Houston set for a chilly Thanksgiving and a sunny Black Friday

On this day before Thanksgiving—since weather conditions will be fairly quiet in the days ahead, we’re going to take tomorrow off—I wanted to share just a few things that I am thankful for. I am thankful for my close-knit family; for rainfall at the end of a drought; for the teachers who have been so patient and wonderful in educating my kids in Clear Creek ISD; for cold fronts and for the heat coming on this morning; for Matt Lanza; for Reliant for sponsoring us faithfully since 2017 and on into the future; and finally for you dear readers, for giving Matt and myself your trust over the years. We don’t always get forecasts correct, but we do do our very best to do so every day.

Speaking of which, let’s talk about chilly nights, Thanksgiving weather, and if Houston will see our way out of the 60s before early December. (Spoiler: Probably not).

Wednesday

We’re starting out this morning in the 40s, although a few far inland areas such as Conroe and Navasota have dropped into the upper 30s. Skies are mostly clear this morning, we’ll probably see a few clouds later this afternoon. Highs will push up to about 60 degrees. This will feel warmer than Tuesday because there won’t be any blustery winds. Rather, look only for 5 to 10 mph winds from the northwest. Lighter winds and partly cloudy skies should allow for lows to drop down a degree or two cooler than Tuesday night, so most of the region should again be in the 40s tonight.

Wake-up temperatures on Thanksgiving morning will be on the chilly side. (Weather Bell)

Thanksgiving Day

A combination of a cold start and mostly cloudy skies will yield a cold day for the holiday. Highs probably will top out in the upper 50s, with a light easterly breeze. So it will be chilly and gray. What about rain? The aforementioned clouds will be produced by a low pressure system. If there were more moisture in the atmosphere we would probably see fairly widespread showers. But things are pretty dry overall, so I’d say there’s only about a 20 percent chance of light rain from the late-morning to mid-afternoon hours. Something to be mindful of, but not overly concerned about. Lows on Thanksgiving night will drop into the mid- to upper-40s overnight.

Friday

This should be a mostly sunny, fine day with highs in the mid- to upper-60s.

Saturday and Sunday

Saturday should be similar to Friday, with mostly sunny skies and highs in the mid- to upper-60s. Clouds will increase later in the day, and rain chances will increase by around midnight ahead of a cold front that should push into the region some time on Sunday morning. Overall accumulations look modest, perhaps on the order of a quarter of an inch for most. Sunday itself looks cloudy, with highs in the 60s.

Rain accumulation totals with the front do not look too significant. (Weather Bell)

Next week

Most of next week looks chilly, with highs of around 60 degrees give or take, and lows in the 40s. By Thursday or Friday we may see a warming trend. It’s possible that we could rise back into the 70s by next weekend, but it’s no sure thing. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, everyone.

Fundraiser

Just a quick word here to remind you of our annual fundraiser. We’ve only got about one week left, so please consider buying some merch or donating. Thank you!

A breezy day as winter-like conditions reach Houston and will stay awhile

Good morning. Temperatures are 10 to 15 degrees cooler outside this morning than on Monday, and this is only the beginning of a cool down that will more or less persist for the rest of November, at least. The Houston region is not going to see freezing weather any time soon, but highs are unlikely to surpass the 60s and low temperatures should be consistently in the 40s and 50s. So this is chilly for November, and pretty much characteristic of average conditions during winter months. If you’ve been waiting for consistent sweater weather, you’ve made it.

Temperature difference this morning versus 24 hours earlier. (Weather Bell)

Tuesday

The story of today, beyond the cooler weather, will be the wind. Winds out of the north will blow consistently at 15 to 20 mph, with gusts up to about 30 mph in the wake of the front’s passage. Temperatures will peak at about 60 degrees, with mostly cloudy skies. The wind will back off a bit this evening, with temperatures dropping into the mid-40s overnight.

Wednesday

We’ll see some sunshine on Wednesday, particularly during the morning hours. That will help temperatures recover into the upper 50s, at least, for most of the area. Winds will be less, too, perhaps at 10 mph from the north. Lows on Wednesday night will likely be the chilliest of the week, dropping into the low 40s.

