Last week, when I looked at the forecast for Thanksgiving week, there was not a whole lot to be thankful for. We had the potential for heavy rainfall on some of the busiest travel days of the year, and overall the weather simply promised a cornucopia of “meh” conditions. I’m happy to report that the outlook for this week has brightened, and that we should see as much sunshine as showers.

On a completely unrelated note, we’re in the last week of our annual fundraiser. We’re selling t-shirts, sweatshirts, and umbrellas, as well as accepting donations to support the operation of this site. We’ve had a tremendous response so far; so thank you to everyone who has contributed.

Monday

After a cold front slogged through the Houston region on Sunday, we’re seeing a chilly morning with temperatures ranging from about 40 degrees far inland to mid-50s along the upper Texas coast. Scattered showers have developed overnight, and these rains should continue on-and-off for much of this morning as upper-level winds support the upward movement of air at the surface.

Rains, for the most part, will be moderate, with accumulations of only a few tenths of an inch. They should end by this afternoon as this system moves from west to east. Temperatures will hang around the mid-50s today as skies will remain gray even after the rain departs to the east.

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Yesterday ended up being a nice day after another cold morning. I wanted to highlight a couple superlatives from yesterday. At Bush Airport, we snuck down to 30°, once again, our coldest morning this early in the season since 1999 (11/3/1999). That’s our official tally for the date. Impressively, Hobby Airport got down to 32° on Thursday morning. It hasn’t been that cold this early in the year since 1969, when we hit 28° on November 15th!

30 degrees this morning at IAH; earliest we've done 30 since 11/3/1999 at Bush. It appears Hobby hit 32° this morning, which, if I'm reading the data correctly, would be the earliest freezing temp at Hobby since 1969! pic.twitter.com/Yd5gXjhErs

— Matt Lanza (@mattlanza) November 15, 2018

So for the greater Houston area, it was our earliest freeze in about 20 years, though for a few parts of the area, it was likely our earliest freeze in almost 50 years!

No more freezing temperatures to discuss for a little while, but we will be discussing some more active weather once again.

Today and Saturday

Other than some passing high clouds perhaps, today looks great. Spectacular, even. We’ll warm up into the middle or upper-60s in most of the area. A few spots could push 70 degrees. We added about eight to ten degrees to morning lows today, and I expect we’ll add another six to eight degrees on Saturday morning. Most folks will sneak into the mid-to upper-40s tonight, though a few locations may neglect to drop below 50 degrees.

During the day Saturday, we should see a few clouds rolling back into the area. So we’ll call it partly to mostly sunny. We should be able to hit or exceed 70 degrees on Saturday afternoon.

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We’re seeing another morning of freezing, or near-freezing temperatures this morning across Houston, but the region will now emerge from the ice box to enjoy several really pleasant fall-like days. Unfortunately, by Sunday or so, our forecast for the coming holiday week turns a bit murky. We definitely have some concerns for the busiest travel days of the year.

Thursday and Friday

With high pressure in place overhead, we’ll see sunny skies, with high temperatures on Thursday near 60 degrees, and in the mid- to upper-60s on Friday night. Overnight lows will be comfortably above freezing, but still in the 40s for most of the region except for the coast.

Saturday

A very nice weekend day, with high temperatures generally in the low 70s for Houston, under partly to mostly sunny skies. After several days of northerly winds, a southerly flow will resume, bringing moisture back into the atmosphere, and setting the table for better rain chances as early as Sunday. Your dry skin, at the very least, will be happy.

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This is quite an early cold spell for Houston. The trace of sleet and snow recorded at Bush Intercontinental Airport on Tuesday broke the record for earliest observed snow at the site, previously set on Nov. 23, 1979. Houston’s Hobby Airport also recorded its earliest trace of freezing precipitation. And although this morning’s freeze for parts of Houston did not set any records, this first freeze has come three to four weeks earlier than normal.

Wednesday

One of the reason it’s very cold this morning is because skies cleared over night, allowing for increased radiational cooling. Those same clear skies will allow temperatures to warm to about 50 degrees today, with light northerly winds, and then once again push lows down to freezing or near-freezing levels tonight. Expect temperatures in the metro area to be similar to to those of Tuesday night.

Thursday

Look for sunny weather, and temperatures should be 5 to 10 degrees warmer, bringing highs into the mid- to upper-50s, and lows comfortably above freezing.

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