Eric Berger

Good morning. For the last seven days, temperatures in Houston have averaged 10 to 15 degrees above normal for January, with mostly cloudy skies. Now, following a weak front on Monday, and a stronger one on Wednesday, Houston will return to somewhat more normal conditions for January, with cooler and clearer weather.

Tuesday

In the wake of Monday’s front winds are out of the northwest, but our air mass has modified only slowly, especially along the coast. As a result there is a wide variance in temperatures across Houston this morning, ranging from upper 40s for inland areas like Montgomery County, to the low 60s south of the city. This is because Monday’s front is lingering just offshore, and it may also allow for some clouds to form along the coast later today. Highs should get into the upper 60s or low 70s for most today, with winds shifting to come from the east. Overnight lows should drop into the 50s for most.

Wednesday

Another front will push into Houston on Wednesday morning, and this should bring somewhat more drier air. We can’t rule out some very light showers early Wednesday near the coast. However these will end with the front’s passage, and we should be left with a partly to mostly sunny day, with highs in the 60s. Wednesday night should be the coldest of the week, with temperatures dropping down to the low 40s in Houston.

Thursday and Friday

High pressure will make for a pleasant end to the work week in Houston, with mostly sunny skies predominating. Highs on Thursday may not get much above 60 degrees after the cool start, and Thursday night should again see lows in the 40s. However, by Friday the onshore flow will push highs back into the upper 60s.

Saturday, Sunday, and beyond

The forecast for the weekend is coming into slightly better focus. We expect a warmish and probably cloudy day on Saturday, with high temperatures pushing up into the 70s. A chance of rain enters the forecast later in the day, when another front moves toward the region. Depending on the timing and movement of this front, we’re less confident about Sunday’s weather. Most likely, however, we’ll see partly to mostly sunny skies on Sunday after the front moves through. Monday and Tuesday of next week should see highs in the 60s, and lows in the 40s.

On Wednesday in Houston, the fog never seemed to lift. On Thursday the fog eventually went away, but then a persistent drizzle never seemed to stop drizzling. So what gloom does Friday have to offer Houston? Today, we think, it will just be clouds. If you’re wondering when the sunshine will return, you’re going to have to hang on until Monday.

Friday

The front that stalled out over Houston on Thursday has finally moved into the Gulf of Mexico, but it’s not going very far, and there wasn’t all that much oomph left in it any way. So while winds have shifted to come from the north and northwest today across Houston, we won’t see too much drying out, and for all but western areas, skies will remain at least mostly cloudy. Highs should reach about 70 degrees for most areas, with the city dropping to 60 degrees tonight, with temperatures in the 50s for outlying areas. At least it probably won’t rain today—not something we can say for the entire weekend.

Saturday

Some fog will be possible on Saturday morning, but it won’t be like what we saw earlier this week. Skies will still be mostly cloudy, and as winds shift to come from the east moisture levels in the atmosphere will increase. I’m confident the morning will remain rain-free across Houston, but some light showers will be possible later in the day and overnight. Highs Saturday will likely climb into the upper 60s, with lows dropping only perhaps 5 to 10 degrees with little diurnal cooling.

Sunday

We can probably expect a healthy amount of fog on Sunday morning as warmer air moves over cooler bodies of water. Rain chances will be healthy on Sunday, and the day may be a lot like what we just experienced on Thursday, with widespread light rain not leading to much in the way of accumulations. Highs will likely be in the mid-70s, with a very warm night in the mid-60s. So yeah, it’s a pretty bleh weekend.

Monday

Finally, on Monday, a stronger front will work its way into the Houston area. Our best guess on timing, at this point, is mid- to late morning. A broken line of showers, and perhaps a few thunderstorms, may accompany the front. But our atmosphere will dry out quickly with its passage, and skies should turn mostly sunny in its wake. Lows Monday night should fall to around 50 degrees.

The rest of next week

Next week should see a succession of at least partly sunny days. Another front later in the week should knock lows down into the 40s for most of the area. The models aren’t indicating anything too crazy in terms of precipitation, so compared to the week we’re now experiencing, next week looks pretty great.

We’re seeing a misty, foggy morning for much of the area as a warm front moves onshore from the Gulf of Mexico and spreads inland. Overall, we’ll stay in this unsettled pattern of warmer, more humid conditions until a somewhat stronger front arrives on Monday. Fog will remain a possibility, mostly during the mornings, through Sunday.

Thursday

Even if there were no fog at the surface, the skies above are mostly cloudy, and will remain so throughout the day. With the southerly flow of warmer air, we can expect highs to rise into the low 70s this afternoon. Rain chances will also be on the increase later this afternoon as a weak front approaches. The rain should be light, with most areas recording at most a tenth of an inch, or two, through Friday morning. Lows tonight will only drop into the low 60s.

Friday

The aforementioned weak front should stall out just offshore, but it should be enough to bring in some slightly drier air on Friday. As a result we might see a bit of sunshine during the middle of the day, but we don’t expect it to last for very long. Highs on Friday will likely reach in the low 70s and it’s possible that lows on Friday night will drop into the upper 50s for parts of Houston. Still, it will be pretty warm for January.

Saturday and Sunday

Alas, the story of this weekend will likely be the return of the front from offshore. As it moves back inland, it will make for a warm and mostly cloudy weekend. Highs on Saturday should reach nearly 70 degrees, and Sunday should rise into the mid-70s. Beginning Saturday afternoon or evening, there will be the persistent threat of light rain throughout the remainder of the weekend, but again we expect accumulations to be slight. By Sunday night, low temperatures seem unlikely to fall too far below 70 degrees—about 25 degrees above what is normal for late January.

Next week

Our region will return to more winterlike weather on Monday, as a decently strong front arrives, perhaps around the middle of the day. Some additional rainfall may accompany this front, but we expect clearing in its aftermath. This may bring us a couple of days of sunshine, but this front, too, may meander back onshore by Wednesday or so. Lows will likely drop into the 50s. A still stronger front may arrive by Thursday or Friday of next week.