Thanksgiving Day

After a cold start, we’ll see some warming on the holiday, perhaps into the upper 50s. However, mostly cloudy skies will inhibit warming beyond that. Winds will be light. The atmosphere is going to be a bit disturbed with an upper-level low pressure system, but I don’t think we’re going to see any onshore showers as atmospheric moisture levels remain fairly low. However, know that there is a slight possibility of some light rain on Thanksgiving. Overnight lows will drop to around 50 degrees in Houston, with cooler conditions further inland.

Friday

Mostly sunny skies should return for Friday, which will allow highs to push into the 60s. Lows on Friday night will be a bit warmer, perhaps in the low 50s.

Cooler temperatures for awhile. (Weather Bell)

The weekend and beyond

Saturday will feel warmer as the onshore flow resumes, bringing more moisture into our atmosphere and increasing cloud cover. Look for highs generally in the mid-60s to upper-60s. I expect Saturday to remain rain free, but some light showers will be possible by Saturday night, although they likely will not start until after midnight.

Sunday will be in the 60s as well, with the potential for scattered showers ahead of the next front. I’d say there’s about a 40 percent chance of rain on Sunday and Sunday evening, although accumulations will be light, perhaps on the order of perhaps one or two tenths of an inch. Said front should arrive on Sunday evening or a bit later, and will bring significantly drier air into the region, ending rain chances.

The forecast is still a bit hazy, but generally we should see highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s and 50s next week, with partly sunny skies. Keep those sweaters handy.

Fundraiser

We’re still in the midst of our annual fundraiser! Thank you to everyone who has supported us so far, and you still have the opportunity to buy merchandise or make a donation at our online store.

After today Houston will experience winter-like conditions for awhile; also we’ve updated our app to squash some bugs

Good morning. Before we get to the forecast and all the trimmings we have a couple of programming notes. Last week we released a new version of the SCW app that—fingers crossed—fixes some of the bugs you may have seen. Dwight Silverman will discuss this more at the end of this post. Additionally, we’re in the midst of our annual fundraiser, and do appreciate your support. You can find merchandise or donate here. Ok, now onto the forecast.

Monday

If you’re a person who likes humidity and warmth, then I advise you to soak it up today. There won’t be much sunshine, as skies will be mostly cloudy, and with warm southeasterly winds we’re going to see highs push up to about 80 degrees. This being Houston, there will be plenty of humidity to go along with it. We’re also on the lookout for some light showers today, and the possibility of a few thunderstorms this afternoon as a cold front approaches. The chance of severe thunderstorms is fairly low in the Houston metro area, but not non-existent. Odds of severe weather increase to the north of Conroe, and for much of East Texas. So if you live up that way, take note.

Severe weather outlook for Monday and Monday evening. (NOAA)

In terms of timing, I expect the front to reach areas such as Katy and The Woodlands by around sunset or shortly after, push into Houston between 6 and 8 pm CT, and move off the coast by around 8 to 10 pm. Winds will shift almost immediately after the front’s passage, with gusts from the northwest bringing drier air into the region. Lows on Monday night will drop into the mid-50s.

Tuesday

Tuesday will be breezy, cool, and rain-free. Look for high temperatures to peak at around 60 degrees, with partly sunny skies. Gusty winds up to about 30 mph will be possible for much of the daytime before easing off during the evening and overnight hours. Lows on Tuesday night will drop into the upper 40s.

Wednesday

Skies will again be partly sunny, with highs of around 60 degrees on Wednesday. The big difference will be lesser winds, likely out of the north at about 10 mph. Lows on Wednesday night could be a degree or two cooler than Tuesday night.

Wake-up temperatures on Thanksgiving morning. (Weather Bell)

Thanksgiving

After a chilly start in the 40s, highs on Thanksgiving Day are likely to only rise into the upper 50s, with partly to mostly cloudy skies. We’ve also got to talk about the possibility of rain. Yep, there are hints in the models of a potential disturbance. It’s nothing to get carried away about, and rain chances overall are probably on the order of 30 percent or less; and accumulations will be slight. But it’s possible that Thanksgiving morning will give us a side a light showers. The afternoon and evening hours should be dry, regardless. It will be another chilly night, in the mid-40s for much of Houston.

