Eric Berger

In brief: In today’s post we explain why Sunday was slightly less humid across the region, and offer two small reasons for hope about Houston’s weather. Unfortunately, in the main, we are looking at very hot and sunny weather.

You want some good news?

Look, I’ll be honest with you this morning. I always am. We are in the bleakest part of the year for weather in Houston, and sitting right under a pretty potent ridge of high pressure. In the depths of summer that means heat, that means humidity, and that means some seriously boring weather. If you want to check out of Space City Weather for the next several days I wouldn’t blame you. (But you’ll miss out on dad humor, probably).

Anyway I promised two pieces of good news. Perhaps they won’t measure up to your desperate need for good news early on a Monday morning in the middle of August, but it’s the best I can do.

1. Hallelujah, August is now more than half over. In two weeks and less than a day, this month will be finished and we can, at the very least, have some false hopes about fall being on the horizon.
2. Hurricane season in the Atlantic remains blessedly calm. There is literally nothing right now to be concerned about, and that seems unlikely to change in the near future.

Monday

You may have noticed some slightly drier air on Sunday. Dewpoints dropped into the low- to mid-60s in central and northern parts of the region, and this allowed for somewhat lower humidity. This was due to a couple of things. First of all the air 1 to 2 miles above our region was drier than normal. Then, during the afternoon hours we had efficient mixing between this air just above the surface, and our more humid air at the surface. As a result, the day was still blazing hot, but it wasn’t quite Houston humid. We also saw somewhat cooler night temperatures, with lows this morning in the mid-70s. The effect was modest, but noticeable.

A somewhat similar effect will be in play for the rest of this week, but to a lesser extent and for most of us any “lower” humidity won’t be quite as noticeable. Rather, we will see a hot and sunny pattern that just won’t quit. Highs on Monday will reach the upper 90s to 100 degrees for most of the region, except for areas near the coast. Winds will be light except for the afternoon and early evening, when they may gust up to 15 or 20 mph. Nighttime lows will drop into the upper 70s.

Tuesday through Friday

Rinse and repeat. Literally there is almost no change in the forecast: Sunny skies with highs in the vicinity of 100 degrees.

Saturday and Sunday

There is a slight chance of rain this weekend (think 10 or 20 percent) as we see a bit of weakness in the high pressure. But mostly we are going to remain hot and sunny.

Next week

Our hot (temperatures near 100 degrees) and sunny pattern continues, at least through the work week. Rain chances are near zero.

In brief: In today’s post we discuss the potential for some scattered showers on Friday, which will then give way to an extended period of hot and sunny weather that will persist through next week. At least.

A surge of moisture?

Houston remains more or less locked into a pattern of hot and sunny weather for the foreseeable future with one exception. On Friday we may see a burst of tropical moisture move inland from the Gulf, and this could bring some coastal showers into the region, especially for areas south of Interstate 10. Would I guarantee rain? No, I certainly would not. But with a very hot and dry pattern upcoming, it does represent a decent shot of precipitation before high pressure really asserts control.

Thursday

Expect hot and sunny conditions, with high temperatures in the mid-90s in Houston, with higher temperatures possible for inland areas, and weather a few degrees cooler near the coast. There is perhaps a 10 percent possibility of some showers briefly popping up. We will again see windy conditions this afternoon, with gusts picking up to 20 or 25 mph from the south. Lows tonight will only drop to about 80 degrees.

Friday

This is the day when conditions may align for some shower activity. If so we will likely see some precipitation develop offshore around sunrise, and then move inland into coastal areas during the morning hours. The questions are: How widespread will the showers be, and how far will they penetrate inland? And I’m not sure. My sense is that a few areas will see on the order of 0.5 inch of rain, and most of us less. With a few more clouds, highs on Friday may be 1 to 3 degrees cooler than Thursday, which isn’t saying much.

Saturday and Sunday

This weekend is going to be hot, sunny, and humid. Rain chances are likely 10 percent or less. Expect highs in the mid- to upper 90s across the region, with only the coast remaining slightly cooler.

Next week

I honestly don’t expect much to change next week. If anything our daily highs will tick up a degree or two higher. This kind of relentless pattern is why I wrote this post about August a couple of weeks ago.

The Atlantic tropics

Did you know a tropical storm formed on Wednesday? Cristobal developed briefly in the middle of nowhere in the Atlantic, and then it promptly weakened. Not an issue. There are also a couple of waves in the “main development region” of the Central Atlantic Ocean, but honestly neither of them looks bound for the Gulf. If you want the full details on all of this, be sure and check our sister site The Eyewall. But the bottom line for Texas is that things look good for at least the next 10 days, if not longer.

