Month: February 2024

Summary: Houston will see rather warm, spring-like weather for a couple of days before a front arrives on Wednesday to cool the region down. The weekend looks pleasant again, with highs in the upper 70s to 80 degrees. Some slight rain chances do return Friday, but overall accumulations look very light. Don’t expect much sunshine this week.

Texas heat

Good morning. Houston will see moderately warm weather this week, but if we pull back across Texas some northern parts of the state are going to see very warm temperatures in the low 90s. The high temperature today in Dallas, for example, is 93 degrees. This statewide heat is being driven by several factors, including drier air over the northern part of the state, a warm southwesterly flow, and a warm air mass (for February) over much of the continental United States. A front will arrive mid-week to cool the state off.

Before jumping into the forecast I want to share a couple of programming notes. Check back at 10 am this morning for a new feature, a monthly Q&A post in which Matt and I answer your questions. Also, you can see our final sponsorship video with Reliant here, in which talk with Elizabeth Killinger about what not having to worry about ‘clicks’ means for Space City Weather.

Monday

Houston experienced its first 80-degree weather of 2024 this past weekend, with highs of 80 and 82 degrees, respectively, on Saturday and Sunday. We’ll likely be there again today and Tuesday before a front arrives on Wednesday. Skies will be partly to mostly cloudy today, with highs in the low 80s. Winds will be from the southwest at 10 to 15 mph. Lows on Monday night will drop into the mid- to upper-60s with cloudy skies. Winds will pick up some from the south overnight.

Tuesday

This will be another warm day, with a decent amount of humidity as dewpoints push into the mid-60s. Highs will again be in the low 80s. Southerly winds become particularly notable midday, perhaps gusting up to about 30 mph. Expect mostly cloudy skies. Lows Tuesday night will likely only drop into the upper 60s.

Wednesday

Change arrives on Wednesday when a front blows into Houston, likely during the mid-morning hours. Highs will likely peak ahead of the front, in the 70s, before dropping during the afternoon hours. Winds on Wednesday afternoon and evening will be fairly strong, from the north, gusting to about 30 mph. At this point I think the front will bring little to no rain with it. Low temperatures on Wednesday night will drop to about 50 degrees, with cooler conditions inland.

Thursday

This day will be mostly cloudy and cooler, with highs of about 60 degrees. Winds will be much less than on Wednesday, with overnight lows about the same, dropping to around 50 degrees or a bit lower in Houston.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

We’ll see two trends this weekend. The first is gradually warming temperatures, from 70 degrees on Friday to the upper 70s to 80 degrees this weekend. We’ll also see the return of some slight rain chances beginning later on Thursday or Thursday night and lasting through Sunday. When I say light, I mean light. Although the weekend will see about a 20 percent chance of rain each day, overall accumulations are expected to be measured in hundredths of an inch. If you’re looking for some sunshine, Saturday afternoon probably has the best chance of it this weekend, but even then I’m not promising anything.

Next week

Monday should be warm again before some sort of front arrives on Tuesday. The details are still fuzzy, but it does appear as though this next front will bring with it a slightly better chance of rain. We shall see.

Summary: If you like the forecast to be steady eddy, and our weather mild, you’re in luck. The outlook for the next week or so, at least, looks pleasant with a series of weak fronts keeping temperatures from getting too warm or the air too humid. Rain chances are near zero at least until we get toward the end of next week.

I also want to give a huge shout-out to Houston-based Intuitive Machines. There are some great people there, and last night they successfully landed the first US-made spacecraft on the Moon in 52 years. This is also the first privately built vehicle to ever make a soft landing on the Moon. It’s a huge achievement that all of us in Space City can be proud of. As a space nerd I was so excited last night I could hardly fall asleep. If you’re interested, I wrote about the nail-biting landing, which faced last-minute challenges, here.

Friday

A modest front arrived on Thursday night to drag some cooler and drier weather in to the Houston region. As a result, we have some pleasant weather ahead this weekend. Skies will be sunny today, with high temperatures in the upper 70s. Winds will be noticeable, out of the north, gusting to perhaps 20 or 25 mph this afternoon. They should ease off this evening, and we’ll see lows drop down to around 50 degrees tonight.

Saturday

The first half of the weekend should be stunning. Highs will reach the upper 70s, with a few areas perhaps briefly touching 80 degrees. The air will be plenty dry, with light winds. Lows on Saturday night will again drop into the low 50s to 50 degrees in Houston, with cooler conditions for outlying areas.

Sunday

By Saturday night we’ll see the onshore flow starting to work its way into Houston, so on Sunday we’ll see slightly more humid air. More noticeable, perhaps, will be a fairly robust southerly breeze, at 15 mph with gusts to 20 mph or higher. Skies will still be sunny, with highs in the upper 70s. With the warmer overall flow, lows on Sunday night will only drop to around 60 degrees in Houston.

First half of next week

We’ll see warmer and breezier weather next week with highs generally around 80 degrees and somewhat humid air as dewpoints push into the low-60s. Skies will still be at least somewhat sunny on Monday, but they’ll turn cloudier on Tuesday and Wednesday. At some point, probably on Wednesday, another modestly strong front will arrive to bring us some cooler and drier air.

