Eric Berger

Only six weeks ago Houston endured its coldest spell of weather in three decades. Now, we’re on the cusp of a period of much warmer weather, with highs in the upper 80s possible next week. So tonight, as temperatures drop into the upper 40s, be sure and enjoy this taste of fairly cold weather. We probably won’t see its like for another six months, at least.

Thursday

The cold front has come and gone, and except for the coast (where gusts are still in the 30s) winds are beginning to die down. Skies will be sunny today, with highs in the upper 60s to 70 degrees, and a persistent northeasterly wind. As those winds settle down tonight, we’ll see conditions ideal for cooling, with lows dropping into the mid-40s in much of Houston, upper 30s for far inland areas, and low 50s near the coast.

Friday

We’ll enjoy another splendid springtime day, with highs in the upper 60s and more sunshine. As winds shift to come from the east, and then southeast, overnight temperatures will be a few degrees warmer.

Saturday

Clouds will begin to develop Friday night, and Saturday should therefore see mostly cloudy skies to go along with moderate southeasterly winds. Highs will reach about 70 degrees. A bit of an atmospheric disturbance will pass across the region Saturday night, and there may be enough moisture to squeeze out some very light, scattered showers on Saturday night. Lows will drop into the mid- to upper-50s for most.

Easter Sunday

Any showers should be gone by sunrise, and skies for Sunday should be only partly cloudy. Overall, conditions will be pleasant, with highs in the low- to mid-70s. Hide those Easter eggs with confidence!

Next week

The story of next week concerns how warm temperatures will get. I think we may hit the upper 80s by Wednesday or Thursday, along with increasing humidity levels. It won’t be akin to summer in Houston, but it will remind us of what Mother Nature can do as the calendar turns toward April and May. It now looks like our next front may come around Friday, April 9. That’s also when our next chance of significant rain is likely to come. But confidence in that system, and its effects, is rather low at this time.

Conditions are very warm and muggy this morning, with lows across Houston in the 70s. This will change in a few hours, however, as a blustery cold front moves through and makes for a very windy afternoon and overnight period. This front will knock lows into the 40s across much of the area—probably the last time that will happen for some locations this spring.

Wednesday

The aforementioned front should reach the College Station area around sunrise, central Houston around Noon, and push off the coast by mid-afternoon. A broken line of light showers may strengthen as it nears the coast, and finds more moisture. Thunderstorms will be possible immediately along the coast.

Temperatures will drop into the upper 50s to 60 degrees after the front’s passage, and winds will likely gust above 30 mph. Those winds will taper off a bit after sunset for areas north of Interstate 10, but blow along the coast for most of the night. Lows will drop into the 40s, even in Galveston, after midnight.

Thursday

Winds will drop back some on Thursday, although northerly gusts in the low 20s will be possible. Highs will rise into the mid- to upper-60s along with sunny skies. Overnight lows will drop again into the 40s, with some areas in Montgomery County possibly seeing the upper 30s.

Friday

This will be another sunny day, with highs likely slotting somewhere into the upper 60s. Winds will shift to come from offshore later in the day, and this should moderate overnight temperatures a bit.

Saturday

Clouds return, and even with southerly winds this should help to limit highs to around 70 degrees.

Easter Sunday and beyond

Sunrise temperatures will start in the 50s for most, with the coast a little bit warmer. Sunday should bring a little more sunshine, although the afternoon will probably still see partly to mostly cloudy skies. Highs will reach the mid-70s. We also can’t entirely rule out a few scattered, light showers during the afternoon and early evening hours, but most of us will probably remain dry.

As high pressure builds over the region, temperatures will begin climbing into the mid-80s next week, with at least partly cloudy skies. We’ll start to get familiar with our old friend humidity again.

Good morning. Houston’s forecast remains on track, with warm, humid weather before a strong front moves into the region on Wednesday. This will clear out our skies, and cool down our temperatures for most of the rest of the week. Enjoy this spell of cooler weather, as April is right around the corner.

