Eric Berger

Enjoy today’s wintery weather—spring is nigh

Temperatures have fallen into the mid- to upper-30s across most of the metro area this morning, with only areas immediately along the coast holding on to 40-degree readings. Clear skies tonight will allow for another chilly night before Houston warms up for the weekend. Most of next week looks unseasonably warm, likely with a string of nights in the 60s, and much of the rest of February will probably see above normal temperatures. Probably, this recent strong front represents the last gasp of truly cold air this season.

Thursday

Overcast skies this morning will begin to clear by or before noon, but a persistent northwest wind will continue to bring cold air into the region. This should limit high temperatures to about 50 degrees for most, with wind gusts above 20 mph making conditions feel cooler. Winds should die down somewhat overnight, and along with clear skies, this will help inland areas get down into the mid- to upper 30s again.

Friday morning’s low temperatures. (Pivotal Weather)

Friday

Onshore winds return Friday, but skies will be sunny all the same. Expect highs in the upper 60s to around 70 degrees with rather pleasant conditions. With the influence of southerly winds, lows on Friday night will likely only drop into the 50s for most of the area under mostly clear skies.

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Warm to start, but a strong cold front chills the second half of the week down

After our splendid weekend weather—and who can quibble with two mostly sunny days, dry air, light winds and moderate temperatures?—our weather during the first half of the week will turn warmer, humid, and a little more unsettled before a strong cold front sweeps through the area. The first half of next weekend looks wonderful again.

Monday

Southerly winds are really going to get cranked up this morning, eventually gusting into the 20s, or possibly even the 30s for the western half of the metro area. These winds will help bring in warmer, more humid air, allowing high temperatures to rise into the mid-70s during the afternoon hours. It might be warmer, but for mostly cloudy skies keeping a lid on daytime heating. Those same clouds will insulate the area during the overnight hours, keeping low temperatures in the mid-60s. Light rain will be possible Monday and Monday night, but most of the area should remain dry.

NOAA rainfall prediction forecast through Thursday morning. (Weather Bell)

Tuesday

Another day a lot like Monday, albeit with slightly lower winds. We’ll still see plenty of cloud cover, and if anything temperatures on Tuesday should be a few degrees warmer, possibly reaching 80 degrees. Rain chances will again be in the neighborhood of 30 percent for the region, with mostly light showers where precipitation does occur. Lows Tuesday night will again be warm—at least ahead of the cold front.

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It’s been a warm winter, but Thursday bucks that trend

The tale of this Texas winter has yet to be fully told—for the purposes of this site, we’ll define winter as December through February, which is known as meteorological winter. But for the entirety of Texas temperatures have been warmer than normal, with much of the Houston metro area 4 to 6 Fahrenheit degrees above normal. NOAA’s climate outlook calls for about near-normal temperatures in February for the region. The bottom line: If you’ve thought this winter lacked oomph, you’re right. At this point the chance of another freeze in central Houston is probably less than 50-50, but we’re far from being able to say that definitively.

The departure from normal temperatures for Texas, for the last 60 days. (HPRCC)

Thursday

Today will buck the trend of a warmer winter, as clouds and a northwest wind will conspire to keep highs generally in the mid- to upper 50s across the region. Some mostly (very) light and scattered rain showers will be possible today and Thursday night as temperatures drop into the upper 40s. Accumulations for those who receive rain today and tonight should be slight, mostly measuring one-tenth of an inch or less.

Friday

A reinforcing front arrives on Friday morning, which should keep highs in the 50s, and help lead to some clearing of skies during the afternoon hours. Friday night will be chilly, dropping into the upper 30s for northern parts of the metro area, while remaining in the 40s in the city and points south.

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Cool weather until the weekend, which looks quite nice for Houston

It’s a breezy, chilly morning, with temperatures in the 40s and winds gusting above 20mph across most of Houston. We’re really not going to see temperatures much above 60 degrees until the weekend, when conditions look rather pleasant

Wednesday

We had been hoping to see some sunshine today, but there’s enough moisture above the surface to generate some clouds this morning. As a result, we’re likely to see partly to mostly cloudy skies throughout the day. Add to that steady northwesterly winds in the 10-15 mph range, with stronger gusts, and we’ve the makings of a cool day. Highs will probably top out in the upper 50s to 60 degrees. Low temperatures tonight will drop into the 40s under mostly cloudy skies.

Expect another chilly night Wednesday night. (Pivotal Weather)

Thursday

We may see a little more sunshine on Thursday morning, but pretty quickly the high pressure in the wake of Tuesday evening’s front is going to move off to the east. This will open the region up to a couple of atmospheric disturbances. Highs Thursday should reach about 60 degrees again, with very slight rain chances during the afternoon hours. Chances increase during the overnight hours into Friday morning as a cold front approaches, but the models are keeping the the heavier rain showers offshore. As a result, I’d expect pretty much all of the Houston area to receive a tenth or two of an inch of rain—if that.

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