Eric Berger

In brief: Houston will experience three more days of cooler weather before a warmer pattern sets in, and likely will prevail for nearly all of the remainder of 2024. We’re still anticipating mild conditions on Christmas Day, with the possibility of some showers on Christmas Eve.

Baby, it’s cold outside

For a lot of people, myself included, holiday weather should feel chilly outside. Well, as you’ll see in the forecast below, Christmas Day in Houston is not going to feel like the holidays in the sense that it will not be cold. Conditions will feel rather mild, instead. However we do have some decidedly chilly weather in store for now through Sunday, so if that’s your thing, make plans for some outdoor activities, sweaters, and hot cocoa over the next few days. Speaking of holiday activities outside, a reminder that our longtime partner, Reliant, is known for lighting up the holidays and is bringing you several family fun experiences to check out!

Reliant worked with their friends at Houston Botanic Garden to offer Space City Weather readers a discount code on Radiant Nature tickets. I reviewed my experience at Radiant Nature with my family here, which was quite a delight. For $2 off up to two tickets, use code “RNSCW.” Click here for tickets through the remainder of 2024. Click here for tickets in January and February of 2025.

Additionally, Galaxy Lights, presented by Reliant at Space Center Houston runs through January 5 and with Reliant’s sponsorship of Space City Weather, you can get $5 off your tickets if you use code: GLSCW24!

Friday

Temperatures have generally fallen into the upper 40s this morning, with light winds from the north. Today will be pleasant, with high temperatures reaching the upper 60s this afternoon and plenty of sunshine. We’ll see an uptick in winds this afternoon as a reinforcing cold front arrives from the north, so if you notice some gusts that’s what’s coming in. The front will bring drier air in, and this will help temperatures drop to about 40 degrees in Houston tonight. Conditions will be even colder for far inland areas, so if you’re going to be out and about on Saturday morning bring a jacket.

Saturday

A cold and sunny day. High temperatures may struggle to climb beyond the upper 50s for some locations, but with light winds and sunshine it should not feel all that cold. Saturday night will be chilly again, with lows in the lower 40s in Houston—so a bit warmer than Friday night. But not much.

Sunday

Another sunny day. However, with high pressure departing to the east we’ll start to see winds coming more from the southeast. So daytime temperatures will probably reach the upper 60s, and then Sunday night will be warmer, in the 50s. Some clouds may start to float in as well.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday

The period leading toward Christmas Day will bring a warming trend, with highs generally in the lower 70s. With a slightly more unsettled pattern we should see some decent rain chances on Christmas Eve and the night before the holiday. However at this point Christmas Day will probably see partly sunny skies and only a low-end chance for some scattered showers. Anyway, it won’t be too hot, and it won’t be too cold.

Rest of next week

The final week of the year looks to be fairly warm for late December. Generally we probably can expect highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s to about 60 degrees. Some decent rain chances will be in the cards, but I don’t anticipate anything that might bring flooding or that kind of thing. Some sort of front probably will come pushing through right before the end of the year, but whether that’s New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day or something else is hard to say.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

In brief: Houston’s fling with warm, muggy, and at-times foggy weather will end today with the passage of a cold front this afternoon. This will usher in several days of sunny, cooler weather with ample dry air. A warming trend returns next week, but the overall outlook for Christmas Day is mild, with rain chances near zero.

Sea fog

Conditions are ideal this morning for the development of dense fog, and we are seeing just that with light winds and saturated air. Visibility in some locations is as low as one-quarter of a mile, and it is making driving hazardous and slower than normal. And hey, driving in Houston at rush hour is already pretty slow and hazardous, you know? The fog should dissipate by a couple of hours after sunrise, and with drier air moving in this afternoon it will no longer be a concern for awhile.

Wednesday

After the fog clears this morning skies should be partly to mostly sunny, and highs will likely reach at least the lower 70s today with plenty of humidity. The front should push into northwestern regions by around noon today, as a broken line of showers (with perhaps a few thunderstorms). This line will progress rapidly toward the coast, and likely be offshore by the mid- to late-afternoon hours. Gusty northerly winds will follow, quickly dropping dewpoints. Temperatures will fall to around 60 degrees by sunset, and most of Houston will bottom out in the upper 40s by early Thursday.

Thursday and Friday

These will be a pair of fine, clear days with high temperatures in the low- to mid-60s. Winds will generally be light, from the north. Thursday night will again see lows in the upper 40s, but Friday night into Saturday morning will be chillier due to a reinforcing front. Expect some inland areas to reach the mid- to upper-30s.

Saturday

This will be the coldest day of the forecast period, with high temperatures in the upper 50s to perhaps 60 degrees, with plenty of sunshine. Lows Saturday night will drop to the low 40s in Houston.

Sunday

Another sunny day, with highs in the low 60s probably, and a bit warmer conditions Sunday night.

Next week

Most of next week looks warmer, with highs generally in the 70s, lows in the upper 50s, and modestly humid air. The models continue to suggest that some rain will be possible later next week, but for now it very likely will hold off for Christmas Day.

