For the time being it will be pollen, rather than precipitation, falling from our skies

Good morning. Houston’s not hot, but definitely not cold, weather will continue for several more days. In the meantime, while we can expect plenty of things to fall out of the sky, rain drops are unlikely to be among them. Instead, we should see the continuation of high season for tree pollen in Houston. It is everywhere in the air at the moment, and this pattern is unlikely to change for at least the next week. As for rainfall, chances may pick up about 8 to 10 days from now.

At Hobby Airport, there has not been substantial precipitation since early February. (National Weather Service)

Wednesday

If you’ve been paying attention to the weather this week, then you have a pretty good idea of what to expect today outside. Coastal areas will see fog this morning. Mostly cloudy skies to start the day may break up just slightly during the afternoon hours to provide a little sunshine. And for most of us, high temperatures will be climbing into the mid-80s to make for a warm day.

If you’re heading to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo this evening, you can once again count on mild conditions. Temperatures this evening will be in the upper 70s, with moderate southerly winds. Rain chances are near zero. Overnight lows in Houston will only drop to around 70 degrees, or slightly below that the further inland one goes.

Thursday

Basically, a carbon copy of Wednesday.

Friday

By late Thursday night or early Friday, a weak—an oh so very weak—front will be approaching the Houston region from the north. It’s going to stall out somewhere, and the models are still a bit uncertain where. At this point, if I’m forced to predict, I’d say it stops north of Interstate 10. The bottom line is that, for now, I’d expect most of the area to see a warm day in the 80s, albeit with a slight 10 to 20 percent chance of rain. Lows on Friday night may drop into the low- to mid-60s for areas north of Interstate 10, due to the influence of the front, but humidity levels aren’t going down very much.

Saturday and Sunday

This will be one of the warmest weekends of 2023 to date. Saturday should see highs in the low to mid-80s with partly sunny skies, with Sunday seeing highs jump into the upper 80s due to a warmer westerly flow. On Sunday you’ll probably also notice the winds out of the west, gusting to 20 mph or higher. At some point on Sunday, perhaps during the afternoon, or perhaps later in the evening or overnight, a more substantial front will work its way into Houston. This one should go all the way to the coast and offshore. Lows on Sunday night will be cooler as a result. At this point the frontal passage looks mostly dry, in terms of rainfall.

Cooler weather finally arrives on Sunday night in Houston. (Weather Bell)

Next week

Said front will give us a few days of cooler, and probably mostly sunny weather to start next week. We’re talking mostly about highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s. After a warming trend, a second front may push into the region by Friday-ish. At this point the models are still holding onto a chance for decent rain accumulations with this front, but since we’re talking about a forecast nine days from now, I would not hold my breath. But golly, we sure could use some rain.

Warm through the weekend, with an especially toasty Sunday for March

Houston’s warm and mostly humid—but largely rain-free—weather will continue through the weekend. As a matter of fact, highs may really pop up on Sunday ahead of front that will send us back toward more March-like weather.

Tuesday

With high pressure in place, and a warm southerly flow, today will be fairly warm with high temperatures in the mid-80s and partly sunny skies. Only coastal areas will remain in the upper 70s. Winds will be light, and generally from the south or southeast.

If you’re heading to the rodeo, you can expect mild conditions. Temperatures will be in the upper 70s before the show, falling to the low- or mid-70s with moderate southerly winds afterwards. Skies will be mostly cloudy this evening, and we can expect overnight lows to only briefly drop into the upper 60s in Houston.

Wednesday and Thursday

These days will bring more of the same, which is to say highs in the mid-80s, partly sunny skies, and warm nights. Daytime winds will become a bit greater each day, perhaps gusting to 15 to 20 mph out of the south by Thursday afternoon.

High temperature forecast for Friday shows a chance for some slightly modified temperatures. (National Weather Service)

Friday

A weak front will slowly drift down into Houston on Friday morning, but there is some question about how far it will progress. At this point, I think it has a decent chance of reaching the coast, in which case we will see some slightly drier air. (There looks to be little likelihood of rain with said front). In any case, Inland areas may only see highs in the 70s on Friday, with the coast being a little warmer. Low temperatures on Friday night may drop into the low 60s.

Saturday and Sunday

To be clear, the weekend forecast remains in flux. But what I think will happen is that the area may see some lingering dry-ish air from the front, but the onshore flow will be pushing back into the area. Accordingly we should see high temperatures in the ballpark of 80 degrees with a fair amount of sunshine. In terms of warmth, Sunday could be fairly hot. This is because we’re going to see a more westerly flow, and this probably will make temperatures pop up into the upper 80s.

And Sunday, well Sunday just looks hot. (Weather Bell)

Next week

Some sort of stronger front will arrive by early next week, likely on Monday. This should set the stage for a few days in the 70s, with overnight lows in the 50s, or thereabouts. In other words, it should feel a little bit more like March, rather than late April or May. Rain chances may start to perk up toward the end of next week, which would be a welcome development for our drying grounds. I’ll have more on that tomorrow.

