Eric Berger

Good morning. We’ve kicked off our annual fundraiser for the year, and it will last for the next three weeks. We don’t want anyone to feel pressured to contribute anything, but readers often ask how they can help the site.

So once a year we sell t-shirts (as well as sweatshirts and umbrellas this year) and accept donations via Custom Ink. The money goes to support our operating expenses—zero server problems in 2018, yay!—and support the considerable time that Matt and I spend at this. Now, onto the forecast.

Tuesday

Fog has developed over the region, especially western Houston, but it should lift by around 9 or 10am this morning. After this we should see partly sunny skies and another fairly warm day for early November, with highs in the low- to mid-80s. Humidity will be abundant as well. Rain, for the most, part, should hold off but we may see a few scattered showers across the area. Expect a steamy November night, with most of the city not falling below 70 degrees.

Wednesday

Another warm day, with highs in the mid-80s, but as moisture levels pile up we’ll see better rain chances across the area. For the most part, this should be light to moderate rain, but we can’t rule out a few thunderstorms. I expect accumulations, at most, in the tenths of an inch. Nighttime temperatures will be slightly cooler, but still in the 60s inland, and low 70s along the coast.

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After a pretty nice weekend—Sunday morning’s showers aside—our weather will turn warmer and more humid this week before a strong front arrives before next weekend. We’re not looking at anything too extreme, but we can definitely anticipate some showers and thunderstorms on Thursday and Friday.

Monday

The weak cold front that pushed into the offshore waters on Sunday is moving back onshore today, and we’ll feel that later this afternoon in the form of stronger southerly winds and rising humidity. Expect highs in the low 80s, with mostly cloudy skies. A word of warning if you’re traveling up into east Texas or Arkansas today, as that area faces the potential for some severe weather due to a separate frontal system. Rain chances should be near zero in the Houston metro area itself.

Tuesday

Another warm day, with high temperatures in the low to mid-80s, depending upon the extent of afternoon sunshine in your area. Highs will probably be 8 to 10 degrees warmer than normal for this time of year, but the heat won’t last too long. Rain chances will be in the 10 to 20 percent range.

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Well, that’s all over. We survived Wednesday afternoon’s storms, the rains ended long enough for most people to do some trick-or-treating, and then a strong front blew through Wednesday night. The squall line of storms produced wind gusts of up to 50mph along the coast. Rain totals over the last 24 hours were impressive, too, ranging from about 1.5 to 4.5 inches, enough to cause some street flooding, but those concerns are ending now with drier air moving into the area, behind the front. Some splendid weather lies ahead.

Thursday

It’s chilly outside this morning, so don’t forget to bring a light jacket. Temperatures are generally hovering around 60 degrees in the city, with a brisk northerly wind at around 15 mph. Highs won’t rise too much, probably into the upper 60s, even as skies clear later today. All of this colder, drier air moving into the region should bring Houston its coldest night of the season on Thursday night, with inland areas likely seeing low temperatures in the 40s.

Friday

This should be an amazing day, with a cool start, sunny skies, and high temperatures of around 70 degrees for the most part. We’ll see another chilly night on Friday into Saturday morning, but overnight temperatures will be a few degrees warmer across the area.

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Just a short update on the forecast for Halloween, which remains more or less on track. As of 4pm CT we’re in the midst of daytime-heating driven thunderstorms firing up along a boundary running through the Houston area. We’re hoping to see some of this activity die down between 5pm and 7pm, as the sun goes down, but we can’t guarantee it won’t rain in your area.

If you’re trick-or-treating, the best advice is to seize the moment when it’s not raining around sunset; but remain relatively close to your home or vehicle. While there should be fewer storms across the area around sunset, we’re still concerned about the potential for strong thunderstorms and other threats popping up quickly. If you hear thunder, please take shelter.

The main event will come a little later this evening, with the arrival of a cold front and a line of severe thunderstorms moving from northwest to southeast.

The timings we shared this morning remain pretty much accurate. Along with the warning messages about the potential for some heavy downpours, high winds, and other severe weather, the National Weather Service went ahead and pulled the trigger on a tornado watch for much of East Texas. It expires at 10pm, but once the front passes through your location, and the rains stop, you can consider the need for the watch ended.

Please remember that a tornado watch simply means that conditions exist for the possible formation of tornadoes, not that one has been spotted. And while it is certainly possible for tornadoes to form this evening, we don’t envision a huge threat.

All the same, it’s going to get briefly nasty out there as this cold front blows through Houston tonight. Please have plans to be somewhere safe during the passage.