In brief: The overall pattern remains the same, with a little more than one day of muggy and warm weather ahead of a cold front that will usher in much more seasonable weather. This front will bring cooler conditions for the rest of the week, and into early next week. However we’ll see a warming trend by Christmas Day next week, when conditions look to be fairly mild.

Tuesday

We’re starting out this morning with fairly widespread fog due to temperatures nearly matching dewpoints, and calm winds. It may persist for an hour or two after sunrise. After that, if you liked Monday’s weather, you’re in luck. Today will be similar, with high temperatures in the upper 70s to 80 degrees, and partly sunny skies. We’ll see a few isolated showers this afternoon, with the barest chance of a thunderstorm. Lows tonight will drop into the mid-60s, with partly cloudy skies. Expect the possibility of some fog again tonight and on Wednesday morning.

Wednesday

Houston will experience the same muggy pattern on Wednesday ahead of a cold front. The timing of the front is a bit uncertain still, but I expect a broken line of showers to advance into Houston from the northwest, perhaps reaching areas such as Katy and the Woodlands around noon-ish, and the coast during the late afternoon hours. Although the showers look to be hit or miss, the region will experience some fairly stiff northwesterly winds almost immediately with the front’s passage. Expect gusts up to 25 mph or so as drier air blows in. Temperatures should drop into the 50s after sunset, and most of the region away from the coast should drop into the upper 40s overnight as skies clear.

Thursday and Friday

These will be a pair of mostly sunny days with high temperatures generally in the mid-60s, and mostly light northerly winds. Thursday night should drop into the upper 40s, but Friday night looks colder with an additional surge of cooler air. Most of the region should drop to around 40 degrees, with some inland areas hitting the upper 30s.

Saturday and Sunday

Mostly sunny and cooler weather continues through the weekend. High temperatures on Saturday will top out at about 60 degrees, with another cold night, followed by mid-60s on Sunday, and a slightly warmer night. We have zero weather concerns about weather during the final weekend before Christmas.

Next week

We continue to expect to see a warming trend beginning next week, which will probably last at least through Christmas Day. There remains some uncertainty in the details, but my best guess for weather by next Wednesday is lows in the upper 50s, highs in the 70s, modest humidity, and partly sunny skies. It’s way too early to have any confidence in whether it will rain or not on the holiday, but it remains a possibility.

In brief: It decidedly did not feel like the holidays this weekend in Houston, and we’ve got a few more warm and muggy days before a front arrives to bring much more seasonal weather into the forecast. There will be plenty of drier air and chilly temperatures this coming weekend. But what of Christmas Day?

December is half over

Believe it or not, the month of December is half over. Until this weekend, the Houston region was experiencing fairly normal weather for this time of year. But highs this weekend were quite a bit above normal. In fact, Sunday morning’s low temperature of 66 degrees was a couple of degrees warmer than the typical high for mid-December. We’ll remain fairly warm and muggy until the arrival of a front on Wednesday afternoon or evening, which will bring cooler conditions through the weekend. As for the upcoming Christmas holiday forecast, I’ll make an attempt below.

Monday and Tuesday

The first two days of this week will be much the same, with high temperatures in the vicinity of the upper 70s to 80 degrees. With sticky dewpoints and light southwesterly winds, each morning will also be a candidate for fog, especially in coastal counties. Skies will be partly sunny during the daytime, with nights muggy and only dropping into the mid- to upper-60s for most locations. There will be a chance for some (mostly) light showers each day, but they will be pretty isolated. All in all, not very festive.

Wednesday

But fortunately, change is coming. Wednesday will start out much the same as the previous two days, which is to say warm and muggy. Some time, probably during the afternoon but it could be earlier or later, a front will move down from the northwest. There is likely to be a broken line of showers, and possibly a few thunderstorms, with the front. However, at least half of us, and perhaps more, are unlikely to see much rain. Anyway, temperatures will drop pretty quickly after the front’s passage, so you’ll notice it. Houston should reach highs in at least the mid-70s before the front cools us down. Lows on Wednesday night will drop into the 40s for inland areas, and 50s for the urban core of Houston and the coast.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

The second half of the week looks to be mostly sunny and significantly cooler, with dry air. Thursday and Friday should be in the 60s, with lows around 50, and Saturday and Sunday a bit cooler still as a reinforcing push arrives. Lows this weekend should drop into the 40s in Houston, with the upper 30s possible for far inland areas. The last full weekend before Christmas should feel very holiday-like!

And what lies under the tree for Christmas Day?

Only a fool would try to make a point forecast for nine days from now, but I will step forward this morning to be the sacrificial fool. It’s pretty clear that we’re going to see a warming trend by Monday and Tuesday of next week. But how warm will we get?

Right now the best ballpark guess for Christmas morning is temperatures somewhere in the 50s, with partly cloudy skies. High temperatures probably will get into the low- to mid-70s. Dewpoints don’t look crazy high, so right now I don’t expect a muggy day such as we experienced this past Sunday. By the middle of next week the pattern will be supportive of rain, but there’s no strong signal yet for any widespread rain on Christmas Day. All of this could, of course, change. But right now the outlook is for an at-least somewhat pleasant day.