Texas weather whiplash: 55-degree temperature swing expected this week

Houston weather: Comfortable, sunny Wednesday ahead

We're experiencing some unseasonable warm weather as highs are expected to reach into the mid-80s for today. Luckily, rain chances are low over the next few days.

Parts of Texas will see a dramatic change in temperatures this week after baking in an early-spring heat wave this week.

The Setup:

A massive area of high pressure, called a heat dome, that has been parked over the western U.S. for a while now has caused longtime records to be broken in parts of the country.

In Texas, the heat dome has pushed temperatures some 30 degrees above average across much of the state. In the Panhandle, the heat has been more intense.

The expected position of the cold front as of 3 p.m. March 26, 2026, shows the contrast in temperatures.

The heat wave will rapidly come to an end thanks to a cold front diving out of Canada into the southern Plains. The result will be a shocking swing in temperatures in parts of the Lone Star State.

By the numbers:

In Amarillo, for example, temperatures will top out near 100 degrees by 3 p.m. Thursday. Those readings will rapidly fall behind the cold front and be in the low 40s by 7 a.m. Friday. That’s a swing of about 55 degrees in about 15 hours.

The wild temperature swing expected in Amarillo, Texas, is between March 26 and 27, 2026, is depicted in this graph.

In nearby Borger, temperatures will drop by nearly 60 degrees in the same timeframe – from 102 on Thursday afternoon to 45 by Friday morning.

While not as dramatic, Dallas will see high temperatures go from near 90 degrees Thursday to the mid-60s by Saturday.

The changes will be more muted in central and southern parts of Texas. Austin, for example, will see high temperatures go from 90 degrees Thursday to near 80 by Saturday. Houston temps will go from the mid-80s on Friday to the mid-70s on Saturday.

Dig deeper:

It’ll be breezy behind the front for just about everyone, however. Expect winds to gust to near 30 mph across northern stretches of the state, with winds being lighter across the central and southern regions.