In brief: Unsettled weather will return to Houston today through Sunday or Monday. Isolated heavy downpours are possible in spots, along with some locally stronger thunderstorms, especially Saturday and Sunday. A return to strong heat is looking likely later next week.
Welcome to August, widely considered the worst month of the year in Houston. I, Matt, disagree because I think September is worse, psychologically at least. Whatever the case, this August will start hot but not ridiculously so as thunderstorm chances re-enter the picture. By next week, we may be back on August blast furnace watch again. Another scorcher.
Today
We’re starting off today with a couple showers and downpours up in Liberty County that are drifting southward. I’d suspect those continue toward Trinity and Galveston Bays, so if you live on the east side, don’t be shocked to see some raindrops this morning.
Elsewhere, it’s quiet, but we should see showers and storms perk up in spots this afternoon with daytime heating. Many, if not most of us will stay dry today but those that see showers and storms could see some pretty hefty rainfall on the order of 1 to 2 inches in a short period of time. Otherwise, look for highs in the mid to locally upper-90s, not far off normal for this time of year.
Saturday
Coverage of showers and thunderstorms should pick up tomorrow. The combination of a dying cold front to our north and lots of moisture in place should allow downpours to blossom with daytime heating. Locally heavy rain is possible. The pattern of storms won’t be typical for this time of year, as we’ll see most of them form north of Houston and drop southward, unlike typical summertime sea breeze storms which come from the Gulf and work inland.
While we aren’t currently expecting severe weather, I’ve learned over the years to be cautious of north to south moving storms in spring and summer. I wouldn’t be shocked to see an isolated case of a storm misbehaving for a short time. Just something to be aware of. Clouds and showers should hold temperatures back some tomorrow, so look for generally mid-90s and possibly a bit less hot than that in spots.
Sunday & Monday
With high pressure anchored over the Southwest and a disturbance tracking across the Plains and Texas Sunday into Monday, we should continue to see scattered storms in the area, some of which may form in interior Texas and drop southward, more like late spring than late summer. Continued unsettled conditions will prevail to close the weekend and start next week.
High temperatures will likely be in the low to mid-90s.
Once all is said and done with the storms through Monday or Tuesday, expect 1 inch or less in most spots, however some more isolated, localized places could easily see up to 2 or 3 inches in locally heavier downpours.
Rest of next week
High pressure over the Southwest is going to flex its muscles beginning Tuesday or Wednesday, and it’s likely that we see some solid heat return to the area for a time later next week.
Our next swing at 100 degrees will probably occur next Thursday or Friday. We shall see.
