Month: August 2018

Dare we say this August won’t be too bad for Houston?

Good morning! We are now almost to the halfway mark of August, and it hasn’t been so bad. Average temperatures this month, so far, have been near normal. And as we look ahead to the rest of the month there appears to be nothing extreme on the horizon. Dare I say it, that we might get through Houston’s hottest month—when we are most drought prone, and exposed to hurricanes—without and really severe weather? No, I will not say it. But I’m thinking it’s a very real possibility.

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday

The overall forecast pattern for the rest of this week has not changed. Moderate high pressure remains in place, but nothing too suffocating. This means high temperatures will probably peak in the mid-90s, and with a few clouds there will be a slight chance (maybe 10-20 percent inland, 20-30 percent close to the coast) of rain showers. Overnight lows will be in the mid-70s for far inland areas, and about 80 degrees right along the coast.

High temperature forecast for Wednesday. (Pivotal Weather)

Saturday and Sunday

Again, not much change this weekend, with highs in the mid-90s and some isolated to scattered showers for the region. You probably won’t see rain. For the most part, skies will be sunny, and the water inviting due to the daytime heat. If you’re tailgating for the Houston Texans preseason game on Sunday evening make sure to stay hydrated out there. (That a was a joke, friends. I know any tailgaters will probably stay over-hydrated)

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It’s mid-August, and Houston will see August-like weather this week

Apologies for the late post this morning—I had to travel to Los Angeles very early on Monday morning, and only returned around midnight last night. Fortunately, there’s not much to say about our weather. It will be hot and mostly sunny this week. Normally that is something I would grouse about, but after what happened during the last week of August last year, I’m now less inclined to complain about hot and sunny weather during August.

Tuesday

Enough drier air remains today such that rain chances will be near nil, with mostly sunny skies and high temperatures in the mid-90s. Low temperatures Tuesday night, and for the rest of the week for that matter, will be around 80 degrees near the coast, and in the mid-70s for far inland areas. This is August. This is summer. This is Houston.

Sure, it’s hot out there today. But that’s to be expected in August. (Pivotal Weather)

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday

The pattern remains more or less the same; but with slightly higher moisture levels and high pressure present but not dominant, we could see some isolated showers during the early morning and then later afternoon hours. Rain chances are probably in the range of 20 percent most days, with any accumulations pretty darn slight. High temperatures will remain in the mid-90s.

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A mostly quiet mid-August week ahead

Good Monday morning! Matt here this morning, covering for Eric. Thanks again to Eric for covering me in my opening days of fatherhood. Thanks to all for the comments and well wishes over the last couple weeks. I apologize for any typos, though I’ll blame it on the lack of sleep.

The Houston area has seen repetitive rounds of thunderstorms over the last week and change, but as someone who has been shut out most of the time, I’ve taken notice that the total rainfall distribution has been somewhat erratic.

Rain totals this month have been somewhat erratic around the region. (Harris County Flood Control)

Some areas have seen as much as three to five inches of rain this August, while others have seen a tenth of an inch or less. The winners appear to be in eastern Harris County and also up toward The Woodlands southwest toward Cypress. Waller County has done well also. So it’s been feast or famine for much of the region in August. Looking ahead to this week, the faucet will slow to a trickle for a couple days, and mostly typical August weather sets in.

Today & Tuesday

Our weather pattern has begun to change a bit, as high pressure and dry air begin to flex overhead. This should significantly limit storms in our area this afternoon. Expect high temps in the mid-90s. On Tuesday, we’ll see more of the same, though the rain chances may not be quite as limited. So, we’ll call it just a slight chance of showers. More mid-90s are expected.

There was a good bit of Saharan dust in the skies yesterday. Expect more of that today. Dust will slowly thin out on Tuesday and Wednesday. Air quality will be poor. This sort of thing will be worst for those with respiratory ailments. It’s also not optimal for those of us with regular seasonal allergies. The good news is that Saharan dust outbreaks tend to have peaked by now. So these events should become a little less frequent and intense as we move forward.

Wednesday through Friday

Typical August weather in Houston can be expected to round out the week. Temperatures will probably be one or two degrees cooler than usual, but that will hardly be noticeable to most of us. We’ll peak with highs in the mid-90s and lows in the upper-70s.

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Some heavy rain potential Friday and Saturday before classic August weather returns

Sorry for the delayed post this morning, but sometimes things happen. Fortunately, the forecast has not changed too much, with the potential for showers and thunderstorms both Friday and Saturday before a decreasing chance of rain Sunday, and drier conditions early next week.

Friday

Expect a stormy summer day. Most of the ingredients needed for rainfall will come together early this afternoon, with ample moisture, lift, and instability across the region. Some of these storms could produce locally heavy rainfall, and we can’t rule out some street flooding. However, I expect that most areas that do see rain will probably see about one-half inch. Highs will probably be in the low 90s, but local conditions will vary on the amount of cloud cover and rainfall. Rain chances retreat, but do not go entirely away, tonight.

Forecast rainfall totals for the coming week. Houston should see most of this rain on Friday and Saturday. West Texas will be very wet for this time of year. (Pivotal Weather)

Saturday

We expect to see similar conditions on Saturday, with moisture and atmospheric lift driving another round of (probably) widespread showers. These will not be all-day storms, but certainly they will have the potential to move through and disrupt any outdoor activities. High temperatures, again, will be dependent upon cloud cover and localized rainfall.

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