Eric Berger

This weekend a reader reminded me of something we published two years ago—an answer to the question of when would be the best time to plan an outdoor wedding in Houston in anticipation of fair weather. After a bit of research we concluded that, “the best time for outdoor weddings in Houston is the last two weeks of March, during the afternoon or evening hours.” Melanie said she had just had a wonderful wedding, and I must admit these two weekends during the last half of March have been pretty pleasant. Forecasts don’t always work out, but it’s nice when they do. Congratulations Melanie!

Monday

We’ll continue to see warm weather to start the week as a southerly flow persists. Winds today will be out of the south at 10 to 15 mph, with higher gusts. As this happens moisture levels will increase in the atmosphere, and we’ll start to see some clouds in the sky. However, I think enough sunshine will break through to allow high temperatures to reach the low- to mid-80s. Winds will slacken a bit tonight as lows drop into the 60s.

Tuesday

This will be even a windier day as the southerly flow deepens. Gusts out of the south may reach 30 mph or even higher, and this will bring more clouds and warmer air into the region. Despite partly to mostly cloudy skies I think highs will again push into the low- to mid-80s. Lows on Tuesday night may drop below 70 for some coastal areas, with sticky dewpoints, and will only be slightly cooler for inland areas.

Wednesday

A cold front will move through the region on Wednesday morning. The timing is still uncertain, but for now I’d peg its passage during the pre-dawn hours for College Station, mid-morning in Houston, and off the coast by or before noon. It looks like a line of storms may form with this front, bringing some briefly heavy thunderstorms and straight-line winds. The overall threat of severe weather looks fairly low, however. Highs Wednesday will likely get into the 80s after the front with sunny skies, but the drier air moving in will allow to drop into the 50s overnight.

Thursday

This should be a super nice day, with highs in the 70s, dry air, and lots of sunshine. Winds look fairly light, as well.

Friday

The onshore flow resumes on Friday, so we’ll probably see some clouds form as highs reach the upper 70s to 80 degrees.

Saturday and Sunday

Some showers are possibly heading into the weekend, as a modest front moves through. At this point it looks like things will clear out by Saturday morning-ish, allowing for mostly sunny weather from thereafter through the weekend. Highs should be around 80 degrees, give or take, with lows in the upper 50s. Winter is long gone, my friends.

Good morning. Houston’s forecast continues to hold no concerns weather-wise, with spring-like conditions persisting as far as the eye can see. Of course springtime in Houston also means that our lawns, trees, and flower beds start to emerge from their wintertime slumber. And that means pollen. For now, the major concern comes from our trees—particularly oaks—shedding pollen. According to the City of Houston’s Health Department, tree pollen levels are “extremely heavy” at present, having risen nearly 10-fold over the last week.

This, of course, will pass after a few weeks. But until then expect to feel the effects on your allergies, or in a thin film of yellow-greenish dust on your vehicle or other surfaces outside. This is a small price to pay for summertime shade!

Thursday

Temperatures have generally fallen to about 50 degrees this morning, and we’ll see another sunny day today with highs pushing up to around 70 degrees. You probably won’t notice it too much, but a reinforcing shot of dry air should arrive this afternoon with another moderate front. This will be felt most keenly as winds shift to come from the north-northeast this afternoon. Lows tonight should drop into the 40s with drier air and clear skies.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

As high pressure in the wake of this second front dominates our weather, expect fair conditions through the weekend. Each day will see high temperatures of around 80 degrees, with nights mostly in the 50s. Skies will be mostly sunny, with the possible exception of Sunday, which may see a few clouds. Dewpoints will start to rise this weekend as winds turn southerly, but there will be enough dry air both days such that it won’t feel overly humid. So, yeah, this will be a great spring-time weekend.

Next week

As the onshore flow gets going, clouds will return next week, along with some modest rain chances by later Tuesday and Wednesday. Highs will remain in the range of 80 degrees, with nights in the 60s. It looks like our next front, a relatively weak one, will arrive later on Wednesday or Thursday, likely dropping lows back into the 50s.

Good morning. Before the forecast, let me just say a few words about Tuesday’s storms. Most of the tornadoes associated with this powerful system remained well to the west (Austin), north (Crockett), and east of the Houston metro area. Notably, a powerful tornado struck the New Orleans area on Tuesday night, killing at least one person, and damaging many homes. Such large tornadoes are relatively rare in cities near the Gulf coast, a category which includes Houston. Why? Because the supercells that produce them typically form and pass further inland. This is due to the sharp temperature gradients needed between warmer and cooler air to produce tornadic rotation, which are often not present so close to the Gulf of Mexico. Usually, but not always, the tornadoes we see in Houston are EF-0 to EF-1, with winds of about 60 to 100 mph. An assessment will be performed today to determine the strength of the New Orleans twister.

Wednesday

Temperatures have generally fallen into the upper 40s across the metro area and winds have died down this morning. With high pressure holding sway we’ll see some gorgeous spring weather this week. I call this “almost painful” weather because living in Houston we know the kind of heat and humidity that is coming this summer, and it’s almost painful to think about how pleasant things are now in contrast. But that’s my opinion of course, I know some of my readers absolutely love summers in Houston. To that I say, bless your hearts. High temperatures will reach near 70 degrees today, with winds out of the north at 10 to 15 mph. Low temperatures tonight will be similar, in the upper 40s for most.

Thursday and Friday

We’ll warm up heading toward the end of the work week, with highs in the low 70s on Thursday, and near 80 degrees by Friday. Lows should still drop into the 50s.

Saturday and Sunday

The onshore flow resumes this weekend, but we still should see fairly dry air and mostly sunny skies. In short, it should be another great weekend for whatever springtime activities you have in mind. Both days should see high temperatures of around 80 degrees, give or take. There are no rainfall concerns.

Next week

Clouds return to the forecast for the first half of next week, but for now I’m not anticipating much in the way of rainfall. Dewpoints will continue to rise, however, so we’ll become friendly with humidity by Monday or Tuesday. The next front should arrive later on Wednesday or next Thursday, but we’ve now reached the point of the forecast where it should be written in pencil, so we’ll just have to see what this way comes.

The much discussed cold front is advancing toward the Houston metro area, and will push through the region this morning. It is producing a squall line of strong thunderstorms. This line of storms, presently along a line from Victoria-to-Sealy-to-near-The Woodlands, should reach areas such as Sugar Land, Tomball, and downtown Houston by around or before 7 am CT; League City and Baytown by around 8 am, and have exited the area shortly after that.

The good news is that, as these storms have moved eastward overnight across Texas, they have lost some of their severity. Therefore, while there remains a chance of hail and tornadoes, that threat should diminish somewhat as the storms moves through our region this morning. Probably the biggest severe weather worry at this point is straight-line wind gusts of 50 or possibly even 60 mph.

The other concern is heavy rainfall as the squall line moves in. Some areas may quickly pick up 2 to 4 inches of rainfall this morning, flooding streets for a short time as high rainfall rates overwhelm roadways. Again, this threat should end quickly as storms exit to the east.

Unfortunately, the Houston metro area will be affected this morning as people are heading to work, and children going to school. If it is possible to delay travel until the squall line as passed your area, that would be for the best.

Beginning later this morning, high pressure will ensure that our weather is fair for the remainder of the week, with plenty of sunshine and pleasantly dry air.