Eric Berger

Summary: Houston faces several warm and humid days before a front arrives this weekend to cool us down for a bit. The front is likely to bring some rain showers with it, which may impact plans you have for Saturday evening.

Tuesday

Conditions this morning are warm and overcast in Houston, and that’s more or less what we are going to see the remainder of the week with a persistent southerly flow. Skies will be partly to mostly cloudy later this afternoon, and high temperatures will push into the mid-80s. Winds will be fairly robust from the south, with gusts up to 25 mph in response to a front advancing across the state—a front that will, alas, peter out before it reaches the greater Houston metro area. Lows tonight will drop into the low 70s in Houston.

Wednesday and Thursday

Expect more of the same. We’ll see mostly cloudy skies and highs, generally, in the mid-80s. A few spots could get warmer if we see some strategic breaks in the clouds during the afternoon hours. Winds will be from the south at about 10 mph, with gusts up to 20 mph. Nights remain warm and muggy.

Friday

This looks to be the warmest day of the week as skies may be only partly clouded over. This additional sunshine should help nudge daytime temperatures upward, into the upper 80s. A few locations in Houston, particularly to the west of downtown, may hit 90 degrees for the first time this year. With plenty of humidity, this will feel rather warm for mid-April. Overnight lows will continue to run about 10 degrees warmer than normal.

Saturday and Sunday

Saturday should see continued warm and cloudy weather, with highs in the mid-80s and plenty of humidity. However, during the afternoon and evening hours, rain chances will increase, peaking overnight as a front moves into Houston. At this time there is not a strong signal for severe weather to accompany the front, but we’ll continue to watch for this possibility, as spring-time storms are always possible in these kinds of situations.

In terms of accumulations, I don’t think the models have a great handle on things yet, but I’d expect most of the area to receive less than 1 inch of rain with the front. Sunday should see partly to mostly cloudy skies with highs in the 70s and lower humidity. Lows on Sunday night should drop into the upper 50s, or thereabouts, with the push of drier air.

Next week

Monday and Tuesday should be days with at least partly sunny skies and some drier air. So expect highs, perhaps, of around 80 degrees. After that a warmer and more humid pattern returns, with temperatures likely to return to the mid-80s or so.

Summary: After several days of sunny weather, a more southerly flow will take hold of Houston’s weather and that will bring us warm days and nights, mostly cloudy skies, and generally humid weather. This pattern of highs in the mid- to upper-80s will hold until the weekend, when a weak front is likely to move into the area, bringing showers with it.

Monday

Highs today will max out in the low 80s, as the warm southwesterly flow that will bring warmer weather this week is not yet in place. But there will be plenty of moisture in the atmosphere and, accordingly, mostly cloudy skies. Winds will blow from the south at about 10 mph, with occasional gusts up to 20 mph. Lows tonight will drop only to around 70 degrees in Houston.

Tuesday

The area may see a few isolated to scattered showers early on Tuesday in association with a front that will die far to our west, but otherwise we’ll continue to see mostly cloudy skies. Highs will be in the mid-80s with a warm, southerly breeze.

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday

These days will be warm. Skies will be partly to mostly cloudy, but if we get some breaks in the sunshine during the afternoon hours some locations could hit 90 degrees. For the most part, however, we’ll be in the mid- to upper-80s with plenty of humidity. Nights will be very warm for April as well, with lows only dropping into the low-70s. Rain chances are not non-existent, but they’re likely around 10 percent each day.

Saturday and Sunday

The weekend forecast remains in a bit of flux, depending on the timing of a weak front. My best guess is that Saturday brings partly sunny weather, with highs in the mid- to upper-80s, and that there’s a decent chance of rain Saturday evening or overnight ahead of the front. Rain chances linger on Sunday, with highs perhaps in the 70s and some modestly drier air. In a day or two we should be able to iron out some of these details.

Next week

After a couple of cooler days, and nights with lows perhaps around 60 degrees, we’ll probably be back in the mid-80s by the middle of next week.

Summary: Today will be breezy as more dry air filters into the area, but winds will settle down later this afternoon. We’ll see a couple of cooler days and nights, with low humidity, before the onshore flow returns and our temperatures begin to ramp up into the 80s. Rain chances look low to nil for at least the next week.

