Month: May 2022

After our brief fling with the remnants of spring last week, we are now approaching June and the end of “Early summer,” as I described in an earlier post. This brings us to “Mid summer,” which I define as the period of time when highs run from 90 to 95 degrees, and nights are sultry, but you know it could still get worse. Now that we’re here, I wanted to set some expectations for those of you who are relatively new to Houston, or just have forgotten what to expect.

Heat

The next four months will be hot, with the heat generally peaking from late July through early September. Houston can reach 100 degrees, but due to the region’s proximity to the Gulf of Mexico and our high humidity, most summertime days remain in the mid-90s. (It’s not a dry heat, it’s a wet heat). On average, Houston sees about six 100-degree days during a given year. Summertime temperatures will vary from the low-80s to upper-90s based upon the extent of cloud cover, and whether it rains during the afternoon hours. One thing we won’t have much relief from, at all, is muggy nights with lows ranging from the low 70s to about 80 degrees. Our first real “fall” front typically does not arrive before mid- to late-September.

Drought

This is not something we’ve had to worry about for awhile in Houston—our last significant, prolonged drought came in 2011—but if you’ve lived through a drought you know the desperation of waiting to see even a small amount of rain fall from the sky. We are not predicting that Houston will see a drought this summer, but it’s certainly possible. About two thirds of Texas is presently in a “severe” drought, with nearly half of the state in an “extreme” drought. This is not a good posture for us heading into the hottest months of the year.

Hurricane season

Although hurricane season begins on June 1 and ends of November 30, it’s a little bit more complicated than that for Texas. While we can certainly experience tropical storms and even hurricanes in June and early July, typically the season really does not get going for us until late July. And then, historically, weather patterns generally push storms away from Texas by the end of September. So for most years, we really only worry a lot about tropical weather during an eight- or nine-week period from late July through late September.

Still, you should be making your preparations for hurricane season now. That means understanding your vulnerabilities to storm surge (see an interactive map, by hurricane category), your vulnerability to inland flooding (see interactive map), and your tolerance to losing power for one, two, or more weeks (if you’re considering a whole-home generator, here’s what the process is like). Our partner, Reliant, has some good storm preparation resources as well. Now is the time to decide under what circumstances you would evacuate, where you would go, and what you would bring in the event of a hurricane.

Hurricane season can be a stressful time, and it’s one of the main reasons that Space City Weather exists. If you want to track every tropical wave, there are certainly places to do that on the Internet. But the vast majority of these systems will not have any meaningful impact on Texas. Matt and I view our job as helping you to separate the important weather stuff from the noise. (And there is a lot of noise out there). Anyway, we will be with you every step of the way this summer.

Tuesday

Today will see partly to mostly sunny skies, with highs in the low 90s. Like on Memorial Day, there is a 10 to 15 percent chance of a brief, passing shower. Winds will be out of the south or southeast, at about 10 mph, with higher gusts during the afternoon hours. Low temperatures tonight will again only fall into the upper 70s for most areas.

Wednesday

A similar day to Tuesday, although I would bump rain chances up to maybe 20 percent. Any showers will again likely be driven by the sea breeze, with shower chances peaking during the afternoon and early evening hours. Lows will again be sticky on Wednesday night.

Thursday and Friday

A dying front will push into the region on Thursday, and this will primarily serve to elevate rain chances to perhaps 30 percent for both days. Showers will be pretty spotty, but a few areas could briefly see a downpour. Highs will be around 90 degrees both days, with a smidgen of drier air helping to push overnight lows down to around 70 degrees for far inland areas, and perhaps the low 70s for Houston itself.

Saturday and Sunday

As high pressure builds back into the region this weekend, we’ll see mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the low- to possibly mid-90s. Winds should generally be out of the south at about 10 mph. This hot and sunny trend should persist into the early part of next week.

Tropics

Hurricane Agatha, the first storm in the Eastern Pacific basin this year, made landfall in Mexico, and is bringing heavy rains to the southern part of that country. The remains of Agatha will likely reemerge into the southern Gulf of Mexico or northern Caribbean Sea later this week, possibly regenerating into a tropical storm. If it does so, it would take on the name “Alex.” This system poses no threat to Texas, but it could definitely make for a wet weekend in the southern half of Florida this weekend, with perhaps 5 to 10 inches of rainfall.

Houston has occasionally endured some painful Memorial Day weekend weather. This year will not be one of them. We expect sunshine, with highs in the upper-80s to low-90s each day and lows mainly in the 70s. Today should be the hottest day of the next several, but the humidity will increase this weekend.

Yes, there is a small chance for a pop-up shower, especially Monday, but consider yourself lucky, should you see one. Wear sunscreen, stay hydrated, and enjoy the weekend if you can. Feel free to unplug the weather button for a few days. We will be doing just that ourselves.

Rest of next week

After the holiday on Monday, we see onshore flow and at least a chance for a few afternoon showers each day, typical summer weather. As of now, there’s nothing out there that looks particularly concerning or bothersome, so we’ll turn it down a notch until Tuesday and come back at you refreshed and ready to tackle early summer!