In brief: In today’s post we talk about the ongoing heat wave in Houston, which we expect to build this weekend and possibly intensify further during the first half of next week. Also, we ask for some help designing t-shirts for our annual fundraiser.

Annual fundraiser

Longtime readers will know that we hold our annual fundraiser in November. As part of that we sell merchandise and offer a couple of different t-shirt designs. They vary from year to year, playing off of our no-hype slogan, the region’s humidity, our fair city’s fertile mosquito population, or a recent hurricane. Anyway, we’d love to get readers involved this year. In the comments below, on social media, or via email, please send us your ideas for t-shirts. If they involve some graphic design elements, that’s no problem, since we’re going to get some help from Reliant on that. Should we choose your idea, I’ll be happy to send you a t-shirt of your design and size this winter. Thank you!

Wednesday and Thursday

These will be hot and sunny days, with high pressure more or less in place. Temperatures in central Houston will be in the mid- to upper 90s, with upper-90s likely for areas further inland, and highs a few degrees cooler closer to the coast. One difference from recent days is that afternoon winds will be a little more blow-y, perhaps gusting up to 20 or 25 mph from the south. As for rain chances, they are about 10 percent each day. Nights remain warm and sultry.

Friday

A similar day, in terms of temperatures to the previous two. However there does appear to be a bit of an increase in atmospheric moisture levels, which could lead to increased rain chances. We may, perhaps, see something like a 20 to 40 percent chance of showers. We’ll see.

Saturday and Sunday

The weekend looks hot and sunny, with most of the region likely to experience highs in the upper 90s. Rain chances fall back to 10 percent, or less. Emphasis on less. It will be good weather for the beach, the pool, or getting a sunburn if you’re not careful.

Next week

As high pressure continues to prevail, we are likely to see highs remain in the upper 90s. Temperatures could peak early next week. There may be some slight moderation in conditions toward the end of next week, or maybe not. August high pressure systems tend to be hard to break down over the southern United States.

Atlantic tropics

We continue to see signs of activity ramping up in the central Atlantic, as evidenced by the 7-day forecast predictions from the National Hurricane Center. Most of the long-range guidance, however, keeps this pretty far removed from the Gulf. So we have no concerns for at least the next 10 days, and probably beyond.

In brief: In today’s post we discuss building high pressure and its upward pressure on daily temperatures. Triple digits are likely for much of the region by the weekend. Also, we take a look at the Atlantic tropics, which are starting to come alive.

Here comes the heat

For some locations in Houston yesterday, the high temperature topped out in the 80s. With widespread showers during the daytime, temperatures even fell into the 70s during the afternoon or evening hours for some locations. It was all rather pleasant. Unfortunately, it also is going to be fleeting. Highs will climb back into at least the mid-90s today. And then, for at least the next week, we are going to generally see highs in the upper 90s to 100 degrees for all but areas near the coast. This comes courtesy of a ridge of high pressure which should peak over the weekend. This is a classic August high that will bring baking conditions outdoors. Steel thyselves.

Tuesday

Highs today will be in the mid- to upper-90s for most locations. As high pressure has not fully taken control I do think we’ll see a few isolated to scattered showers this afternoon, but overall chances today are probably 20 percent, or less, compared to yesterday’s 60 percent or higher. Skies will otherwise be mostly sunny with light southerly winds. Low temperatures tonight will only fall to around 80 degrees for most locations.

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday

Hot and sunny. Each day will have high temperatures in the vicinity of the upper 90s, with warm nights only dropping to around 80 degrees. For coastal areas you can expect highs a couple of degrees cooler, but nights a few degrees warmer as air temperatures are modified by the Gulf waters. Rain chances will be about 10 percent, daily.

Saturday and Sunday

Our daytime temperatures will take a step up this weekend, with fairly widespread chances to hit 100 degrees for inland areas of Houston. Locations a bit closer to the coast will probably stay just below the century mark. But bottom line, it’s going to be sunny, it’s going to be hot, and that’s just how things go in these parts during mid-August. This really is the dead of summer.

Next week

Not much appears to change next week, at least for the first few days. Is August over yet?

Atlantic tropics

After a very quiet period we are starting to see the tropics wake up. The good news is that there are no immediate threats to Texas, or the Gulf. However as we get to this time of the summer, the deep tropics tend to see an uptick in activity as tropical waves roll off the West Coast of Africa. And that’s what we’re seeing. The most prominent of these is an area of low pressure in the central Atlantic Ocean.

Various models have been suggesting this system will develop for awhile, and track toward the Caribbean Sea, or possibly turn to the northwest before doing so. Overall, background conditions are fairly hostile in the Atlantic, so I wouldn’t necessarily be counting on this system to become the Atlantic’s first hurricane. But we’ll keep an eye on things and alert you if there’s anything to be concerned about. For now, the answer is no.