Thursday

We’re continuing to see a pronounced breeze from the northwest this morning in the wake of Wednesday’s cool front. With clear skies and appreciably drier air today, highs will reach about 80 degrees. But we’ll cool off nicely tonight as winds subside, with lows dropping into the mid-50s in Houston, and even further for inland areas. This will be a fine, chilly night. I am really going to miss spring when it’s gone.

Friday

Another sunny day with dry air. Highs again will be in the vicinity of 80 degrees. However winds will begin to shift, first from the east, and then the southeast overnight. Initially they’ll be pretty light, but this is the beginnings of the onshore flow. Even so, lows on Friday night should drop into the upper 50s in Houston.

Saturday

The first half of the weekend will bring more nice weather, with temperatures of about 80 degrees, and only a few more clouds. We will also start to feel an uptick in humidity, but with dewpoints still in the 50s, it will still feel quite nice. If you’re planning to attend any of the Art Car Parade festivities this weekend, you can be confidence in pleasant weather, albeit with a bit of a southerly breeze. Lows on Saturday night will be warmer, dropping perhaps only into the mid-60s.

Sunday

We’ll still see some sunshine on Sunday, but there will be more clouds mixed in, and humidity will be on the rise. Look for highs in the low- to mid-80s. Sunday night temperatures may not drop below 70 degrees for much of the area.

Next week

Much of next week looks partly to mostly cloudy, with warm days in the mid- to upper-80s and nights in the 70s. It won’t be absolutely sultry, but it will feel more like summer than we’ve felt in awhile. There is a signal for some kind of front by around the end of the week, which should cool us down a bit, and may (or may not) be accompanied by some showers. But that part of the forecast is best written in pencil.

Summary: After early morning thunderstorms, some of which produced severe straight-line winds, calmer weather is moving into Houston. We’ll see mostly sunny weather later this morning, and that will last well into Saturday at least. The next couple of nights will also be chilly—something that will not last much longer this spring.

Overnight storms

Well, did those storms wake anyone else up? The line hit my neighborhood shortly after 4 am CT, and we have significant tree damage as a result. For a few minutes it was pandemonium as a core of very strong winds reached the surface. According to the National Weather Service there were no indications of tornadoes in the Houston metro area. However there were significant winds accompanying the line of storms, with some gusts reaching 60 to 80 mph.

Reports are already rolling in from places as varied as Katy and San Leon of building damage and downed power lines. The good news is that the worst has now passed, and we’ll have several days of much more calm weather to clean up the mess. Additionally, the region picked up some much needed rain with warmer days ahead, and the likelihood of no meaningful precipitation for the next week or so. Most of the area picked up 1 to 3 inches of rain, but a few outliers picked up 4 inches overnight.

Wednesday

As of 6 am CT the strongest line of storms has already reached Beaumont, leaving light rain in its wake in Houston. This rain, too, should end by 7 or 8 am this morning at the latest, and we’ll see northwesterly winds as a front moves into the region. Skies will begin clearing before noon, and afterward we’ll clear out completely. Highs will be in the upper 70s today. The only note of concern is that beginning around noon, and lasting for about 24 hours, we’ll see a fairly stiff north-northwest wind. At times these winds may gust up to 30 or 35 mph. This is the price of drier air in April. Lows tonight will drop into the upper 50s.

Thursday

Aside from the aforementioned winds, which should start subsiding in the afternoon or early evening, this will be a splendid day. Skies will be sunny, with ample dry air. Highs will reach about 80 degrees. Lows will drop into the low- to mid-50s, with cooler conditions for outlying areas. As I’ve been saying, this is likely to be one of our last truly chilly nights of the spring, so if that’s your jam, I suggest you be jamming.

Friday

Another stellar day. This time, there will be no wind concerns. Skies will be sunny, with highs of around 80 degrees. There will still be plenty of dry air, but with the resumption of an onshore flow that will begin to change. Lows on Friday night will drop to around 60 degrees.

Saturday and Sunday

The weekend looks fine for outdoor plans. Saturday will be partly to mostly sunny, with a high of around 80 degrees. Humidity will be rising, but it won’t really start to feel humid until Sunday. There will be a few more clouds during the back half of the weekend, but highs will still manage to reach the low- to mid-80s. By Sunday night our lows will only be dropping to around 70 degrees.

Next week

Most of next week looks warm, with highs in the mid-80s perhaps, and a mix of sunshine and clouds. We’ll see a fairly continuous, robust southerly breeze. It will feel humid outside, but certainly not the kind of humidity we’re used to feeling later in the summer months. The next front looks like it may be about 10 days away.