Tuesday

It’s a misty, warm morning for much of the region, with temperatures in the mid- to upper-60s. Humidity is near 100 percent. Some of these clouds will depart later today, and a little sunshine may peak through as highs reach into the low 80s. We could see a few very scattered, very light showers later today and tonight as temperatures remain in the low 70s near the coast, and maybe fall into the upper 60s for inland areas. It will be a warm night, a promise of things to come as the region edges closer to summer.

Wednesday

But it’s not summer yet, as a front on Wednesday will attest! In terms of timing, the front should reach far western and northern parts of the Houston metro area around sunrise, push into the central city by around Noon, and move off the coast during the early afternoon hours. A line of light showers will probably accompany the front, but accumulations should measure only about a tenth of an inch for most. Temperatures will drop about 15 degrees with the front’s passage, into the 50s. Winds will be quite strong out of the north, with some areas seeing 30 mph or greater gusts.

Thursday and Friday

These will be colder and sunnier days. Look for highs in the 60s (perhaps low 60s on Thursday) and lows generally in the 40s for most of the region, and much drier air. We won’t be seeing many more days in the 60s until next fall at the earliest, I suspect.

Saturday and Sunday

By Friday night the onshore flow should return, and this will likely push high temperatures to around 70 degrees by Saturday, and the mid-70s on Easter Sunday. Skies will be partly sunny. The real question is whether we see any rain as atmospheric moisture levels creep back up. For now I think an atmospheric inversion will prevent enough rising air to produce showers, which in any case would be light and scattered were they to develop on Saturday evening or Sunday. Bottom line: Your outdoor Easter plans are probably safe.

Next week

The trend for next week will be one of warming, as highs rise into the 80s, and perhaps even the mid-80s. After Wednesday’s front we’re not seeing any strong indications of another cold front next week. That probably will change at some point, but the warming trend seems clear.

Good morning. Temperatures have generally dropped into the 40s and lower 50s this morning across much of the region, but this flirtation with cooler weather will soon end as winds return from offshore. A stronger front arrives Wednesday, which will bring sunny days and chilly nights heading into Easter weekend. The holiday itself looks pleasant, although we can’t have complete confidence in the forecast this far out.

Monday

Temperatures will rise into the low- to mid-70s today, and really, it’s going to be a rather nice spring day. Skies will be mostly sunny, and winds light, shifting from the north to come from offshore later today. This will be most noticeable in Brazoria and Galveston counties, where some clouds may develop after noon, with a slight chance of showers as well south of Houston. The change in winds will also make for a warmer night, with lows only falling to around 60 degrees in Houston.

Tuesday

Southerly winds will become more noticeable on Tuesday, with mostly cloudy skies. We may see some gusts in the low 20s. The warmer, more humid flow will push temperatures to about 80 degrees, and may produce some very light, scattered showers across the region. Tuesday night’s lows will only drop into the upper 60s.

Wednesday

After a warm night, a cold front will swoop into Houston on Wednesday morning. We still have some questions about timing, but as a best guess the front probably reaches Katy and The Woodlands around sunrise, pushes into the central part of Houston by mid-morning, and off the coast by noon. It looks like a line of light showers will accompany the front, perhaps bringing a tenth of an inch of rain, or so, to most. Temperatures will drop into the 50s behind the front, with blustery northerly winds. Wednesday night’s lows should fall into the 40s for most areas but coastal counties.

Thursday and Friday

We’ll see a sunny and chilly end of the week, with highs on Thursday and Friday in the 60s, and overnight lows Thursday night in the 40s, and low 50s on Friday night. We do not anticipate any freezing temperatures, even for well inland areas. Enjoy!

Easter weekend

Our confidence in the weekend forecast is not particularly high yet. I think we’ll see a mix of sunshine and clouds as the onshore flow returns. Saturday probably will see highs in the 60s, and Sunday will rise to around 70 degrees. While we can rule out any rain chances, for now I think the holiday weekend will probably remain dry.