late tonight and into the morning. This is when the potential for flooding will be the highest. The main reason for the threat of flooding will be the combination of heavy downpours and all the rain we have seen in the past few weeks. A lot of creeks and rivers, like the Trinity River, are already close to flood stage. So it will not take much rain to cause rivers and creeks to rise. Remember to be careful when driving in rainy weather. If a road has water running over it, turn around, don’t drown. Flooding is even more dangerous at night. The rain should taper off by Thursday morning as a cold front sweeps through and then it turns chilly again, just in time for the weekend.

One quick note about the extended forecast, beyond the 7 day forecast. Computer models have been hinting at a very strong cold front moving through before Halloween, around the 30th of October. One computer model run from today shows the potential for freezing temperatures and ice/snow across parts of Texas. Way too early to say what will happen but just wanted to point out the trend and that we are tracking it closely. I am sure the models will change a lot between now and then. — First Alert 25 Meteorologist Conley Isom

Orionid Meteor Shower

If you happen to be up early this morning before sunrise and stepped outside, you might of seen several shooting stars. This is what our General Sales Manager, Jeff Armstrong saw on his morning run. This annual meteor shower is caused by debris left from Haley’s comet long ago. As the Earth moves through this debris clouds, particles are vaporized in the atmosphere, leading to shooting stars. The peak for this meteor shower is early Wednesday morning from 1AM to dawn. Of course, the best place to see the event is away from city lights in the country. Now here is the bad news. We will likely see cloudy conditions develop overnight so we will likely not see much. However, you might see a few shooting stars if we have breaks in the cloud cover. If you miss it this year, do not worry. This happens every year so we can hope for better weather then. — First Alert 25 Meteorologist Conley Isom

Changes by Midweek

After a nice weekend across Central Texas, we are tracking a cold front that will move into the area on Wednesday. We are also tracking Hurricane Rick, which continues to weaken as it pushes towards the west coast of Mexico. Moisture from Rick will combine with the cold front and provide us with a good chance for heavy rain. Not anticipating any severe weather but there could be a few thunderstorms mixed in. Rainfall totals could average an inch or two with heavier amounts across south Texas. Temperatures will warm to near 80 degrees ahead of the front, but will nose dive on Thursday as gusty north winds blow in. Good news is that it looks like the rain and clouds will clear out for the weekend, but it will remain cool, especially in the mornings.

Also, you may have noticed our weather section on www.kxxv.com has changed. We have upgraded our content and hopefully it will make it easier to find things. Let us know what you think and what you would like to see added. — First Alert 25 Meteorologist Conley Isom