Cold, wet weather for SXSW opening weekend

AUSTIN (KXAN) - A complex upper-level storm system will bring rain and thunderstorms to Central Texas for the next several days.

The storm is likely to dump 2 to 4 inches of rain on parts of the Austin metro area as South By Southwest comes to town. To make matters worse for festival-goers, the rain is following a strong cold front, expected to keep temperatures in the 40s through Saturday.

Gusty north winds will make for a raw, wet day on Friday. Temperatures will moderate some this weekend, but even more rain will fall.

The storm system is forecast to remain nearly stationary over New Mexico throughout the weekend, which will keep skies overcast, and result in periods of rain and some thunderstorms, possibly through Sunday.

It appears the heaviest rain will fall over East Texas, with forecasts of 5 inches of  rain north of Houston. In Central Texas, 1.5 to 2 inches of rain is forecast for the western Hill Country, with totals of 2 to 3 inches from the eastern Hill Country to western parts of Travis County. Austin, Williamson County, northeastern Hays County and counties east of IH-35 may receive 3 to 4 inches of rain by Sunday.

The storm system should move away from the state by Sunday afternoon, with dry, warmer weather following through midweek. The weather pattern will then become somewhat unsettled again, and some rain may return to the area late next week and into the weekend.