Eric Berger

A cold front is moving through Houston this morning, and this will bring much drier air into the region through Saturday. Then, our roller coaster continues with temperatures on the upswing through Wednesday of next week before a series of cold fronts cool us back down again. In terms of precipitation, there’s not too much to write home about until at least early next week.

Thursday

There is a wide range of temperatures across our region this morning, with far inland areas dropping into the 50s behind the front, and coastal areas in the low 70s before its arrival. The front will be off the coast by 8 or 9 am CT this morning, with rapidly dropping dewpoints and brisk northerly winds heralding its arrival. Temperatures this afternoon will hold at about 60 degrees before dropping tonight into the low 40s in Houston, with colder conditions further inland. Gusty winds today should start to back off some overnight.

Friday

This will be a fine winter day, with high temperatures around 60 degrees, and moderate northerly winds of about 10 mph. Friday night will be the coldest of the week, with lows dropping to 40 degrees or so in Houston, and the mid- to upper 30s for outlying areas.

Saturday

This will be another sunny day, with highs in the low 60s. As winds turn more southerly, however, we’ll start to feel the effects of the onshore flow with a little humidity in the air, and warmer temperatures on Saturday night. Lows will drop to around 50 in Houston.

Sunday

A full on warming trend will be underway by Sunday. Start-line temperatures for the Houston Marathon will likely be in the mid- to upper-50s, climbing toward a high in the mid-70s with a decent amount of humidity. With increasing atmospheric moisture, I expect Sunday will be partly to mostly cloudy, but rain is not a concern. Winds may be a bit gusty out of the south, at 20 to 25 mph. Lows on Sunday night will only drop into the mid-60s.

Next week

This warming trend will persist through about Wednesday, with daily highs in the upper 70s to 80 degrees, partly sunny days, and warm nights. Some scattered showers are possible each day, but overall chances probably will be low until Wednesday, ahead of the next front. This first front should knock lows into the 50s, and models are hinting that an additional shot of colder air could be in the cards for next weekend, dropping lows into the 40s or possibly 30s. But that’s a long ways out for now, so we’ll just have to wait and see what unfolds.

Good morning. We’re going to see a real pop in temperatures this afternoon with a warm, southwesterly flow in place that will push high temperatures to around 80 degrees. It’s quite possible that Houston (81 degrees), Galveston (75 degrees), and College Station (81 degrees) will match or even break existing records for daily highs. Please clap. A cold front will arrive around sunrise on Thursday morning to cool us down.

Wednesday

I’ve included a short satellite loop (below) this morning because it clearly shows the rapid southwesterly flow in place over Texas this morning. This influx of warmer and somewhat drier air will lead to highs of around 80 degrees today, despite an increasing preponderance of clouds. Surface winds today will be out of the southwest at 10 to 15 mph, with higher gusts. Low temperatures tonight will only drop into the mid-60s ahead of the cold front on Thursday morning.

Thursday

The front should push into Houston around sunrise, perhaps earlier the further inland you live, and perhaps a bit after if you live near the coast. We cannot rule out a thin line of moderate showers with the front, but it’s unlikely, and if it does rain, the showers will end soon. Temperatures will drop into the low 60s after the front’s passage, with highs only climbing into the mid-60s despite lots of sunshine. Winds will be brisk on Thursday, with gusts out of the north at 20 to 25 mph. Lows will drop into the low 40s on Thursday night, with colder conditions further inland of Houston.

Friday

A fine winter day, with sunny skies and highs in the low 60s. Winds will be out of the north at about 10 mph. Lows Friday night will be the coldest of the week, dropping to around 40 degrees in Houston, with outlying areas seeing the 30s.

Saturday

Another cool day, with sunny skies and highs in the low to mid-60s. However, as winds turn to come from the south, we’ll start to see an increase in dewpoints. Lows on Saturday night will only drop to around 50 degrees in Houston.

Sunday

If you’re running the Houston Marathon, look for start line temperatures in the low 50s. But with sunny skies and a southerly flow, look for things to heat up fairly quickly, with highs climbing into the mid-70s. Winds will be gusty, out of the south, up to 20 mph. Dewpoints will be such that it will start to feel a bit sticky by late morning. Lows on Sunday night will only drop into the mid-60s.

Next week

The first half of next week looks warmer, with partly cloudy skies and highs of around 80 degrees. Lows probably will only drop into the 60s. Some rain chances return around Wednesday, when the first of a few fronts arrives to start cooling the region back down. Next weekend probably will have us back down in the low 40s for lows, with the potential for even colder weather near the end of the month. We shall see.

Good morning. The biggest weather story of the next few days is the fog we’ll see over the next couple of mornings. A front on Thursday morning will usher in some colder and drier air to end that. But we’ll see a warming trend this weekend, and most of next week looks rather toasty for January. Does that spell the end of winter? Read on to find out.

Tuesday

Widespread fog has developed this morning as low temperatures and dewpoints are both about 60 degrees. As the air temperature rises this morning, the fog will dissipate, leaving mostly sunny skies. High temperatures this afternoon will reach the mid-70s, with light southwesterly winds. Low temperatures tonight will drop into the low-60s, and with matching dewpoints we can again expect the development of some fog.

