Eric Berger

Today’s forecast will look ahead to some winter-like temperatures this week, and the possibility of some heavy rainfall and potential flooding later this week as a storm system moves through the Southern United States. But before we get into December’s weather, here’s a quick look back at November, which for most of Houston was quite cold, and quite dry. Note that the Sugar Land and Pearland temperature rankings, while impressive, only reflect about 20 years of data.

Monday

Northerly winds are bringing colder and drier air into Houston this morning, and conditions will remain so as high pressure establishes itself over the region. This will lead to a sunny day, with highs in the mid-60s, with some winds gusting above 20 mph. Temperatures will drop pretty quickly as the Sun goes down, with upper 30s possible for areas north of Houston, and low- to mid-40s for the rest of the metro area.

Tuesday and Wednesday

More of the same. These will be classic, winter-like days for Houston, with partly to mostly sunny skies, highs of around 60 degrees, and lows ranging from the upper-30s for far inland areas to low 50s along the coast. A good time for sweaters and hot cocoa.

See full post

It’s quite warm out there for late November, with lows in the upper 60s. This is nearly 20 degrees warmer than normal for this time of year, and right now the “minimum” temperature of 69 degrees at Bush Intercontinental Airport this morning ties the record for “high minimum” temperature on Nov. 30 in Houston. A weak front, and then a stronger front, will soon bring an end to these warmer conditions, however.

Friday

Friday will be a lot like Thursday, which is to say mostly cloudy, with muggy conditions, and highs likely in the upper 70s. The region will also likely see some scattered showers today and this evening, but these should be nothing too serious. It will be another warm night, but a cool front should move through during the overnight hours, bringing some drier air with it. Can’t rule out some showers with the frontal passage, but at most I expect a broken line of storms to move through the area.

Saturday

A really nice day. In the wake of Friday night’s front, drier air will flow in from the west, and this will push humidity levels down during the daytime. Highs will generally be in the upper 70s, but some areas may briefly touch 80 degrees under mostly sunny afternoon skies. Temperatures will fall fairly quickly as the sun sinks toward the horizon, and overnight lows will be in the 50s for most of Houston, except the coast, which should be a little warmer.

See full post

The onshore flow has taken over the region’s weather, and we’re now set up for a pair of gray, on-and-off rainy days with muggy air. The clouds should keep highs in the 70s, but conversely nighttime temperatures aren’t falling much below 70 for most of Houston. A weak front arrives early Saturday, and a stronger one later on Sunday or Monday to bring us back into a late-fall, or early-winter like pattern of cooler weather.

Thursday and Friday

The name of the game for the next two days will be gray skies with scattered showers. Lows this morning are generally in the low- to mid-60s, and with dewpoints at just about the same level, relative humidity is near 100 percent.

Rainfall on Thursday will generally be light, while there is the slight possibility of some thunderstorms on Friday. This is because a fairly strong storm system will be moving across the lower plains, and bringing severe weather, including the potential for damaging winds and a few tornadoes. However, the region where the atmosphere is more disturbed should remain north of Houston, running from Lufkin through Texarkana and into surrounding areas shown in the map above.

See full post

This November has provided some significantly cooler weather than we’re accustomed to, with an average monthly temperature nearly 5 degrees below normal. (A warm start will keep this month out of the top-10 coldest Novembers). However, we’ll now end the month with a string of warmer days and nights that will last into early December before a stronger cold front arrives next week.

Wednesday

A few outlying areas are seeing lows in the upper 30s this morning, but for the most part the city has remained in the 40s or (near the coast) 50s. Winds have already shifted to come from the south, and this will bring us a steady stream of warmer, and more humid air. Highs today will reach into the low 70s, although as clouds build later this afternoon I wouldn’t expect highs to go above that. Lows tonight are unlikely to fall below 60 for most of the area.

See full post