Eric Berger

Sunday’s temperatures were remarkably mild for late May in Houston, with highs generally in the upper 70s to 80 degrees during the afternoon hours thanks to a weak front this weekend, and persistent cloud cover. That pattern will change this week, mostly sunny to sunny skies for most of the week. But we’re not going to get too hot.

One thing to note, however. We’re also not going full bore into summer-like humidity this week. That is certainly coming, but with dewpoints generally in the low- to mid-60s this week our air won’t be oppressively humid. So if you’re thinking this week feels a bit like summer, well, just you wait.

Monday

Slightly cooler air will linger today, keeping high temperatures in the mid- to upper 80s despite mostly sunny skies. Winds will be light, out of the northeast, at about 5 mph, shifting to come from the east overnight. Lows will drop to around 70 degrees in Houston, and perhaps a few degrees cooler for inland areas.

Tuesday

Warming up a little more, with sunny skies and high temperatures of about 90 degrees. Winds will be light, out of the north, at perhaps 5 mph. Lows on Friday night will again drop to about 70 degrees in the city of Houston.

Wednesday

This will be another mostly sunny day with highs of around 90 degrees. The difference is that an atmospheric disturbance drops into the region during the daytime, and this may produce a slight or even decent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. For now let’s ballpark rain chances at 20 percent, but this may go higher.

Thursday and Friday

Both of these days should see sunny skies, with highs in the upper 80s to 90 degrees.

Saturday, Sunday and Monday

Warm and moderately humid conditions continue into Memorial Day weekend, with highs of around 90 degrees, and lows around 70 degrees. Skies should be mostly sunny on Saturday and Sunday, with the possibility of some clouds by Monday. We’ll see. Some slight rain chances probably return by Tuesday or so of next week, as we get close to June.

Good morning. We are now in the second half of May, a period I like to call “early summer,” when we first start to see 90-degree temperatures with some regularity, but some nights in the 60s are still possible, and there’s still the thinnest hope of a weak front. That weak front is coming Saturday, and it will bring us a few days with slightly drier air. After that? Well, we’ll be at the end of the month with June right around the corner.

Surely you know what that means?

Thursday

Today will be sunny and warm, with high temperatures around 90 degrees. Winds will be light and variable. Lows tonight will drop to around 70 degrees.

Friday

Did you like Thursday? Good, because Friday and Friday night will be pretty much the same, with only a slight uptick in winds, now coming from the south.

Saturday

A weak front should cross the region on Saturday afternoon and evening. There is not going to be a whole lot of instability for the front to work with, so at this point I’d peg the chances of a shower or thunderstorm at any given location in Houston at about 20 percent during the daytime or evening. Highs will reach about 90 degrees, with partly to mostly cloudy skies.

Sunday

Clouds will linger for much of Sunday, but highs will be slightly cooler in the wake of the front, with highs in the mid-80s. That back-burner, 20 percent chance of rain will linger throughout the day before things clear out Sunday night. Lows should drop into the upper 60s.

Next week

The first two or three days should see highs in the upper 80s and lows in the upper 60s, with partly sunny skies. The air is not going to be dry, but with dewpoints in the low- to mid-60s, this is going to be as dry as it gets for about four months. Temperatures warm to about 90 degrees with muggier air during the second half of the week. In terms of rainfall, it doesn’t look like there will be much.

If you’re tired of the rain, have I got good news for you. It’s pretty much over for awhile, with a lot of sunny days ahead. Our weather will now enter a much calmer pattern for at least the next week or 10 days. It’s a bit of a siesta for local meteorologists before the Atlantic hurricane season begins in a couple of weeks. I’ll happily take it.

Wednesday

Temperatures have fallen into the upper 60s across much of the metro area this morning in the wake of a weak front. This pattern change will effectively shut down rain chances for awhile, although there is perhaps a 10 percent chance of an isolated shower or storm near the coast this afternoon. Otherwise expect partly to mostly sunny skies with highs in the mid- to upper 80s today with light northwesterly winds. Lows tonight will drop into the upper 60s again.

Thursday

Expect sunny skies and high temperatures near 90 degrees. Winds will be very light, turning southerly later during the day. Lows on Thursday night will drop down to around 70 degrees, or perhaps a bit lower for inland areas.

Friday

Another sunny and warm day, with high temperatures around 90 degrees or a bit higher. Lows on Friday night will drop to around 70 degrees, or a bit lower.

Saturday and Sunday

Partly to perhaps mostly cloudy skies on Saturday will likely limit temperatures to about 90 degrees. Another weak front arrives sometimes during the daytime on Saturday, and this instability will bring a 20 percent chance of rain into the forecast on Saturday and Sunday, but most of us should remain dry. Sunday should be a bit cooler, with highs in the mid-80s. Lows on both nights this weekend will reach about 70 degrees.

Next week

Monday and Tuesday look to be partly to mostly sunny days with highs in the mid-80s. Our air is not going to be dry, per se, but with dewpoints in the 60s it’s not going to feel exactly Houston humid, either. That is coming with June around the corner, fret not. By the later part of next week we should see highs returning to near 90 degrees. As of now, there appears to be no significant outbreak of showers and thunderstorms next week.

Good morning. After a week or so of wetter and cooler weather, Houston’s pattern will transition to drier and mostly sunny conditions for awhile. We’re also going to see a couple of weak fronts that will bring us slightly less humid conditions for awhile. That is about all you can ask for during the second half of May.

Tuesday

There will be one last chance of showers and thunderstorms this afternoon and early evening, as our atmosphere remains moist, and somewhat fertile for storm activity. The favored area today will be south of Interstate 10, from Galveston Bay to Matagorda Bay. Isolated areas may say 0.5 to 1.5 inch of rain. Rain chances will be lesser, perhaps 30 percent, for areas north of Interstate 10. Skies will be partly to mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid-80s for most. Storms should end this evening, with the loss of daytime heating. Lows tonight will drop to around 70 degrees.

Wednesday

A weak front arrives on Tuesday night, and this should usher in slightly drier air at the surface, and knock a lot of the moisture out of the atmosphere above. Put another way, we’re going to shift from a rainy pattern to a dry one rather abruptly in terms of precipitation. Look for partly sunny skies and highs in the mid-80s. Winds will be out of the northwest at 5 to 10 mph. Lows on Wednesday night will drop into the mid- to upper 60s for much of the region, which is rather pleasant for the second half of May.

Thursday and Friday

These will be a pair of warm days, with highs of around 90 degrees, and sunny skies. Nighttime lows will drop to around 70 degrees.

Saturday and Sunday

My confidence is increasing that a second front will, in fact, push all the way off the coast. Saturday is likely to be warm and sunny ahead of the front, with highs near 90 degrees. There will be a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening, along with the front’s passage, with clouds building overnight. Lows likely drop to around 70 degrees. On Sunday we’ll probably see mostly cloudy skies, with highs in the mid-80s.

Next week

The first half of next week should see a mix of sunshine and clouds, with daytime highs in the mid-80s. Dewpoints will drop into the mid-60s, which is going to feel slightly more comfortable than typical dewpoints in Houston. The bottom line is that this is probably spring’s last gasp. It’s not going to be much, but it’s also a world of difference from highs in the 90s and sultry, summertime humidity.