Wednesday

This will be the warmest day of the week, with partly to mostly sunny skies, and highs near 80 degrees for much of the area. Winds will be out of the southwest at 10 to 15 mph. Wednesday night will only see lows drop into the low- to mid-60s.

Thursday

At some point on Thursday morning, probably around sunrise, a cold front will sweep through the Houston region. My sense is that this front will be dry as it moves into Houston, although there is a slight possibility for some storms associated with the front to form north of Houston, particularly north of Highway 105 in Montgomery County. Dewpoints will plunge behind the front, so we’re going to see sunny skies, with highs in the low- to mid-60s, and dry air on Thursday. Winds will be notable out of the north, gusting to perhaps 25 mph. They should dial back some by Thursday night as lows drop into the low 40s.

Friday

This will be the chilliest day of the week, with highs struggling to reach 60 degrees despite sunny skies. Winds will be out of the north at around 10 mph. We will see ideal conditions for cooling on Friday night, with Houston dropping to around 40 degrees, and inland areas perhaps into the upper 30s.

Saturday

After a chilly start, temperatures on Saturday will warm into the mid- to upper-60s. You may notice the onshore flow resuming, which will moderate temperatures on Saturday night, dropping only to around 50 degrees. This looks like a fine, fine day for outdoor activities.

Sunday

The second half of the weekend will be warmer. If you’re running the Houston Marathon, start line temperatures will be in the low 50s. However, there are a few things I’m concerned about as a runner. First of all, dewpoints will also be in the 50s, so the lack of appreciably dry air will be noticeable. Winds will also be picking up, gusting out of the south at 15 to 20 mph. Fortunately there’s not too much southward running in the marathon route. Temperatures will also rise pretty quickly, to about 70 degrees by noon, and mid-70s by the afternoon. Bottom line, stay properly hydrated. If you’re a slower runner like me, the second half of the marathon will be fairly warm. Lows on Sunday night will only drop into the mid-60s.

Next week

The forecast for next week is warm. We may see a few weaker fronts that will bring some slightly elevated rain chances. Overall, however, we’re looking at highs in the upper 70s and lows in the 50s, probably. It won’t feel like winter, however that does not mean we’re done with the cold. A good friend asked me Monday if winter was over. I replied that it is not, and indeed there are some hints in the models at a colder spell about 10 to 12 days from now. So winter? Yeah it’s probably coming back toward the end of this month.

Houston just experienced a wild weekend of weather.

On Saturday our region set record high temperatures, with 81 degrees breaking the city’s previous record by 2 degrees, and plenty of sultry humidity. Also, the mosquitoes in my backyard were some of the worst I can ever recall in the Houston region, and I lived through Tropical Storm Allison. Not something I expected to see in January.

The storms on Saturday night were, frankly, more intense than expected. They brought heavy rains—while most of Houston saw 1 to 2 inches, a few pockets of the metro area saw as much as 5 inches—along with very active lightning and hail. There was even a funnel cloud that prompted tornado warnings.

And then things cleared out on Sunday morning. By the afternoon conditions were some of the nicest we will see all year. If you were outside yesterday afternoon, you know. Highs reached about 70 degrees, with sunny skies, dry air, and light northerly winds.

The good news is that we’ve got more pleasant weather on the way for this week.

Monday

Lows have bottomed out near 50 degrees this morning, and while there are some clouds I expect mostly sunny conditions later today. Accordingly, high temperatures should reach the mid- to upper-60s with light easterly winds. Rain chances are about 10 percent. Low temperatures on Monday night will be a few degrees warmer, perhaps dropping into the low 50s for much of the metro area.

Tuesday

As winds turn southerly, look for a partly sunny day on Tuesday with highs in the low 70s and increasing humidity levels. Low temperatures on Tuesday night will only drop into the low 60s, with slightly cooler condition further inland.

Wednesday

This will be the warmest day of the week, with partly sunny skies and highs in the upper 70s with possibly a few readings of 80 degrees around the city. Wednesday night will be warm, with some scattered showers possible late Wednesday night ahead of the next front.

Thursday

The aforementioned front arrives Thursday morning, and it does not look like there will be a line of storms with this one. However, after the front’s passage we will see brisk northerly winds, and as a result the region will be colder for a few days in its wake. Look for sunny skies and highs in the mid-60s on Thursday, with temperatures dropping into the 40s Thursday night.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

Friday and Saturday will be clear and chilly, with highs in the mid-60s. Temperatures will bottom out on Saturday morning, possibly reaching the upper 30s for inland areas, with most of Houston around 40 degrees or a touch warmer.

If you’re running the Houston Marathon on Sunday morning, the onshore flow will probably have returned. So while start line temperatures may be in the vicinity of 50 degrees, the area will likely warm into the low 70s during the afternoon. Some uncertainty remains this far out, of course, but I feel reasonably confident in warming conditions, as well as very low to non-existent rain chances.

Next week

It looks like the next front will arrive some time on Monday, or so, and this will bring the region’s next real chance of rainfall. The overall details are fuzzy, but I’d guess that most of next week brings highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s.