In brief: Another nice day awaits Houston before we slip into a more unsettled pattern this weekend. Rain chances look highest on Sunday right now, lingering into early next week. Temperatures will remain mild but not super warm.

The weather since yesterday can best be summed up by good ole Nicholas Cage.

There are few things better than that absolutely refreshing mid-autumn weather. So what’s next?

Today

Look for another sunny day across the region. Some high clouds may come streaming into the area later in the day, but it should be delightful. Highs will be in the low 80s with continued low humidity.

Friday

We’ll close the week out with a mix of clouds and sun. I suppose a shower can’t be ruled out near Matagorda Bay, but for the most part, the region should be dry. Humidity will be up just a little, perhaps not enough to be noticeable, and we’ll likely see highs in the upper 70s to near 80, after a slightly warmer morning.

The weekend

I don’t ever verify a forecast with a forecast, however I want to give Eric credit here. He texted me yesterday and said “AI models bullish on rain this weekend.” Well, that seems to have now extended into other modeling as well.

Just to go on a side tangent here: This is how we use AI modeling in meteorology. It compliments but doesn’t replace the physical modeling, and in some cases it does give us an extra 12 to 24 hours notice on a forecast change or allows us to modify a forecast in some capacity. Also, the “AI” in AI weather modeling isn’t like ChatGPT or Claude or whatever. It’s machine learning: Train a model based on years of history and let it learn physics. Then it can run light years faster and with lower computational intensity than physical modeling requires. Unlike a lot of other AI, it’s actually kind of a cheaper alternative to the physical modeling. Anyway, we use those models here at Space City Weather, and we continue to track improvements and research in the field to make sure we’re consistently using not just the shiniest new toys but the ones that add value.

So, rain you say? I think Saturday is a decent bet right now for a dry day. We’ll start the day off mild, with lows in the upper 50s to maybe 60ish. Expect a good bit of cloud cover and perhaps some sunny breaks. Interestingly, our winds will be out of the northeast on Saturday, which will probably help hold temps down in the mid to upper 70s for highs. Showers are a good possibility later in the day well south of Houston, toward Matagorda Bay and maybe Brazoria County.

Sunday is more interesting, with rain chances expanding into the Houston area, as well as the potential for locally heavy downpours or some thunderstorms south of Houston.

Sunday has washout potential south of Houston. In the city and point north, right now at least, it just looks like passing showers or lighter rain, along with clouds. I will note that there’s still a good bit of uncertainty in this forecast, especially for how much rain may fall south of Houston, so let’s revisit this tomorrow. Temps should be cool on Sunday with highs in the upper 60s.

Early next week

The weekend rain is courtesy of an upper low that will linger over Texas for a couple more days. We may see more rain shower chances continuing Monday and Tuesday. Neither day should be a washout, but there should be at least a little rain and some clouds around. Some cooler air should get dragged into the area as well, leading to lows in the lower 50s, a few upper 40s, and highs in the low 70s or even upper 60s if clouds are persistent.

Later next week

We’ll probably get a couple nicer days for the middle of the week before another chance of rain toward the weekend. Temps should rebound into the mid to upper 70s with lows in the 50s.

In brief: Houston is enjoying significantly cooler temperatures this morning, in the 50s, with lower humidity. November-like weather should now persist for awhile across the region. The biggest forecast question is whether the atmosphere will line up to support rain showers this weekend, or not.

A sustained pattern change

A cold front arrived on Tuesday, on schedule, bringing much needed rainfall to the Houston region. Not everyone benefitted, but a solid chunk of our area picked up at least 0.5 inch, and some locations received 1 inch or more. Our region’s drought is not over, but these rains (and maybe more in the coming days) should tide us over until the winter, when El Niño should bring us a wetter pattern overall.

In terms of temperatures, Tuesday felt incredibly muggy on Tuesday, and we hit 88 degrees. It tied a record high for this date, so yeah, it was incredibly sultry for early November. This was due in part to a fair amount of sunshine, but also a feature known as compressional heating. Effectively, the front compressed and heated the air ahead of it as it advanced upon Houston.

But now, it’s gone. We may get back close to 80 degrees for highs on Thursday and Friday of this week, but for the most part I expect our highs to be in the 70s, and lows in the 50s through next week. Super nice!

