Eric Berger

An Arctic front has brought a widespread freeze to Houston, with temperatures generally in the mid-20s to mid-30s this morning across the region. This will be the last of the freezing weather for us, for now, but we’re going to remain in what passes for “winter-like” conditions in Houston through Saturday. Next week looks to be warmer, on the whole.

Wednesday

As the next front approaches from the west, it will begin to push rain chances up later today. A relatively dry atmosphere should keep Houston mostly dry into this afternoon, but by this evening or the overnight hours we can probably expect to see the development of light showers across much of the region moving in from the southwest. Highs today will struggle to reach 50 degrees as clouds build across the area, with lows tonight falling to around 40.

Thursday

This will be a gloomy day, with cloudy skies, and on-and-off light to moderate rain showers. In terms of accumulation, most of the region will probably see on the order of 0.25 to 0.5 inches of rain from Wednesday evening through Thursday, so this is not something to be concerned about in terms of flooding. The absence of any sunshine should limit temperatures to the upper 40s for most. The rains should end some time Thursday evening for most as the front pushes through and dries out the atmosphere.

See full post

Good morning. It is not pleasant outside, with winds gusting to 30 mph pretty much across the entire region, and temperatures generally in the 30s. The combined result of this is wind chill temperatures in the 20s for pretty much everyone this morning. A freeze is expected tonight for all but the immediate coastal areas.

Tuesday

Some very light precipitation remains across the western part of the region, but this should continue to wane through sunrise this morning. However, this may produce a little bit of sleet that will not stick to the ground. Otherwise, we should see clearing skies throughout the morning and into the afternoon. Highs will only nudge up into the low 40s for most. Strong, northerly winds will blow throughout the day, although they should gradually wane this afternoon before falling off to 10mph or below after sunset—except for the immediate coast where they will blow a bit longer. Clear skies and dying winds will allow for ideal cooling Tuesday night, and nearly all of the area except for the coast will probably see a freeze. Lows may reach the mid-20s for Conroe and points north.

Wednesday

Partly sunny skies, with a high of around 50 degrees. As northerly winds finally die, we’ll begin to see some cloud development later in the day, and the possible return of some light showers during the afternoon or evening. Lows Wednesday night should drop into the 40s as rain chances increase to about 50 percent.

See full post

A strong Arctic front will reach Houston later today, likely during the late afternoon hours, and usher in a freeze for much of the metro area. Most of Houston has yet to record a freeze this season—the low at Bush Intercontinental Airport so far has been 36 degrees. While this will definitely be earlier than normal for a freeze, the region has seen earlier freezes. The table below shows the average date, and earliest date, for official monitoring stations in the Houston region:

Monday

Conditions today will be warm ahead of the front, with central and southern parts of the region likely climbing into the mid- to upper-70s. As the front sweeps through Houston this afternoon—probably between around 3pm and sunset from northwest to southeast—temperatures will immediately drop 10 to 20 degrees, and we’ll just go downward from there.

A fast-moving band of light to moderate showers should accompany the front, and then light rain could persist throughout the evening and into early Tuesday morning. There is a slight chance that, if precipitation lasts into Tuesday morning in outlying areas, some of this light rain could turn into sleet or snow flurries. However, most likely the precipitation will end before the coldest air arrives. In the wake of the front, expect blustery conditions, with winds gusting up to 35mph, and a gale warning in effect for coastal waters.

See full post

Good morning. It appears increasingly likely the Houston region will see its first real Arctic blast early next week, with a reasonable possibility for a freeze in central parts of the city, and possibly upper 20s north and west of Houston. While we are far from locking in temperatures yet, this is something to bear in mind for this weekend if you have plants outside that need to be winterized.

Thursday

The first of two cold fronts is on the way to Houston, but this will be a bit of an odd duck. The front is going to move through today, likely pushing from the northwest to the coast roughly from noon to around 6pm. Instead of a line of showers and thunderstorms, we are more likely to see kind of a mass of light to moderate rain, which may congeal into heavier rain showers and thunderstorms south and southwest of Houston. Hard to say for sure, to be honest.

Bottom line—if you live north or east of Houston you may not see much rain at all, but if you live in Sugar Land you might get 1 to 2 inches. While we will see winds shift with the front, and some drier air, cooler temperatures are going to lag several hours behind. As a result, highs today should get into the upper 70s, and fall to around 50 by Friday morning.

Friday

Some light showers may linger into Friday in the wake of Thursday’s front. Even after they stop, however, clouds will remain, and this will be a cold and gray day. Highs are unlikely to get out of the low 50s. Friday nights lows should drop into the 40s, but how far will depend upon your distance from the coast.

See full post