In brief: In today’s post we review the region’s average temperature over the first two weeks of the month. We also take a look at a sharp front that may bring a light freeze into the area by Sunday morning, as well as rain chances for later next week.
January is nearly half over
Through the first two weeks of January the average temperature was 62.6 degrees in Houston, at Bush Intercontinental Airport. If you’re wondering, that’s 9.5 degrees above the normal level this time of year, and more typical of mid-November. It will be interesting to see where we end up given that we have a couple of days below normal this weekend before somewhat warmer conditions later next week. For what it’s worth, some parts of Texas has been even warmer than this, relative to typical January conditions. Some parts of north Texas have been 12 to 15 degrees above normal for the first two weeks of this month.
Thursday
It feels like a normal January outside this morning, with temperatures falling to about 40 degrees (the usual lower spots, such as Conroe, have fallen into the mid-30s). The good news is that the strong-ish winds from Wednesday afternoon have died down overnight, so there’s not too much of a wind chill about. We’ll see moderate northerly winds throughout the day. Sunny skies will help us warm to about 60 degrees, or just below, later this afternoon. We are going to have a clear and cool night, with lows in the mid-40s in Houston, with slightly cooler conditions for outlying areas.
Friday
With a returning southerly flow temperatures on Friday will push into the lower 70s for most of Houston, with mostly sunny skies. Southwesterly winds may turn a bit gusty, up to 20 mph maybe. A front will arrive to change that, but I think it is unlikely to do so until after sunset on Friday. This will largely be a dry frontal passage, but there may be enough moisture closer to the coast to squeeze out a few showers. I’d only put chances at 10 or 20 percent, and they will pass quickly as the front sweeps through. Lows on Friday night will drop into the mid-40s.
Saturday and Sunday
We are going to see plenty of sunshine and cooler air this weekend. Highs on Saturday will likely top out in the mid-50s for most areas, and we could see fairly blustery winds from the north (perhaps gusting to 20 mph or a bit higher). If you have outdoor activities planned keep this in mind, as the wind will definitely add some chill to the air. Lows on Saturday night will bottom out with clear skies and lighter winds. A light freeze is possible in the region, perhaps including urban Houston although I certainly wouldn’t bank on that. Matt will have a better estimate of the freeze line in tomorrow’s post. Highs on Sunday will again be in the upper 50s, although with less wind it should feel a bit warmer. Lows on Sunday night will reach about 40 degrees, with cooler conditions for outlying areas.
Next week
If you’re attending a parade on Monday for M.L.K. Day you can expect fine, mostly sunny weather with highs in the 60s. After this we should see more clouds next week. A weak front is likely to push in Monday night or Tuesday, possibly bringing some rain chances. But then we’re going to see warmer conditions, with highs in the 60s and 70s for the rest of the week. The presence of a coastal low pressure system is likely to bring increased rain chances on Wednesday and Thursday, although this will depend on how far the low progresses inland. But for coastal areas (i.e. south of Interstate 10) that have been really dry in December and January, for now this provides a hopeful signal for some rain. Some sort of front may arrive by next weekend, we’ll have to see.