Prediction context

Now that we’re getting deeper into fall and closer to winter, I wanted to provide an update on a prediction contest we announced way back in March. We were having our last really cold night of the season (the temperature hit 33 degrees in Houston) then and I asked you to predict when we might get that cold again. We haven’t gotten close yet to 33 degrees, and I don’t see any likelihood of it for the next two weeks. But I did want you to know I haven’t forgotten about this, and we’ll be keeping a close eye on things!

Wednesday

Today will be gorgeous in Houston. No notes. Expect highs in the mid-70s, sunny skies, and low humidity. Lows tonight will drop into the 50s.

Thursday and Friday

The onshore flow resumes early Thursday, and this will allow temperatures to push into the upper 70s on Thursday, with a little bit more humidity. Skies will be mostly sunny. Another front will push through on Thursday night, and there is a slight chance of rain with this as it moves into Houston (but probably not, as there just isn’t that much moisture to work with). We should see modestly drier air on Friday, with highs in the upper 70s, and lows Friday night around 60 degrees in Houston, with cooler conditions for outlying areas.

Saturday and Sunday

Humidity levels will continue to fall this weekend, but I’m still having some trouble pinpointing down the forecast. Temperature-wise, I’m pretty confident in highs in the lower 70s on Saturday, with overnight lows falling into the 50s on Sunday morning. By Sunday we should max out in the 60s for high temperatures.

The thing I’m struggling with is rain chances due to the potential for a low pressure system in the atmosphere to pass nearby. A lot of the modeling keeps it pretty far away, but some of the AI guidance brings it closer to southeast Texas. For now I’m going to go with a 10 percent chance of rain on Saturday, and 40 percent chance on Sunday, but we could just as easily see a couple of partly sunny days with no rain this weekend, or more widespread showers on Sunday. Matt will be along with posts on Thursday and Friday to hopefully sort this out.

Next week

I think Sunday and Monday nights will see some of our coldest temperatures of the season so far, with much of Houston falling down near 50 degrees, and areas further inland likely getting into the 40s. After this we should see a slow warming trend next week, but will likely remain in the 70s/50s pattern through Thursday or Friday, at least. There’s also the possibility that rain chances start to improve later next week, but I am making zero promises there.

In brief: In today’s post we discuss a shift from very warm temperatures this morning to something decidedly nicer over the next 10 days. Also, it’s probably going to rain today. How disruptive will that be for Election Day voters?

Another bold prediction

The temperature this morning is absurdly warm for early November. As of 6 am, the air temperature at Bush Intercontinental Airport has only fallen to 74 degrees, which is just a single degree off of Houston’s all-time record for highest minimum temperature on this date, set just two years ago. With dewpoints nearly matching air temperatures, it is just super sticky outside.

A little more than two weeks ago I made a bold prediction, that Houston was done with 90-degree days in 2026. And I was correct. Even though we got close the last couple of days, with 88-degree readings at Bush Intercontinental Airport, we haven’t gotten back into the 90s. And after today, with a robust cold front that is the first of several on the way, we assuredly won’t.

And so I am going to press my luck a little bit with a second prognostication. This prediction is actually a little riskier, but I am going to say that this morning is Houston’s final morning in the 70s for the rest of the year. That is, every night will be in the 60s or lower for the remainder of 2026. This prediction is far from a guarantee, to be clear. But I don’t see any really “warm” nights in the next 10 days, and we really do seem to be entering a fall-like pattern that is going to hang around.

Tuesday

So it’s a big day in Houston. We’ve got a nice cold front blowing in, and it’s Election Day. Will it be safe to go to the polls? Mostly, it should be just fine. As of this morning we have some showers and thunderstorms developing well northwest of our area, over the Brazos Valley. These storms should move into Harris and Montgomery counties around noon-ish, and the peak time for showers and thunderstorms looks to be from 1 to 3 pm today, or during the early afternoon hours. (In some locations the rain may get intense for a little bit during the early-to-mid afternoon hours). Drier air will move in during the late afternoon and evening hours, and this should end the threat of rain. Most locations will pick up 0.5 inch of rain or less, but a few bullseyes could quickly receive 1 to 2 inches today. I don’t expect too much severity in the way of damaging winds.

As for temperatures, I expect much of Houston to warm into the low-to-mid 80s today, with temperatures at about 70 degrees by sunset, and lows in the 50s by Wednesday morning.

