Eric Berger

The sunshine broke out on Wednesday afternoon, and this allowed Houston to record its first high temperature of 80 degrees for the year 2018. I joked on Twitter that this probably won’t be the last time it happens, but in reality I think Wednesday’s high was symbolic. We are in the midst of transitioning from winter to spring.

A lot of people have asked whether we are done with freezes. (My wife, a gardener, especially wants to know). We think so. Typically, the last freeze for central and southern parts of Houston (think Harris County and areas closer to the coast) occurs in mid-February, and for northern areas (think Montgomery, Waller, Liberty) it is late February or early March. This year it seems highly unlikely that the region will see a freeze for the next two weeks, which gets us to March. There are always outliers—for example, Hobby Airport recorded a freeze on April 13, 1940—but the odds at this point favor no more freezes for the winter of 2017-2018.

Now, onto the forecast.

Thursday

The dense fog is back for some areas, with an advisory in effect for the entire region until Noon Thursday. Please take a little extra time on roads this morning. After the fog breaks, we’ll be left with mostly cloudy skies, although I think we’ll have some more moments of sunshine this afternoon. The amount of sunshine will determine the high temperature, but I think its likely we’ll get back to 80 degrees today. Lows tonight will only fall into the mid-60s.

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Very warm, moist air in combination with a relatively colder air mass is a good recipe for fog, and that’s just what we’re going to have the next couple of days until a cool front moves through Friday. A dense fog advisory is in effect until 10am this morning, and even by then some areas may be slow to clear. Also, after the forecast, I discuss why our weather has been Seattle-like of late.

Wednesday

Temperatures are considerably warmer this morning, with overnight lows settling into the upper 50s and not falling any further. After the fog dissipates later this morning, or by noon, it will reveal—you guessed it—more cloudy skies above. Some light scattered showers will also be possible as high temperatures generally climb into the low 70s.

 

Thursday

Expect another warm night, and this time low temperatures probably will only fall into the 60s. We’ll see more fog developing during the overnight hours, especially along the coast, where it probably will continue to play havoc with maritime activities. A chance of light rain will remain before noon, but I still have some hope that the region will see clearing skies later in the day. I’m hoping for some sunshine and highs in the mid-70s. Enjoy it, because this will probably be the only sunshine for awhile.

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As brutal as it sounds, Houston may have just one partly sunny day during the next seven days—with the rest of our weather being mostly cloudy. But if that’s got you feeling blue (unlike the sky), just remember that for all of December, the city of Moscow saw only six minutes of sunshine. So as ever, it could be worse.

Tuesday

In a word, gloomy. The day will start chilly, in the low- to mid-40s for most of Houston. With widespread clouds holding on, we should see highs only in the mid-50s on Tuesday, and as moisture levels start to rise later today, we should also see some light to moderate rain showers—but accumulations shouldn’t be an issue. Low temperatures on Tuesday night will basically remain flat from the day’s highs, as warmer air moves into the region.

Wednesday

The warmer air will do its work and, despite mostly cloudy skies, we can expect high temperatures to climb into at least the low 70s on Wednesday.

Some slight, scattered rain showers are possible, but by no means certain. Lows Wednesday night should only fall into the mid-60s. If you’re planning some kind of outdoor activity for Valentine’s evening, I think the weather should mostly cooperate.

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It is quite cold this morning across Houston, with lows ranging from the mid-30s across northern portions of the region to around at the coast. The good news is that we’ll see warmer temperatures for the rest of this week—but the bad news is that the Sun is going to remain mostly a stranger to our skies.

Monday

A slight northerly wind, in concert with cloudy skies, will keep Houston on the cool side. I expect highs today to remain at about 50 degrees. So, a cold morning, and a cold day. Low temperatures Monday night will probably be about 10 degrees warmer than on Sunday night, however.

Tuesday

A bit warmer than Monday, but cloud cover should again help to keep temperatures bottled up in the 50s. Temperatures may not reflect it, but higher moisture levels will be returning to the area, and we could see some scattered, briefly heavy showers throughout the afternoon and evening hours on Tuesday. For the most part I wouldn’t be concerned with accumulations, as they should only measure at a few tenths of an inch.

Wednesday and Thursday

Some slight rain chances remain, but the bigger story on Wednesday will be the movement of warmer air into the region from the south. Despite clouds on Wednesday, we should see highs in the mid-70s, and these temperatures could reach 80 degrees on Thursday with (hopefully) some partly sunny skies. Nighttime temperatures should only fall into the 60s. By the way, Houston has yet to officially hit 80 degrees in 2018.

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