Houston endured its sixth consecutive day of a 101-degree high temperature on Monday, and the region may well have one more today before some relief finally arrives in the form of a weak front. There won’t be much cooler air, but clouds and rain chances will help moderate temperatures as high pressure eases off to the west.
Tuesday
But not today. Once again, Houston will bake beneath triple-digit heat on Tuesday and mostly sunny skies. Very light southeast winds will offer almost no relief, and Tuesday night’s lows will again be around 80 degrees for much of the region. Needless to say, a heat advisory remains in effect. The only good news from a weather perspective? August is almost half over.
Tuesday’s highs are, in a word, ugh. (Pivotal Weather)
Wednesday
As high pressure backs off to the west, a weak front will move southward into the state. Depending on the timing, this will either limit highs to the upper 90s, or mid 90s—still very hot, but not as hot as we’ve been. Clouds will increase some, and rain chances will bump up to about 40 percent during the day and overnight hours. We aren’t expecting anything spectacular in terms of accumulations, but anything will be welcome after an extremely hot and dry week.
The region’s streak of very hot days and record-setting nights continues as high pressure dominates Houston’s weather. Here are a few notable trends from the last week across the region.
Bush Intercontinental Airport recorded four consecutive days of 101-degree high temperatures through Sunday.
Galveston has had six consecutive days in which overnight lows have only fallen to 84 degrees, the second longest streak after the heat wave of 2011.
Houston’s Hobby Airport set or tied its record low temperature on August 7, 8, and 9 with lows of 80 or warmer.
All of these trends are likely to continue Monday and Tuesday as the ridge of high pressure continues to dominate our weather. Fortunately, the pattern should begin to change by the middle of the week.
Texas will bake again on Monday. (Pivotal Weather)
Monday
A few, isolated areas of Houston saw some brief showers and thunderstorms on Sunday afternoon, as rising moisture was able to combat subsidence in the atmosphere. We may see a similar pattern today, with 10 to 20 percent of the region seeing brief showers. Any relief from the heat will be temporary, however, as we still expect a hot way with much of the area seeing 100 degrees. Nighttime lows will again be around 80 degrees for most of the area.
On Wednesday, officially, Houston came awfully close to 100 degrees. The temperature at Bush Intercontinental Airport spiked up to 99 degrees during the afternoon. Previously this summer, the high temperature had topped out at 97 degrees on several days. With high pressure now firmly in control of our weather, we can probably expect to hit the century mark today, or almost certainly in the coming days.
Thursday
A heat advisory is in place for today, with high temperatures likely in the upper 90s to 100 degrees, and the heat index—which factors in humidity—potentially reaching 110 degrees. Please take extra caution with mostly sunny skies, and very light southerly winds. We can’t entirely rule out a few stray showers and thunderstorms along the sea breeze, but precipitation is unlikely.
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
The weekend will see more of the same, with highs likely to reach 100 degrees for inland areas, sunny skies, and warm nights with lows only falling to around 80 degrees. This is mid-August for you.
DRY TEXAS: Rain accumulation forecast for now through Monday. (Pivotal Weather)
Next week
The heat will likely continue for the first couple of days next week before the high pressure dominating the region’s weather pulls back to the west. This may allow for a more northeasterly flow, some slightly less hot air, and perhaps some slight to moderate rain chances.
Energy saving tips from Reliant
As temperatures push up toward the century mark, we all will be tempted to crank up our air conditioners. Reliant is here to help and remind readers about the benefits of saving energy, for both your electric bill and the state’s power grid.
Check out these energy efficiency tips and tools that could help you save energy and lower your electricity bill. Most of these tips are simple enough for anyone to do, like increasing the temperature on your thermostat a few degrees and avoiding heat-generating activities like using the oven or dryer in the afternoon hours.
If you’re a Reliant customer, you can track your electricity usage alongside daily temperatures with the Reliant app for iPhone or Android (you can also find Space City Weather linked there). Plus, you can set personalized alerts for electricity usage, bill estimates and more.
Reliant also has a cool program that rewards customers for making small changes to conserve energy during periods of high electricity demand. Customers can earn bill credits through the Degrees of Difference program when they cut down on energy usage during reduction requests, which helps reduce the load on the Texas electricity grid. Click here to learn more and sign up.
Remember you have a few more days to enter to win a new AC from Reliant by clicking here or share the link with someone in need. The deadline is August 13.
Rain showers over the last week have been completely hit or miss, with some areas such as Pearland or Baytown receiving 1.5 to 3 inches of rainfall, and many other areas including The Woodlands and West University Place getting none. As a result, some readers may think the last seven days have been quite wet, while others have watched the storm clouds form, only to hear distant thunder but see no measurable rain. What I’m confident of now is that virtually no one will see rain for the next week as high pressure settles in.
Seven-day rainfall totals through Wednesday a.m. (HCOEM)
Wednesday
Today will still see a slight chance—maybe 10 percent?—of isolated showers along the sea breeze before high pressure truly clamps down on our weather. Highs likely will be otherwise in the mid- to upper-90s with mostly sunny skies and light southerly winds at 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday through Tuesday
There simply isn’t much to say about Texas weather in the summer, beneath high pressure. We will see highs in the upper-90s to 100 degrees. Skies will be sunny. Overnight lows will be in the upper 70s to low 80s. They say it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity? Well, my friends, in Houston we’re blessed with both.
Later next week
Forecast models indicate the pattern will finally break by the middle or end of next week, as high pressure weakens and perhaps a more northeasterly flow sets up across the region. This should bring high temperatures back down a bit, and nudge rain chances up somewhat. After a week in the fryer, we’ll be ready for any modicum of relief.
