Eric Berger

Storms are mostly over, with Houston heating back up this week

Overnight rains and storms—there were definitely some impressive lightning displays late Sunday and early Monday—have largely moved to the coast and offshore. Most of the region saw 1 to 3 inches from Sunday through this morning although a few locations, including parts of Montgomery County, saw totals of nearly 4 inches. One benefit of Sunday night’s storms is significantly cooler weather this morning, with rain-cooled lows in the upper 60s for much of Houston. Enjoy this while it lasts.

Rain totals for the 24 hours prior to 6am Monday. (Texas MesoNet)

Monday

The atmosphere is pretty worked over, so although some light rains will be possible today, we’re unlikely to see any real storm activity except near the coast (seas offshore are choppy, to say the least). With lingering clouds, however, temperatures today may only rise into the mid-80s for most of the region. Houston has reached 90 degrees every day so far this month, so that would offer a nice reprieve from the summertime heat we’ve been experiencing. Skies should be partly cloudy tonight, with lows in the mid-70s.

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Showers and thunderstorms likely from Sunday afternoon through Monday

The Houston region appears likely to see an increasingly wet period beginning later this afternoon through at least Tuesday morning as atmospheric moisture levels spike above normal, and the absence of high pressure allows for the formation of showers and thunderstorms. To be clear, we’re not really expecting any significant flooding for most people—at least not beyond some street flooding—just the potential for several rounds of storms. Check the radar later today before embarking on any outdoor plans.

Severe storm outlook for Sunday and Sunday night. (NOAA)

Unfortunately, it is hard to offer too much detail, as there is not great agreement among the high-resolution models about what will take place later today, tonight, and Monday. At a best guess, the potential for heavier rainfall should remain to the west of Harris County, and north of Montgomery County, through the early afternoon hours Sunday, but after that all bets are off.

NOAA forecast for total precipitation for now through Tuesday morning. (Pivotal Weather)

At some point we are likely to see showers and potentially stronger thunderstorms sag into the metro area—moisture levels may peak after midnight tonight for central and coastal areas of Houston—and this will lead to better rain chances. At a best guess, most of the region will see 1 to 2 inches of rainfall through Tuesday morning, but as always there will be the potential for higher isolated totals, and some people are likely to miss out entirely. Most of Houston hasn’t had much, if any measurable rainfall in 11 days so some precipitation will be welcome for most.

We’ll be watching things later today and will update if needed.

 

Reliant is giving away two complete AC systems this summer

As this weekend so effectively demonstrated, summer has begun in Houston. And with July, August, and September around the corner, we’re facing several months of high heat. So, this is the perfect time to announce a pretty amazing contest that our friends at Reliant have come up with. They’re teaming up exclusively with Space City Weather to give away two complete, brand new air conditioning systems, with delivery and installation included, to our readers.

Yes, really. You can enter the contest here.

Reliant has sponsored this site for two full years now, and they really value what we’re doing to keep the greater Houston area informed about weather in a reliable and sensible way. To show our readers how important they are to Reliant, the company will award two air conditioners worth an estimated $11,000 each.

There really are no catches to this. Reliant just wants readers to know they appreciate Space City Weather, too, and to let them know about their AC Heat & Repair business.

A quick summary of the rules appears below, but for full rules and details of the contest, click here.

  • One AC unit will be given away to entrants between June 10–July 10
  • One AC unit will be given away to entrants between July 11–Aug 13
  • One winner will be chosen, randomly, at the end of each phase
  • Winners must be 18, and own a home in the greater Houston metro area
  • Your AC system must be 8 years or older

If your air conditioning system is not more than eight years old, or more importantly, if you know someone who could really benefit from a free, new AC system heading into the hottest time of the year, please share the contest link with them.

Update

We have our first winner! The winner of round one of Reliant’s AC giveaway—Farrah Gauge is thrilled. She told us: “What an incredible gift! Our current A/C is 18 years old and definitely on its way out so this could not have been better timing. You have gained a lifelong customer and advocate. Thank you Reliant!”

Heavy storms approaching Houston this evening

The National Weather Service has issued several watches and warnings for this afternoon and early evening as a fairly intense line of showers and thunderstorms is moving toward the Houston metro area from the west. These storms are capable of producing damaging wind gusts up to 60mph, and quarter-size hail.

Radar at 5:45pm CT Thursday. (kktv.com)

The severe weather has the potential to impact the entire metro area through around 8pm, but may linger across areas south of Interstate 10 until around midnight. The good news is they are moving rapidly from west to east, so individual storms should hopefully transition through the area quickly enough to avoid significant flooding problems.

Even so, it won’t be fun to be caught out in the storms, so please be weather-aware throughout this evening.