Eric Berger

In brief: In today’s post we talk about the ongoing heat wave in Houston, which we expect to build this weekend and possibly intensify further during the first half of next week. Also, we ask for some help designing t-shirts for our annual fundraiser.

Annual fundraiser

Longtime readers will know that we hold our annual fundraiser in November. As part of that we sell merchandise and offer a couple of different t-shirt designs. They vary from year to year, playing off of our no-hype slogan, the region’s humidity, our fair city’s fertile mosquito population, or a recent hurricane. Anyway, we’d love to get readers involved this year. In the comments below, on social media, or via email, please send us your ideas for t-shirts. If they involve some graphic design elements, that’s no problem, since we’re going to get some help from Reliant on that. Should we choose your idea, I’ll be happy to send you a t-shirt of your design and size this winter. Thank you!

Wednesday and Thursday

These will be hot and sunny days, with high pressure more or less in place. Temperatures in central Houston will be in the mid- to upper 90s, with upper-90s likely for areas further inland, and highs a few degrees cooler closer to the coast. One difference from recent days is that afternoon winds will be a little more blow-y, perhaps gusting up to 20 or 25 mph from the south. As for rain chances, they are about 10 percent each day. Nights remain warm and sultry.

Friday

A similar day, in terms of temperatures to the previous two. However there does appear to be a bit of an increase in atmospheric moisture levels, which could lead to increased rain chances. We may, perhaps, see something like a 20 to 40 percent chance of showers. We’ll see.

Saturday and Sunday

The weekend looks hot and sunny, with most of the region likely to experience highs in the upper 90s. Rain chances fall back to 10 percent, or less. Emphasis on less. It will be good weather for the beach, the pool, or getting a sunburn if you’re not careful.

Next week

As high pressure continues to prevail, we are likely to see highs remain in the upper 90s. Temperatures could peak early next week. There may be some slight moderation in conditions toward the end of next week, or maybe not. August high pressure systems tend to be hard to break down over the southern United States.

Atlantic tropics

We continue to see signs of activity ramping up in the central Atlantic, as evidenced by the 7-day forecast predictions from the National Hurricane Center. Most of the long-range guidance, however, keeps this pretty far removed from the Gulf. So we have no concerns for at least the next 10 days, and probably beyond.

In brief: In today’s post we discuss building high pressure and its upward pressure on daily temperatures. Triple digits are likely for much of the region by the weekend. Also, we take a look at the Atlantic tropics, which are starting to come alive.

Here comes the heat

For some locations in Houston yesterday, the high temperature topped out in the 80s. With widespread showers during the daytime, temperatures even fell into the 70s during the afternoon or evening hours for some locations. It was all rather pleasant. Unfortunately, it also is going to be fleeting. Highs will climb back into at least the mid-90s today. And then, for at least the next week, we are going to generally see highs in the upper 90s to 100 degrees for all but areas near the coast. This comes courtesy of a ridge of high pressure which should peak over the weekend. This is a classic August high that will bring baking conditions outdoors. Steel thyselves.

Tuesday

Highs today will be in the mid- to upper-90s for most locations. As high pressure has not fully taken control I do think we’ll see a few isolated to scattered showers this afternoon, but overall chances today are probably 20 percent, or less, compared to yesterday’s 60 percent or higher. Skies will otherwise be mostly sunny with light southerly winds. Low temperatures tonight will only fall to around 80 degrees for most locations.

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday

Hot and sunny. Each day will have high temperatures in the vicinity of the upper 90s, with warm nights only dropping to around 80 degrees. For coastal areas you can expect highs a couple of degrees cooler, but nights a few degrees warmer as air temperatures are modified by the Gulf waters. Rain chances will be about 10 percent, daily.

Saturday and Sunday

Our daytime temperatures will take a step up this weekend, with fairly widespread chances to hit 100 degrees for inland areas of Houston. Locations a bit closer to the coast will probably stay just below the century mark. But bottom line, it’s going to be sunny, it’s going to be hot, and that’s just how things go in these parts during mid-August. This really is the dead of summer.

Next week

Not much appears to change next week, at least for the first few days. Is August over yet?

Atlantic tropics

After a very quiet period we are starting to see the tropics wake up. The good news is that there are no immediate threats to Texas, or the Gulf. However as we get to this time of the summer, the deep tropics tend to see an uptick in activity as tropical waves roll off the West Coast of Africa. And that’s what we’re seeing. The most prominent of these is an area of low pressure in the central Atlantic Ocean.