Second half of next week

Highs will likely drop into the low 70s, and lows into the 50s, after the front. This somewhat cooler weather could persist into the weekend, but at that point the forecast starts to turn a bit fuzzy. In terms of rainfall potential, the models are hinting that some showers may return into the forecast beginning next Thursday or Friday, but the signal is far from overwhelming. We should know more on Monday. Speaking of which, have a wonderful weekend, everyone. We don’t get all that many in Space City like this.

Summary: The weather looks drama-free over the next week or so. After another chance for 80 degrees today, a cool front takes the edge off tomorrow and this weekend. Another warm up ensues next week, followed by another front after midweek. Neither front seems likely to pack much punch right now.

Eric and I are here to keep you informed about the weather in Houston. It’s a duty we enjoy and take seriously. In times of quiet weather, we never complain. We’ve seen what bad weather is capable of here, so when the weather is quiet, we relish the fact that we can tell you so.

I’m not going to complain because I’m struggling to fill a post with forecast information because it’s all some variation of the same thing, with the temperatures tweaked a bit here and there. I most certainly got my degree in meteorology to forecast lengthy stretches of lovely spring weather in February. Absolutely. No complaints here.

No, but in all seriousness the weather looks pretty calm with no real concerns through next week. Seriously, good for us!

Today and Friday

Look for clouds and sun today. We have avoided the 80 degree mark so far this week, so will we do it today? We’ll see. That will be the only real drama today. Maybe someone can squeeze out a raindrop or two ahead of tonight’s front. For once, it seems the Rodeo Cook-Off will not be cold or drizzly or extra windy or gross. Temps should drop from the mid-70s or so into the mid-60s through the event this evening.

That front moves through between about 7 PM and Midnight. Temperatures will steadily drop everywhere through the 70s and 60s and into the 50s overnight.

Friday dawns sunny with lower humidity and highs in the 70s. No issues at all for any of your plans, be they Rodeo, BBQ, work, or frolicking down the streets professing your joy for this weather.

Weekend

SUN-sational! Highs will be in the 70s, with lows in the 50s and 40s across the region on both days. Just a delightful pair of days.

Next week

The main drama next week will probably be a day or two of gusty onshore winds. Nothing serious, but certainly something you’ll notice. We should see highs near 80 degrees Monday through Wednesday, with morning lows in the 60s. It will feel very, very spring-like. Our next front hits on Thursday with at least a slight chance of rain, but honestly, the odds of meaningful rain look pretty low right now.

After one of our wettest starts to a year, things have really slowed down. We’re probably getting to the point where we could use a little more rain. But for now at least, that’s not on the horizon.

Summary: A couple more very warm days are upon us before a Thursday night front cools us down just a little for Friday and the weekend, mainly in the mornings. We warm back up again early next week with another possible front after Tuesday. Rain looks to be at a premium over the next week or so.

Before we begin today, there was an article published yesterday by AccuWeather that sounded the alarm on the upcoming hurricane season. It singled out Texas as being at higher risk than normal as well. Over at our companion site, The Eyewall, I have a post up this morning explaining why we think it will be an active hurricane season but also why we believe it’s too soon to be singling out specific places. I have to warn you now: The next few months are going to be chock full of noise about the upcoming hurricane season. It does look setup to be active. We will continue to share what we know and what we think here and over at The Eyewall so you can make sense of what you might hear or see shared on social media.

Today

We’ve got some fog out there this morning, so use caution through 8-9 AM or so. Houston officially rocketed to 78 degrees yesterday, oddly the same temperature we hit exactly one year ago. But it likely begins a somewhat lengthy stretch of 70 degree days in Houston. Look for warm temps again today, with a chance at hitting 80 degrees in spots. Winds will be noticeably gustier today, at times 25 to 30 mph. Overall, a windy, mild day. For those of you that suffer from seasonal allergies, get ready.

Thursday

Expect a few more clouds tomorrow with morning lows in the 60s and daytime highs around 80 degrees or so. I don’t know if “humid” is the right word, but it will feel a little “thicker” outside.

Our next cold front will be moisture-starved and hit right around midnight tomorrow night. Maybe a few raindrops could get squeezed out ahead of the front Thursday afternoon, but I’d probably be more likely to bet on the Oakland A’s to win the World Series this season.

Friday

With the front past us on Friday, expect a lovely day: Sunny, with morning lows in the 50s, warming into the 70s.

Weekend

If you want stereotypical spring weather, this is absolutely your weekend. The streak of rainy weekends is in the past. Look for morning lows in the 40s and 50s with daytime highs in the 70s Saturday and upper-70s Sunday.

Early next week

I’d expect a pair of warm days Monday and Tuesday with increasing cloud cover. A slight chance of rain may enter the picture midweek with our next front knocking at the door. But details on that one are TBD right now. Either way, expect a slight cooldown after next Tuesday or Wednesday.