Eric Berger

Sunday’s storms were again hit or miss. Some parts of Montgomery County picked up more than 2 inches of rainfall and saw plenty of lightning, while the southern half of Harris County saw very little rainfall. Looking ahead, we will see a pair of sedate, mostly sunny days before another chance of storms later on Wednesday. Our early look at next weekend’s forecast is mostly optimistic.

Monday

Skies should transition from cloudy, to partly sunny, to mostly sunny by early afternoon. This should help high temperatures push into the mid-80s this afternoon, with light winds from the north switching to come from the southeast. All in all this will be a pretty typical day for late April in Houston. Some clouds return tonight, as lows fall into the 60s for most of the area except for the coast.

Tuesday

This will be another day like Monday, in that early morning clouds should transition to sunnier skies later in the day. Highs will again settle somewhere in the mid-80s, although the southeasterly flow of winds should become a little more pronounced, making for a bit warmer night as clouds return. The southern half of Houston probably won’t fall below 70 degrees overnight.

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Good morning, everyone. We interrupt your Sunday with a short post on the threat posed by severe weather today. Strong thunderstorms are possible in Houston this morning and during the early afternoon hours ahead of a cold front.

Several favorable dynamics in the atmosphere—including an eroding capping inversion—should combine to allow organized storms to form along a eastward-moving system that will push through Houston between around 9am and 3pm today. Large hail, damaging winds, and a few tornadoes are possible. It is likely that a tornado “watch” will be issued for the area.

Note that this is not a classic line of storms, and some locations could see more than one round of severe weather. Rainfall accumulations will vary widely, but we do not expect widespread flooding issues. Not everyone will see severe weather, and chances are probably a little bit better north of Interstate 10, but please do be weather aware today.

In the wake of the front tonight, expect clearing skies and lows in the 60s. Monday and Tuesday should be pleasant, sunny days with a chance of storms returning Wednesday.

Our last really cool morning of the week—of the spring?—has brought a range of temperatures from the mid-40s up north in Montgomery County down to around 60 degrees right along the coast. The air is pleasant, dry, and cool. Alas, it will not last, with a warming trend heading into the weekend, and then the likelihood of showers for both Saturday and Sunday.

Thursday

Today will be mostly sunny, with high temperatures warming into the mid-70s. However, as light winds slide from the northeast to the southeast, we should see a slow and gradual rise in humidity heading into the evening. This should also begin to generate a few clouds later this afternoon, and more over night. Lows tonight should be about 10 degrees warmer than Wednesday night.

Friday

Skies should be mostly cloudy on Friday, with high temperatures pushing up to around 80 degrees, or a little warmer. Some light rain showers will be possible during the afternoon and evening hours as a weak front limps toward the region, and dies out over the city. Lows Friday night will vary widely across the region. It’s likely that College Station will see lows drop into the 50s, behind the front, whereas central and southern parts of Houston are in the 60s or possibly even low 70s.

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Most of the region has dropped into the 40s this morning—so far Bush Intercontinental Airport has fallen to 46. We’re still well off record lows (38 degrees, officially, for Houston) but these temperatures are still a good 10 to 15 degrees below normal. I feel reasonably confident in predicting that Houston will not see temperatures this cold again for six months. However, we will have one more nearly as cold night tonight, so with summer in mind, please do enjoy it.

Wednesday

If you liked Tuesday, Wednesday should be similar after a reinforcing front moved through. Highs likely will reach about 70 degrees with winds subsiding to 5 to 10 mph this afternoon out of the north. Low temperatures tonight will probably drop down to within a couple of degrees of Tuesday night’s lows, with clear skies and light winds.

Thursday

Another very pleasant spring day for the region. However, as high pressure shifts to the east, winds will swing around to return from the Gulf, and there will be a slight uptick in humidity during the afternoon hours. Highs Thursday will probably reach the mid- to upper 70s under sunny skies, with overnight lows in the 60s.

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