Various models have been suggesting this system will develop for awhile, and track toward the Caribbean Sea, or possibly turn to the northwest before doing so. Overall, background conditions are fairly hostile in the Atlantic, so I wouldn’t necessarily be counting on this system to become the Atlantic’s first hurricane. But we’ll keep an eye on things and alert you if there’s anything to be concerned about. For now, the answer is no.

In brief: The Houston region will see its best conditions for rainfall for at least the next week, and probably longer, today as tropical moisture surges. After this high pressure clamps down and the region will experience some serious August heat.

High pressure is coming

Over the weekend, the region saw scattered showers and thunderstorms due to a weakness in between two high pressure systems. That ongoing weakness today, along with surging tropical moisture levels, is going to give us a day with fairly healthy rain chances for much of the Houston region. But soon, beginning Tuesday, high pressure over our region will begin to amplify. This will bring us one of those classic August ridges beneath which temperatures soar, skies are clear, and rain showers are nowhere to be found. This pattern is likely to persist into next week.

Monday

We are already seeing some scattered showers develop offshore this morning, and these should begin to move inland by 9 am to noon. Theses showers will progress into central areas a little bit later today. Not everyone is going to get rainfall, to be sure, and chances for areas north of Harris County are lower than for locations closer to the coast. Totals will generally be less than 1 inch, and my sense is that if your yard ends up with half an inch of rainfall you should count yourselves lucky. Rain chances subside by this evening.

In terms of temperatures, because we are going to see a few more clouds today, I think highs will generally max out in the low-90s for Houston, and possibly mid-90s for inland areas such as The Woodlands. Winds will be light, from the south, perhaps gusting a bit later this afternoon. Overnight lows may briefly fall into the upper 70s.

Tuesday

This day will see highs in the mid-90s, with mostly sunny skies. There is perhaps a 10 or 20 percent chance of showers as high pressure begins to build over the area. So probably not, but there is at least the slightest of chances.

Wednesday through the weekend

Highs will range from the lower 90s right along the coast to the upper-90s for central and inland portions of the Houston region. We cannot rule out some 100-degree readings. Rain chances will be near zero with sunny skies. If you have any outdoor plans, you can be confident in hot and sunny August weather complying. If you’re tired of the heat and humidity, well, it’s August my friends. It isn’t going anywhere.

Next week

This high-pressure dominated pattern will hold into the middle of next week. After that there’s some possibility of change, but it’s not something I’m willing to bet on at this point.

Atlantic tropics

We’ll have a few more words to say about this tomorrow, but we are starting to see some signs of the Atlantic waking up a little bit. Of particular note is a tropical wave in the eastern Atlantic, which appears increasingly likely to develop into a tropical storm. But at this point there are good reasons to believe it will not be a threat to the Gulf, and probably not any landmasses. We’ll see.

In brief: In today’s post we discuss the pattern that will bring slightly cooler weather and improved rain chances over the several days. Monday continues to look like the day when the region will see its most widespread rainfall, but even then many will probably be disappointed. Major heat looms on the horizon.

Quick August status update

We are now 16 percent of the way through August, if you’re keeping track. And I am. The good news is that we are going to see a bit of a break in temperatures over the weekend, and possibly even some scattered rain showers as high pressure relents a little bit. The bad news is that the latter half of next week (and beyond?) still appears likely to see the return of a stout high, and a period of very warm temperatures.

Thursday

This will be another day that in some ways will similar to what we’ve experienced so far this week: sunny, with high temperatures in the upper-90s for most inland areas. Coastal locations will see daytime temperatures that are a few degrees lower, but it’s going to be hot and humid everywhere. However, one change is that conditions are a little more favorable for the development of showers and thunderstorms this afternoon. Most of us probably won’t see any rain, but localized downpours may produce 1 inch or more. These showers are most likely to develop during the afternoon and early evening hours, with peak heating.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

Highs over the weekend will be a few degrees lower, perhaps in the mid-90s for most of Houston. Overnight lows remain warm and muggy. We are likely to see mostly sunny skies most of the time, but each day will likely have a roughly 30 percent chance of afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms along the sea breeze. These will be hit or miss, again, so expect the potential for some localized downpours.

Monday

This will probably be the “coolest” day of the period, with partly cloudy skies and highs perhaps only reaching the lower 90s for most locations. With high pressure likely at its weakest, we have a chance of more widespread showers on Monday, but just how widespread remains a question. We shall see.

Rest of next week

After Monday or Tuesday, our temperatures are back on the upswing. Highs will be in the mid-90s, then the upper-90s, and eventually possibly even back into the 100s. Rain chances will correspondingly decline. This very hot pattern persists at least into next weekend. The only note of hope that I can offer you is that, by that point, August will be half over.