Friday

Black Friday, as it is called by some, will paradoxically be one of the sunniest days of the week. I’m expecting partly to mostly sunny skies, with highs in the mid- to upper-60s.

Saturday and Sunday

The weekend should start out with highs in the mid-60s, with a mix of sunshine and clouds. However by Saturday night-ish, another front should arrive to keep the region in a colder pattern. Sunday and at least the start of next week should yield cool days, with highs in the 50s and 60s. The pattern could be a rainy and gray one as well. Today will be our last warm day for quite awhile.

An update on our app update

Here’s Dwight with more information on the latest version of the app:

We think—knock on wood!—that the out-of date weather data has been fixed, along with wrong sunrise/sunset times. And hopefully an annoying crash on Apple devices is no more. 

We also added the ability for you to manually refresh all the data we pull in from the National Weather Service. Go into the settings by tapping/clicking on the three-line icon next to the city name in the upper left corner, then select the gear icon. Select the panel that says “Refresh Weather Data.”

Developer Hussain Abbasi has made  under-the-hood changes that should make the weather info load faster and the notifications more reliable. All this is on top of the support for iPad layouts, support for Apple Silicon Macs and the crowd favorite, Dark Mode, from our previous release.

As always, if you spot bugs, send an email to [email protected]. (Please note: the spelling of Houmidity is a feature, not a bug.)

Thanksgiving forecast comes into focus, and it looks anything but fowl

We’re only a week out from Thanksgiving, and you’re going to have to forgive me for the holiday puns. I can be a real goose sometimes. In any case, we’re talking puns because the forecast in the days ahead looks really pheasant, I mean pleasant, and there’s not a whole lot to say. We’ll see moderate weather through about Monday, at which time a cool front will arrive to bring weather that feels like Thanksgiving into Houston. So that’s something we can all look forward to.

I’d be remiss if I did not remind you that we’re in the midst of our annual fundraiser, that time of year when we ask for your help to keep Space City Weather going, and ensure that what we do can be maintained free for everyone. You can visit our store here. To the many of you who have already bought merchandise or made a donation, thank you very much.

Much of Texas is experiencing a mild morning Thursday, with lows generally in the 50s for most of the state. (Weather Bell)

Thursday

For the eastern half of the area there is a slight chance of some very light rain this morning, but for the most part we should be mostly cloudy. The clouds may thin somewhat, but the relative lack of sunshine should limit high temperatures to around 70 degrees today, with a light northeasterly breeze. Skies should remain mostly cloudy overnight, with lows perhaps dropping to around 60 degrees in Houston, and a bit cooler inland.

Friday

Expect a pleasant day with partly to mostly sunny skies and highs in the mid- to upper-70s. With dewpoints at around 60 degrees the morning will be a bit sticky, but the afternoon humidity should be comfortably low. A weak, reinforcing cool front arrives on Friday but it won’t be particularly noticeable. Lows on Friday night should again drop to around 60 degrees.

Saturday and Sunday

The weekend continues to look fine, especially Saturday, for outdoor activities. Highs on Saturday will reach the mid- to upper-70s with light northerly winds shifting to come from the east. After another mild night with lows down around 60 degrees, Sunday will again be mostly sunny with highs in the 70s. It will, however, be a tad more humid and we can’t rule out some light showers during the afternoon hours. Overall chances remain pretty low, however, perhaps 20 percent or less.

A front early next week could bring some beneficial rains to the Sabine River area. (Weather Bell)

Next week

The timing for the region’s next significant cold front continues to bounce around, and now we’re back to Monday afternoon or evening. Ahead of the front we’re going to see a warm day (for November) with highs of around 80 degrees and pretty decent humidity. Some light to moderate rain is possible ahead of, or along with the front, but we’re not expecting anything serious.

The arrival of the front will put and end to the humidity, and bring a slug of much drier air into the region for a few days. Highs on Tuesday and Wednesday will likely in the low 60s, with lows dropping into the 40s. So, expect a chilly start to Thanksgiving Day. Accurately forecasting high temperatures for Turkey Day this far out is difficult, and will depend on the extent of cloud cover. But I’d ballpark highs somewhere in the mid-60s, with a milder night in the 50s. Rain chances for the holiday look low, to non-existent. A warming trend may bring highs to around 70 degrees before the next front.