Expect cooler weather in Central Texas this weekend as temperatures dip. See forecast

It might be time to break out the light sweaters and jackets for the weekend ahead.

A brief period of drier, cooler weather, potentially indicating the beginnings of fall, is in sight for Austin and the rest of Central Texas, starting Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

After a flurry of triple-digit days in August, Austin will start to see a "big change" in temperatures, with daily lows in the lower to mid-60s as soon as Sunday morning, said Orlando Bermudez, a National Weather Service meteorologist. Apart from some cloudy skies on Friday, sunny skies are anticipated to prevail from Saturday to Monday, according to Bermudez.

An air mass from the north and clear overnight skies will lead to radiational cooling, ushering in the drier conditions and brisk overnight and morning temperatures, said weather service meteorologist Eric Platt. However, the change will be temporary, he said, as southern Gulf winds, which often bring moisture and better chances for rain, will return Tuesday, bringing some low chances for precipitation in Austin and the surrounding area.

These weekend low temperatures are below the seasonal norm, Bermudez said, which typically hover in the lower 70s. Austin has not seen the mercury drop below 70 degrees since May, records show.

Some sheltered areas in river valleys northwest of Austin and near the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport could see temperatures dip into the upper 50s, Platt said.

"It seems like in early to mid-September, we usually get some sort of a front that helps to cool us off temporarily," he said.

A two-week weather model does not show temperatures exceeding the mid-90s, Bermudez said, though triple-digit highs later on cannot be ruled out entirely. As of Wednesday, Austin had seen 30 triple-digit days this year, data show.

Friday

• High: 91
• Low: 74
• Mostly to partly cloudy skies, with some chances for rain, and wind gusts up to 25 mph.

Saturday

• High: 89
• Low: 73
• Sunny skies and a drop in humidity levels, and some wind gusts up to 25 mph.

Sunday

• High: 86
• Low: 64
• Humidity levels will begin to drop significantly, into the 30 percentile, by afternoon.

Monday

• High: 87
• Low: 61
• Mostly clear and humidity levels continuing to drop.

Tuesday

• High: 86
• Low: 64
• Partly cloudy skies and low chances of scattered, afternoon showers.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Expect cooler weather in Central Texas this weekend as temperatures dip. See forecast