While this weekend is reserved to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, we do also want to express our gratitude to all men and women who have helped defend our nation over the years. Thank you for your service.

Good morning. After several days of tumultuous conditions, Houston’s weather pattern will now turn much more predictable. The overall pattern looks sunny, and after today, rather warm for the foreseeable future. There is little to no rain in the forecast.

Thursday

Conditions are gorgeous this morning across the metro region, with temperatures generally in the 60s. This is a fine day for late spring, and will almost certainly be our coolest morning until at least September. At that point we’ll be looking to celebrate Fall Day, when the region’s first real front moves into the area, and I’m excited to say we’re hoping to do something special at Space City Weather whenever Fall Day comes this year. Anyway, after the cool start this morning, highs today will reach about 90 degrees beneath sunny skies. But with dewpoints in the 50s, conditions won’t feel quite so humid. Winds are already returning out of the south, however, so the dry air will be fleeting. Lows tonight should drop into the upper 60s for much of the metro area.

Friday

Friday will be sunny and hot, with highs in the low 90s. Winds will blow out of the south at 5 to 10 mph with slightly higher gusts.

Saturday, Sunday, and Monday

The Memorial weekend holiday will bring lots of sunshine and highs generally in the low 90s. Overnight lows will rise back into the low 70s by Monday morning. There really are no weather concerns for the holiday weekend aside from making sure you’re protecting your skin from prolonged Sun exposure.

Next week

The overall pattern next week will feel fairly summer-like, with partly to mostly sunny days, and the potential for isolated showers during the afternoon as the sea breeze gets fired up with daytime heating. Highs probably will remain in the low 90s to start the week, but may creep up toward the mid-90s late next week. We’ll see. While a tropical disturbance may form in the Southern Gulf of Mexico or northern Caribbean Sea late next week, there’s no reason to believe it will have any sensible effect on Texas.

Good morning. If you’re a light sleeper like me, you probably had a rude awakening during the wee hours of Wednesday morning. The good news is that the strong storms have passed. And while there may be some scattered showers this afternoon, we can look forward to an absolutely splendid springtime reprieve during the next day or two, with lows dropping into the low 60s tonight and drier air on Thursday. Summer will be fully upon us by the weekend, so enjoy this.

Loop Current concerns?

Before leaping into the forecast, I also want to say a few words about the Loop Current. In recent days I’ve seen a lot of coverage of this phenomenon across various media, and as best I can tell it all stems from an article published by respected meteorologist Jeff Masters eight days ago. Jeff’s article is fine, and describes a well known (to meteorologists, at least) phenomenon known as the Loop Current. This is essentially a sub-surface “river” that carries warmer water from the Caribbean Sea into the Gulf of Mexico. It is almost always present. Once or twice a year a circulation, or “eddy,” of warmer water will break off from the bulging Loop Current and drift into the central or western Gulf of Mexico.

The key thing to understand is that when hurricanes cross the ocean, they churn up cooler water from below, which acts as a brake on strengthening. But when a storm passes over the Loop Current, or an eddy, the water below is warmer, thus supporting rapid intensification of a hurricane. Jeff’s report basically says that the Loop Current is fairly prominent this year and an eddy may break off later this summer. If that happens, it would be one factor supporting the intensification of Gulf hurricanes. While that may sound scary, it’s important to reiterate that the Loop Current is present virtually every hurricane season, often with an eddy. So while it’s a factor to consider, it’s not something that will necessarily juice the Atlantic season. And it’s not in any way abnormal. Overall, forecasters already expect a busier than normal season, but perhaps not excessively so. We’ll find out soon enough.

Wednesday

With the bulk of the storms moving off to the east, the Houston region should see a cloudy and fairly cool day. Most of the region will probably top out in the 70s today, something which may not happen again until October or even November. So that’s pretty remarkable. The big question is whether a secondary line of showers will fire up as the cold front itself passes through this afternoon. I’m leaning toward no, but it is possible that areas along and south of Interstate 10 may see some additional light to moderate rain later this afternoon as the front pushes through. After this we’ll see rapid clearing of skies this evening, which will allow temperatures to drop into the low 60s on Thursday morning. Winds will be out of the north at 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday

What a day for late May. Expect highs in mid- to upper-80s with sunny skies to go along with light southwest winds. There should be enough dry air for a pleasant Thursday evening, but overnight lows will probably be about 5 degrees warmer than Wednesday night. Spring will definitively end after Thursday night, but I for one am appreciating the much needed rain and brief taste of cooler weather before the inevitable onset of summer in Houston.

Friday

Look for sunny skies, highs around 90 degrees, and light southwesterly winds.

Memorial Day Weekend

The holiday weekend will see sunny skies, highs around 90 degrees, and plenty of humidity. It certainly could be hotter for Memorial Day weekend. Overnight lows will be in the mid-70s, generally.

Next week

Overall I don’t expect much of a pattern change next week. Some slight rain chances return to the forecast by Tuesday or Wednesday. We’re also watching the possibility of a tropical disturbance forming in the southern Gulf of Mexico about a week from now, but there’s no indication it will have a meaningful impact on Texas. So, really, no worries at this time.