Good morning. It’s been a long, blistering hot, and largely rain-free summer in Houston, but we’re probably through the worst of it. Several readers have emailed in to ask for a comparison to 2011, and to put this summer’s heat into perspective, and we’re going to do that. But the proper thing is to probably wait until the end of August for an apples-to-apples comparison. A lot of that year’s heat was really baked in during August.
So, on to the forecast. This week is still going to be hot, but there’s a slightly twist. There will be a modest reprieve mid-week with some drier air that you won’t want to miss. And looking ahead to next week, things may really start to change a bit and bring us out of this scorching pattern.

Monday
Well, sorry, but today is not going to yield much change. We are again looking at high temperatures of around 100 degrees, plus or minus, with sweltering humidity. Winds will be slight, generally from the southwest, at 5 to 10 mph. Rain chances are about 10 percent, so not impossible, but if you get a pop-up shower you should definitely go out and play the lottery. Lows tonight drop to around 80 degrees as winds pick up some.
Tuesday
A honest-to-goodness cool front is going to arrive on Tuesday, but you really need to set your expectations accordingly. One, it’s mid-August, so there is no much (any) oomph in terms of cooler air. In fact, highs on Tuesday are going to be just as warm as Monday, in the low 100s with sunny skies. However, there will be drier air, with dewpoints dropping into the mid-50s on Tuesday night. The real question is just how far the dry air gets. I don’t think it will drop all the way to the coast, as the front itself will likely get hung up between the coast and Interstate 10. The forecast map below approximates the extent of the dry air.
In terms of wanting to “feel” a change in the weather, your best bet is probably around sunrise on Wednesday morning. Stepping outside won’t exactly feel refreshing, but at this point it’s going to beat the heck out of what has come so far this summer. Lows on Tuesday night will drop into the upper 70s for the most part.

Wednesday
As noted above, this day should start with drier air for most of the region, and this will linger into the daytime. Expect highs of around 100 degrees, but at least you can act smugly like an Arizonian, and tell your friends, “At least it’s a dry heat.” Which it will be. Sort of.
Thursday and Friday
Alas the dry air will be fleeting, and we’re going to see the return of more humid days with highs in the low 100s.
Saturday and Sunday
The weekend looks hot and sunny as well. At this point rain chances are probably in the 10 to 20 percent range.
Next week
I almost hate to write this, because I don’t want to jinx things. Overall, the pattern shows some relaxation in high pressure next week, and the opening of the door to an atmospheric flow more favorable to rainfall. Right now these rains look most likely in the Monday through Wednesday time period, but because we’re just more than one week out from this, it’s difficult to put much definition on it. So I have some hope right now, but I don’t have details. But goodness knows we need some rainfall so I’ll be keeping tabs on this.