Wednesday

It’s gonna be a beauty: This will be a sunny day with highs in the 70s, and moderate northerly winds in the vicinity of 5 to 10 mph. Lows on Wednesday night will fall to around 60 degrees in Houston, with cooler conditions for outlying areas.

Thursday

The onshore flow resumes later on Wednesday, and this should allow for highs to push back up to around 80 degrees on Thursday, with partly to mostly cloudy skies, and a bit more humidity. There is also a decent chance of rain on Thursday or Thursday night, with lows likely in the mid-60s.

Friday

With the arrival of another front we should see mostly sunny skies on Friday with highs in the 70s. Lows on Friday night should drop into the upper 50s in Houston, with cooler conditions for outlying areas.

Saturday and Sunday

There is a chance of some light to moderate rain on Saturday or Saturday evening due to a somewhat unsettled pattern overhead. The details of this are yet to come, I’m afraid, as there is not great agreement in the models. Right now the National Weather Service is predicting a 20 percent chance of showers on Saturday, but that may be too low. Anyway, I am confident that we are going to see the ongoing influx of cooler air this weekend. Highs on Saturday and Sunday, accordingly, should only reach the lower 70s. By Monday morning I could see lows in Houston bottom out at around 50 degrees, with temperatures in the 40s for some outlying areas.

Next week

Most of next week looks pretty mild, with highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s to start the week, and maybe lower 60s later during the week. I don’t see much in the way of rain chances until later in the week, and even then, who really knows. We’ve waited a long time for this kind of fall-like weather, so get outside and enjoy it!

In brief: Sunday’s high temperatures came to within 1 degree of the city’s all time high. Relief is on the way with a cold front on Tuesday, and for now it appears as though this front will not be particularly disruptive to Election Day activities.

A steamy Sunday

Let’s be honest, the first day of November did not feel a lot like the first day of November. Sunday’s high temperature at Bush Intercontinental Airport reached 88 degrees beneath mostly sunny skies and high pressure. This brought Houston to within 1 degree of its all-time high for November 1, 89 degrees. The city has never recorded a 90-degree day in November.

We should see a few more clouds today, so most of the region, instead of reaching the mid- to upper-80s should see highs in the low- to mid-80s. Tuesday will be similarly warm and muggy before the arrival of a cold front. After this frontal passage, and another surge of drier air, Houston should experience fall-like weather through the weekend and into next week. Is anyone ready for it to start feeling like the holidays outside?

Monday

We are starting out muggy this morning, with temperatures well above normal. After some patchy fog clears away we should be left with partly sunny skies today. Highs will reach the low- to mid-80s across the region, with winds from the southeast at about 10 mph, perhaps gusting up to 20 mph this afternoon. Winds continue with anomalously warm temperatures tonight, only falling to around 70 degrees in Houston.

Election Day

Tuesday is Election Day for the U.S. Midterms. If you haven’t voted early already, what can you expect for polling place conditions? At this time we don’t expect the cold front to blow in with a single line of strong thunderstorms and severe weather, such as damaging winds. Rather, beginning during the mid- to later morning hours we should see a broken line, or broad area, of showers and thunderstorms sagging down into Houston from the northwest. These showers should persist into the early evening hours. In terms of accumulations most areas should pick up 0.25 to 0.75 inch of rain, so flooding does not look to be a concern. In short, while some rain is likely on Election Day, overall conditions do not look particularly disruptive. So get out and vote!

As for temperatures, I think a lot of the area will reach the lower 80s. Drier air will start to arrive later in the afternoon, with gusty winds from the northwest (gusts perhaps reaching up to about 25 mph). Lows by early Wednesday should drop into the upper 50s.

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday

These should be partly to mostly sunny days with highs in the upper 70s and lows in the upper 50s in Houston. Low temperatures for inland regions could fall into the lower 50s. We’ll also see comfortable, lower humidity levels. Rain chances each day will be on the order of about 10 percent. It’s going to be really nice, y’all.

Saturday and Sunday

At this point I think we’ll probably see another front, of some sort, this weekend. This may lead to some slight rain chances on Saturday, but that definitely remains to be determined. Highs on Saturday should be in the 70s, with lows on Saturday night perhaps dropping down to around 50 degrees. Sunday looks to be mostly sunny, with highs in the lower 70s. We have an outside chance at a night in the 40s in Houston.

Next week

Most of next week should bring highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s. Did I mention it was going to start feeling like real fall weather around here soon?