Eric Berger

In brief: Houston’s flood risk has ended, but we’re tracking a flash flood emergency in Central Texas, near Kerrville, that is unfolding just a year after catastrophic flooding in similar areas. Locally, clouds will give way to sunshine in the coming days, bringing Houston some of its hottest weather of the year.

Guadalupe River flooding

Things have quieted down in Houston over the last 24 hours, and although we are likely to see some scattered showers over the next couple of days, the region’s flood risk has ended. The story is not the same in Central Texas, where a significant flooding event is unfolding.

At 5:30 am CT this morning the National Weather Service office there issued a “flash flood emergency” for a stretch along the Guadalupe River, to the north of San Antonio. The emergency area runs from the town of Center Point through Bergheim. A gauge at Center Point has risen 32 feet during just the last four hours. According to forecasters, the river is expected to reach a crest similar to the July 4, 2025 catastrophic river flood in that region. Additionally, for Uvalde County, catastrophic flooding is likely along the Frio, Leona, Sabinal, and Nueces rivers.

A flash flood emergency is the weather service’s highest level of flood alert, and they are rarely issued. Such alerts are triggered by rapidly rising water that poses an imminent threat to people.

Thursday

Closer to Houston this morning we are seeing some additional showers to our southwest, near Victoria and El Campo. Generally, I don’t expect these to move into the Houston region, and for the metro area we should only see isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms today. Your overall chance of seeing rain is probably about 20 percent. Our skies will likely remain partly to mostly cloudy, however, and this should help limit high temperatures in the lower 90s. Winds will be light, from the southeast. Low temperatures tonight will only briefly drop into the upper 70s.

Friday

We’ll have another slight chance of showers and thunderstorms on Friday, but the trend will be toward clearing skies. Accordingly I expect high temperatures to reach the low- to mid-90s across Houston. Low though it may be, this is probably our final chance for rain for a week.

Saturday and Sunday

Summer proper returns to Houston this weekend, with mostly sunny skies and highs in the mid- to upper-90s. Need I say more? Prepare yourselves accordingly.

Next week

We are going to see our hottest weather of the year, to date, next week. Highs for several days will push into the upper 90s, and some inland areas may touch 100 degrees for the first time. I expect mostly sunny skies. If there’s a silver lining it’s that dewpoints will not be quite as high as they can get during the summertime in Houston, so our nighttime temperatures may cool into the mid-70s rather than just falling to 80 degrees. It’s not much, I know. Rain chances remain near zero until at least Thursday or Friday of next week.

In brief: Rain chances continue today, although coverage should be slightly less than Tuesday, with lower overall intensity. High pressure builds later this week to set up an extended period of hot and sunny weather.

The Woodlands gets whacked

All of the greater Houston region recorded rainfall on Tuesday, but as is often the case totals varied widely. Some locations southwest of the city picked up only a quarter of an inch, with most of the area picking up between 0.5 and 2 inches. However the exception to this came north of the city, in Montgomery County.

Over the last two days areas from The Woodlands north to Lake Conroe have picked up 5 to 7 inches of rainfall. A check of waterways in the area show that most streams, creeks, and bayous are elevated but generally within their banks. After a quiet night, water elevations are slowly falling. High water remains on a handful of roadways this morning.

As we’ll discuss below, the focus for showers and thunderstorms should shift further south today. So although some rains are possible in areas hardest hit in Montgomery County over the last couple of days, I don’t believe conditions will be problematic for these locations. However, out of an abundance of caution I am going to hold Stage 1 flood conditions in place through this afternoon.

Also, although flooding issues have not been particularly acute for most of the greater Houston region, the story is different in parts of Central and West Texas. We have more information on that situation on The Eyewall.

Wednesday

Conditions are not as favorable for widespread showers and thunderstorms today in Houston as they were on Tuesday, but plenty of moisture remains in the atmosphere. For this reason much of the area is likely to see showers and thunderstorms today, although overall intensity should be lower. Rain chances are probably 50 percent for areas north of Interstate 10, and a bit higher for locations closer to the coast.

Most locations will likely pick up less than 1 inch of rain, but there could be some higher bullseyes south (and particularly further southwest, near El Campo and Matagorda Bay). These rains should end by late afternoon or early evening, leading to quieter conditions. Skies will be mostly cloudy otherwise, with highs generally in the mid-80s.

Thursday and Friday

High pressure will begin to build from the east, and this will start to shut down daily rain chances. Still, we probably will see about a 30 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms each day. With a mix of sunshine and clouds, high temperatures on both days will likely be in the vicinity of 90 degrees, or possibly lower 90s if we get more sunshine during the afternoon hours. Humidity will be sky high, of course, and nights only cooling into the upper 70s briefly.

Saturday and Sunday

We continue to expect mostly sunny and hot weather this weekend. For most locations highs will likely get into the mid-90s, although some inland locations could approach the upper 90s. It will be a classic beach and pool weekend in our region of Texas.

Next week

This hot and sunny pattern will persist through the first half of next week. There is some indication that we could possibly see the return of a few, sea breeze-driven showers by the second half of the work week. But mostly I expect we’re going to continue to see sunny skies and highs in the 90s. In other words, get any rains you need now.

In brief: We are maintaining a Stage 1 flood alert today due to the potential for street flooding from showers and thunderstorms. Hopefully we’ll start to see a break in the action this afternoon. Conditions turn hot and sunny by this weekend, and then we should stay in that pattern for awhile.

