Warming up now, with a healthy chance of storms Friday night

It is quite cold across Houston this morning, with temperatures generally in the 30s in outlying areas, and low 40s in the central Houston area. After days and days of sunny weather our skies should turn cloudy later today, warmer, and then stormy on Friday, before pleasant weather returns again for the weekend.

Wednesday

Just a quick note: With clear skies on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, please note that if you saw a white streak in the sky above Houston during the pre-dawn hours, it was this the of 60 Starlink satellites launched Monday night by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. (More information on how to see them here). They will gradually become fainter as they raise their orbits over the next month.

Friday may bring some of the first 80-degree readings of the year for parts of Houston. (Pivotal Weather)

Overall, today should be another nice one, with partly sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 60s. However, winds will become noticeable out of the south later this afternoon, gusting up to 20mph, bringing much more humid air into the region, and setting the stage for storms later this week. Lows Wednesday night will be considerably warmer, unlikely to fall below 60 degrees in Houston.

Thursday

A gray day. Expect highs to rise into the mid- to upper-70s despite the cloudy skies, More gusty winds from the south will continue to transport moisture inland, and we can’t rule out some scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening hours—but we don’t expect significant accumulations. Thursday night should be rather warm, likely in the upper 60s.

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Chilly tonight, with storms possible Friday night in Houston

A cool front slid into Houston during the overnight hours, setting the stage for two gorgeous days before we experience some potentially stormy weather heading into the weekend. But don’t worry, the weekend itself looks spectacular for mid-January.

Tuesday

The region will experience sunny skies today, with highs in the mid-60s. Winds should be reasonably light, out of the north at 5 to 10 mph. With clear skies and light winds, Tuesday night will offer the opportunity for ideal cooling, allowing temperatures to drop into the 30s north and west of Houston.

Temperatures will be quite chilly on Tuesday night. (Pivotal Weather)

Wednesday

This will be another fine day, although sometime during the morning or early afternoon winds will shift to come from the southeast. This should allow highs to nudge a couple of degrees warmer during the day, and keep overnight lows to around 60 degrees in the city itself.

Thursday and Friday

The moisture return will set the stage for storms later on Friday, likely during the evening or overnight hours. Before this, we can expect warm and fairly humid weather—with highs in the upper 70s to possibly 80 degrees, and warm nights in the 60s. Skies will be mostly cloudy, with a 30 to 40 percent chance of light to moderate rain.

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Is winter over?

Houston just experienced an absolutely stunning weekend, with highs climbing into the 70s on Sunday. As a result, several people have asked whether winter is now over. It is decidedly not, but we are having quite mild conditions during what is normally the “dead” of winter. Historically, the first 10 days of January represent the coldest time of the year, when the average low in Houston falls to 43 degrees, and the average high is 62 degrees. With that said, Houston can have pretty strong cold outbreaks through the middle of March, so “winter” will likely last for about two more months. Inland parts of the region, at least, have a pretty good shot at reaching the 30s next weekend.

Welcome to the coldest time of year, Houston. (National Weather Service)

Also, please note that today begins the first of our daily looks at weather for the upcoming Houston Marathon, which takes place on Sunday, January 19. Those updates will occur at the end of each post.

Monday

Today will be another warm and pleasant one across Houston, with highs likely topping out in the mid-70s under mostly sunny skies. Winds will be light, out of the southwest. We would definitely be on a major upward trend in terms of temperatures but for a moderate cold front tonight. Expect it to pass through the region around midnight, give or take an hour or two, without the prospect of any rain. Lows should get down to around 50 degrees early Tuesday.

Tuesday

If you’re wondering what winter typically feels like in Houston, in January, today’s the day. Look for highs in the low- to mid-60s with lows in the low- to mid-40s. Skies will be sunny.

Wednesday

Winds will return from offshore on Wednesday, and you may notice them begin to kick up during the afternoon hours. They could gust up to about 20mph, or a bit higher along the coast. Otherwise, highs will reach into the upper 60s, with sunshine in the morning, and likely increasing clouds during the afternoon and evening as moisture levels rise in the atmosphere.

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Another day of gray before Houston enjoys a sea of sunshine

Good morning, and welcome to 2020! Light rain has fallen across the region overnight, and with lows only in the mid-50s to lower-60s across the region this morning fog has developed near and along the coast. This should burn off later this morning. Overall, our forecast remains the same, with additional light-to-moderate rain possible today, and then clearing skies for a beautiful weekend.

Thursday

Rains have temporarily stalled this morning, but we expect an additional round of showers this afternoon into the early evening as an upper-level system moves across the area. Accumulations for today will likely be below one-half inch of rain. Rain or not, this will be a gray day, with highs in the mid-60s. Rains should end for most of us Thursday night.

Friday

Lows Friday morning will only bottom out in the mid-50s, and with light winds this should again provide favorable conditions for the development of fog. This soupy weather should end by around midday as a cool front pushes through Houston from west-to-east, bringing somewhat drier air and helping to clear out our skies. Highs Friday should be in the mid-60s, with overnight lows falling into the 40s.

That’s a lot of sunshine from Friday through next Wednesday. (Weather Bell)

Saturday and Sunday

As mentioned, this weekend will be a winner. Whether your plans include tailgating for the Houston Texans game or yard work or whatever, we’re going to enjoy sunny skies with highs in the mid-60s on Saturday, and sunshine and highs of around 70 on Sunday. Depending on your distance from the coast, lows will either be in the 40s or 50s.

Next week

Just as things begin to warm up on Sunday another moderate cool front will push into the region, likely around Monday morning-ish. This should help keep high temperatures in the 60s through Wednesday of next week, with overnight lows generally in the 40s. Oh, and there will be plenty of sunshine. Our next best chance of rainfall after today probably will not come until next Thursday or Friday—so yeah prepare for some very fine weather indeed.