As the reality of summer settles in for Houston, we can offer you one saving grace—the summer solstice is just six days away. June 20th will be the longest day of the year at 14 hours, 3 minutes. The Sun will be almost directly overhead during the middle of the day, at 84 degrees altitude. After passing the solstice, we’ll at least be able to begin counting down toward fall as days get a little bit shorter beginning next week. It’s a small hope, but the only hope we can offer at this point.
Today
High pressure will begin to build over the area today, but there’s enough moisture to still squeeze out a few showers for Houston, especially over the eastern half of the area. They will be scattered and likely brief. Highs otherwise in the low 90s.
Heat is building over the area. Here are some basic reminders. (National Weather Service)
Thursday through Sunday
June-like weather will prevail as high pressure builds over the region. That is to say, we’ll see high temperatures generally in the low 90s, lows in the upper 70s, with partly to mostly sunny skies and almost nil rain chances.
Houston is experiencing a typically steamy morning for this time of year, with lows in the upper 70s across most of the region. If you had forgotten, this is what summer feels like. And if I’m being honest, the lack of any real overnight cooling during summer is my least favorite part of the weather here.
Summer-time lows for Texas on Tuesday morning. (Weather Bell)
Tuesday and Wednesday
Warm, muggy conditions will continue for the region, with highs in the low 90s, and overnight low temperatures in the upper 70s. With decent atmospheric moisture levels, both days will probably see some scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening hours, but these will probably be short-lived.
Thursday through Saturday
As pressures rise, rain chances will go down toward the end of the work week. While I’m not entirely ruling out a chance of showers during the afternoon hours, for the most part these should be sunny, warm days in the low 90s, with warm nights.
Summer—steamy, humid, and hot—is finally here. Houston certainly enjoyed a nice reprieve last week, as Bush Intercontinental Airport recorded a streak of four mornings (Thursday through Sunday) of low temperatures ranging from 67 to 69 degrees. The monthly average temperature so far is about 2 degrees below normal.
But by Sunday afternoon it “felt” like summer outside, and that’s how conditions will remain for about the next three months, and of course we’re only going to get warmer as we get deeper into July and August.
Today
After several mostly sunny days, clouds will return to the forecast area today, and this will herald a pretty decent chance of rain. Moisture levels are higher to the east of Houston, so rain chances will be considerably higher to the east of Interstate 45 than to the west. So look for scattered showers for the eastern half of Houston, and fairly isolated showers to the west. Accumulations for the most part will be low, perhaps a tenth of an inch of rain or two. Highs today should be around 90 degrees, with muggy overnight lows in the upper 70s.
Tuesday
A similar day to Monday, although with a bit less moisture I’d expect a bit less rainfall coverage for the area. Humidity levels remain very high, with temperatures around 90 degrees and lows in the upper 70s.
Don’t expect too much rain this week, as the 7-day NOAA forecast indicates. (Weather Bell)
Wednesday through Friday
Moisture levels will fall off some, which will leave us in a summer-like pattern for the region. This means partly to mostly sunny skies, with a slight chance of afternoon showers as the sea breeze moves in. Look for highs in the low 90s, and overnight low temperatures in the mid-70s.
Saturday and Sunday
Moisture levels don’t look particularly high, but the upper-level pattern suggests that some storms may be possible. For now I’d feel comfortable saying there’s a 20 to 30 percent chance of storms for Houston, but most likely we’re going to see warm, partly sunny days.
Tropical note
We’re now about a dozen days into the Atlantic hurricane season. So far conditions have been calm, but forecast models are hinting at some development in the Caribbean Sea this weekend that may eventually move into the Gulf of Mexico. I say this not to alarm you, but because some people may share forecasts about this system that show something developing near Texas. I’m not ruling that out, but there are quite a few factors weighing against this happening right now, so I wouldn’t be overly concerned. We’ll watch it and let you know if there’s anything that matters.
Houston is enjoying another really pleasant morning for June, with lows in the upper 60s in parts of the city, and ample dry air. Enjoy this fine weather for this time of year, because it will not last as we descend deeper into summer.
There are some very comfortable lows in east Texas this morning. (Weather Bell)
Friday
The easterly winds bringing dry air will eventually swing to out of the southeast by later today, but we should enjoy one more relatively dry day, with highs near 90 degrees, and overnight lows again in the upper 60s for inland areas, and lower 70s along the coast.
Saturday
Another nice, sunny day, with highs near 90 degrees and mostly sunny skies. Lows by Saturday night and into Sunday morning will be warmer, however, likely only falling into the low- to mid-70s.