Storm overview

Nearly all of the Houston metro area picked up at least some rainfall on Monday and Monday night, and much of the area received in excess of 1 inch. We will continue to see surging atmospheric moisture levels today, and accordingly the Houston-area radar will get another workout. The action is getting started earlier today than on Monday, with showers already having spread into much of the region.

Basically we can expect fairly widespread showers and thunderstorms to persist through this morning, bringing an additional 1 to 2 inches of rainfall to most locations. It is possible that some locations see bullseyes of 3 or more inches of rainfall, which is why we have kept a Stage 1 flood alert in place for today and tonight. This means you should be aware of the potential for street flooding, and pay attention to the radar before venturing out. It also means that for most of the area most of the time, these showers are more of a nuisance than a serious hindrance to going about your business. Unless your business is house painting.

After this morning we expect there to be something of a reprieve this afternoon and this evening. An additional round of showers, likely not as intense nor as widespread, is possible on Wednesday.

Tuesday

As mentioned above, it’s raining. These showers and thunderstorms should be most widespread this morning before activity tapers off this afternoon to scattered, or possibly even isolated thunderstorms. Even when it’s not raining, skies should be mostly cloudy today, and high temperatures are likely to peak in the lower 80s. This is going to be one of the “coldest” days of the summer in Houston, with air temperatures for most of the day in the 70s. We don’t experience that often in the middle of the summer, so it’s a bit of silver lining to the rain. (Another silver lining is that next week looks rather hot and sunny, so the rains were getting now set us up nicely for that period). Showers will ease this afternoon and tonight should be mostly rain-free, with lows in the mid-70s.

Wednesday

We’re going to see another chance of showers on Wednesday, including a few stronger thunderstorms. But instead of a 100 percent chance of rain, the overall likelihood is more like 50 percent, and storms should persist for less time. Skies should remain mostly cloudy, and this will help keep highs in the mid- to upper-80s.

Thursday

Skies will still be fairly cloudy on Thursday, although we probably will start to see some breaks in the clouds. This will allow highs to reach about 90 degrees. Could we squeeze out a few additional showers? Possibly, but by this point we’re likely to begin to see the influence of high pressure tamping down rain chances. Lows on Thursday night will only fall into the upper 70s.

Friday

Expect a partly sunny day with highs in the low- to mid-90s. Rain chances are pretty much gone.

Saturday and Sunday

The weekend looks set to bring us mostly sunny to sunny skies, with highs in the mid- to upper 90s. We have no weather concerns aside from the heat and of course the potential for sunburns from mid-morning through late afternoon.

Next week

We are going to continue to see hot and sunny weather, with highs in the mid- to upper-90s for all locations but coastal areas, which will be a touch cooler. Rain chances are basically zero until the middle of the week, by which point we may see something like a 10 percent chance of showers. It’s late July in Houston, folks, and it’s going to feel like it.

In brief: Houston will see favorable conditions for widespread showers and thunderstorms today and Tuesday, and accordingly we have put a Stage 1 flood alert into place. On Wednesday we should transition to warmer and drier conditions. By this weekend, and into next week, we can expect hot and sunny conditions to prevail.

Stage 1 flood alert

Atmospheric moisture levels will surge today and Tuesday, and the absence of high pressure will support the development of widespread showers and thunderstorms. Generally, beginning later this morning, we expect rounds of storms to develop and slowly propagate through the region. Some of these storms may be slow moving. Although there will be some thunder and lightning, the primary threat will be heavy rainfall.

Most of Houston will pick up 1 to 3 inches of rainfall over the next couple of days. These are manageable totals. However some locations, beneath slower moving storms, may see as much as 5 inches. For this reason we are putting a Stage 1 flood alert into place through Tuesday night. Essentially this means we are concerned about flooding on freeway frontage roads and low-lying streets.

Monday and Tuesday

Generally, we expect storms to develop offshore this morning and then move inland. By around noon, or the early afternoon, we should see showers and thunderstorms develop across the majority of the region. There may be a brief pause later this afternoon or evening before another round of showers later tonight. This pattern will likely repeat itself through Tuesday.

Skies will be mostly cloudy when it is not raining, and the storms should should help to limit high temperatures. Today will likely reach the upper 80s for most locations, with mid-80s possible on Tuesday. Except in stronger thunderstorms, winds will be light. Basically, you’ll want to be weather aware the next couple of days, and give yourself a little more time before venturing to work or running errands.

Wednesday

This will be a bit of a transition day, with some additional showers possible, but less coverage and intensity than previous days. High temperatures will likely be around 90 degrees, or a tick higher, for most of the region.

Thursday and Friday

Skies will turn partly to mostly sunny to end the work week, with rain chances falling to around 10 percent. Expect highs in the mid-90s.

Saturday and Sunday

Temperatures this weekend will be quite hot, with sunny skies. Expect highs in the mid- to upper-90s as high pressure builds in. If you have outdoor plans on Saturday and Sunday make sure they involve a lot of sunscreen. Rain chances are near zero so it will be good weather for the beach or a backyard pool.

Next week

I expect this hot and sunny pattern to prevail through at least the first half of next week. Our next chance of rain would probably not come before Thursday or Friday of next week, and even then, who knows? Bottom line is that rains over the next couple of days will be beneficial for our soils before a drier period settles in.