The weather is not going to change much this week in Houston

Good morning. I sure hope you were able to enjoy some time out of doors this weekend. Sure, some people may quibble that the temperature was a tad warm on Sunday, or note that tree pollen levels are rather high. But in terms of two sunny days, with dry air and moderate temperatures, you’re not going to beat the weather we just experienced in Houston. This past weekend sits high on my list of finest weekend weather of the year for 2023.

It’s a good week for those who like the same weather every day. (Weather Bell)

As for what’s ahead, well, the forecast is pretty vanilla. While we had been expecting a fairly strong front to push into the region toward the end of this week, it now looks like the colder air associated with this system will largely get shunted off to the east of Houston. The bottom line is that our weather will be moderate for awhile.

Monday

As a warmer, southerly flow returns to the area, we’re seeing some scattered fog this morning as dewpoints and temperatures are the same. Skies will become partly sunny later today, with high temperatures reaching about 80 degrees. Winds will be light, out of the south or southeast.

Conditions for the rodeo this evening will be mild, with temperatures in the mid-70s, light winds, and somewhat humid air. There really are no concerns if you’re heading to the show. Clouds build again tonight with lows only dropping to around 70 degrees in Houston.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday

These will more or less be the same day in terms of weather. We’re looking at high temperatures in the low- to mid-80s, with a mix of clouds and sunshine. Each day should see slightly progressively stronger southerly winds, with gusts of up to 20 mph possible by Thursday or so. Low temperatures will be around 70 degrees, with cloudy nights. Fog will be possible each morning.

Friday

Last week we expected a front to move all the way through Houston by Friday, bringing in substantially colder air. Well, I’m sorry to disappoint those of you who like cold weather, but it’s not happening. Such is the peril of forecasting the weather more than a week out. Rather the front is going to move toward our region and stall out somewhere along or north of Interstate 10, most likely. That means the region will see a decent chance of showers on Friday, as this boundary stalls out. Accumulations look low at this point, but the precipitation forecast remains fuzzy. Anyway, inland areas may see highs in the 70s on Friday, while areas closer to the coast remain in the low 80s.

Rain accumulations will be low through Thursday (shown above) but some slightly better chances arrive Friday. (Weather Bell)

Saturday and Sunday

The weekend forecast is up in the air, so to speak. It’s possible that a slightly drier air mass moves into the region, and if so I would ballpark high temperatures in the mid-70s, with partly sunny skies, and mild nights with lows around 60 degrees. But we could just as easily remain fairly warm and humid. Put me solidly in the to-be-determined camp.

Next week

It does appear as though some sort of front will make it through about one week from today, and that will usher in cooler and drier conditions for most of Spring Break in Houston. How cool? I’m hesitant to say, but I’d guess we’ll see nights in the 40s or 50s.

Storms are possible tonight as a front swoops into Houston; and is mid-March going to be really cold?

Good morning. We’re experiencing yet another muggy and warm morning across the region, but rest assured this will be the last one until early next week. This evening, we will need to watch for the possibility of storms affecting Houston as a cold front moves into our region, but at this point our concern-o-meter is not registering too high. But do be wary of the possibility of some strong thunderstorms after dark. Also, this post will also address some questions we’ve been receiving about the potential for a decent cold snap in the middle of March.

The threat of severe weather will be greater tonight north of the Houston metro area. (NOAA)

Thursday

Highs today will reach the low 80s, beneath mostly cloudy skies. Perhaps the most notable feature today will be fairly strong southerly winds, gusting to about 30 mph. We may see a few scattered, light showers during the daytime, but a capping inversion should prevent any significant rainfall during the day time. The question is, what happens when the front nears?

We’ll find out tonight. The front should reach western areas of Houston, including Katy, around 8 to 10 pm, the downtown area between 9 pm and 11 pm, and push off the coast by midnight or shortly thereafter, Most of the region falls under a “slight” chance of severe weather, which includes the possibility of strong thunderstorms, hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes. My expectations are that most of this severe weather will pass to the north of the Houston metro area, but we can’t rule out thunderstorms or other inclement weather as the front sweeps through.

If you’re out and about this evening, such as attending the rodeo, it is important to keep weather aware after the show is over. This will be a fast moving front. The worst of the storms should pass in 15 to 30 minutes. So if there are storms moving through, do not try running to your car or “making” it. Stay under cover, and the system will pass quickly. Lows tonight will drop into the mid-50s.

Friday

This will be a sunny and breezy day, with highs of around 70 degrees. Gusts will be out of the north at about 20 mph. Lows on Friday night should drop to around 50 degrees in Houston, with cooler conditions further inland.

Saturday and Sunday

The weekend looks sunny and pleasant, with highs in the upper 70s both days, and lows Saturday night in the 50s, and Sunday night in the 60s. Plan your outdoor activities with confidence.

A colder air mass will be moving into the United States later next week. (Pivotal Weather)

Next week

Houston will be warm and partly cloudy next week through about Wednesday. But after that? Some sort of front is in the cards by around Thursday or so. The models have been flopping around a fair bit, but we do seem headed toward much cooler weather by next weekend. This is because the overall air mass over the Central United States will be turning colder at this time, and we’ll have to see how much of this colder air works its way south into the Houston region. For now, I’d bet this means lows in the 40s, but that remains to be seen. If you’re worried about a freeze, it put the chances of this happening in Houston at 10 percent or less.