It was not much rain, but for residents of South Texas and the Hill Country, Monday morning showers were a welcome sight after months of record heat and dry weather.
Andrew Quigley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in New Braunfels, said rainfall totals varied across Bexar County between early Monday morning and noon.
“Everybody seems to be in that general half to an inch-and-a-half range. There really isn’t any sort of specific bias geographically to that,” said Quigley after surveying rainfall totals.
The winner of Monday’s rainfall sweepstakes is the Brushy Creek area in Williamson County and the Elgin area in Bastrop County. Both locations around Austin received around 3.5 to 4 inches of rain. Eagle Pass on the border received a little more than 3 inches.
San Antonio began the day with an 18-inch rainfall deficit for the year, which can now be whittled down just a bit.
It was not enough rain to bring the region out of Stage 4 water restrictions declared by the Edwards Aquifer Authority. Under Stage 4, those with permits must reduce pumping from the aquifer, the region’s main source of water by 40%.
San Antonio residents can continue to follow Stage 2 restrictions since the San Antonio Water System has reduced pumping from the aquifer, as required by the authority, and switched to alternative water sources to meet demand.
Under Stage 2, residents can only use automated sprinklers on landscaping once a week based on street address.
The cold front will leave behind more seasonal temperatures this week. Highs will be in the upper 60s and lower 70s in San Antonio before a warming trend begins on Thursday.
Early morning lows will hit their lowest on Wednesday morning, dipping into the 40s. Some outlying areas and Hill Country towns could see temperatures drop into the upper 30s.
A record could be tied at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Wednesday morning. The forecast now calls for a low that morning of 42, which would tie the record set for the same date in 1975.