Dare we say it? You’ll need your winter coats this week

Temperatures this morning, just before sunrise, were about 70 degrees in the greater Houston area with essentially 100 percent humidity. This soupy weather is considerably warmer than normal for Houston, but it will now come to an end with the passage of a strong cold front Tuesday, and several reinforcing fronts over the next week. In short, winter has come to Texas.

A big change is coming to Houston’s weather on Tuesday. (Weather Bell)

Tuesday

The cold front is on track to move through Houston later this morning, likely reaching the coast by around noon, give or take an hour or two. The radar shows a broken band of light to moderate showers, with a few thunderstorms, accompanying the front as it sweeps down through Texas. I expect this pattern to more or less hold, and accumulations will be relatively low given the fairly rapid movement of the front to the southeast. Our weather will cool quickly with strong northerly winds blowing in behind the front.

Rain chances will return later this afternoon and evening, however, The dry air at the surface moving in with the cold front won’t extend very far up into the atmosphere, and due to the moisture aloft we are likely to see some continued light rain showers Tuesday night and on Wednesday.

(Space City Weather is brought to you this month by the Law Office of Murray Newman)

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Winter begins in Houston on Tuesday

The region received more rainfall than expected on Sunday evening, as a warm front moving in from the coast met with moist air, helping to drive rain showers across the area. Rain amounts were greatest near the coast, where some areas of Brazoria and Galveston saw 4 inches of rainfall, and most of Harris county received 0.5 to 2 inches of rain.

Rainfall accumulation on Sunday and Sunday night. (NOAA)

Monday

After what should be a mostly dry morning, much of the region should see more rain today, although it does not appear as though rain showers will be quite so intense. Mostly, I’d expect light to moderate showers under gray skies, with muggy high temperatures near 80 degrees. Rain coverage will probably lessen during the evening hours, but that should change later, overnight, as a strong cold front approaches.

(Space City Weather is brought to you this month by the Law Office of Murray Newman)

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Keep your home safe and efficient as the holidays approach

The holidays are upon us. For some, this means travel away from homes for an extended period. For most of us, this means the delivery of packages and the potential for theft. In this sponsored post from Reliant, we discuss a security system that offers peace of mind for homeowners whether you’re traveling, at work, running holiday errands, or otherwise on the go.

Total Home Protection

With Security by Reliant, customers can get around-the-clock security that can be controlled from anywhere so your family and home are always protected. (One need not be a Reliant electricity customer to sign up for security services with the company, the program is open to everyone). Reliant offers a variety of packages and services to fit your unique security needs—Essential, Advanced or Premium plans—each of which offer 24/7 monitoring, access via an app, professional installation and more.

The Perfect Power Partner: Speak and Save 12 plan

Want to bring some tech to your thermostat? The new Nest Thermostat E lets you control your home’s temperature, plan for sudden weather changes and adjust settings while you’re away. This smart thermostat learns your schedule and adjusts automatically based on whether you’re home or away, letting you save energy without lifting a finger. And now, you can control it with a Google Home Mini, simply by saying, “Ok Google, make it cooler.”

(Reliant)

When you sign up for the Reliant Speak & Save 12 plan, you’ll get a Google Home Mini and Nest Thermostat E on Reliant. Additionally, with this plan, you’ll also enjoy 12 months of price security on your electricity.

Fabulous fall weather on tap for Houston, rain may return Sunday

Temperatures are cooler and drier this morning, and this has largely ended the chance of fog like that which the Houston area experienced Wednesday. We now will see some very pleasant weather before rain chances return on Sunday.

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday

Thanks to a dry, northerly flow the region will have three dry and sunny days, with moderate high temperatures in the mid- to upper-70s. Low temperatures will range from the upper 40s north of Houston to the upper 50s to 60 degrees right on the coast. Overall, the weather should be just about perfect for the fall in Houston.

Houston received a ton of rainfall at the end of August, but not much since then. (National Weather Service)

Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday

The one concern we’ve been discussing is the lack of rain since Hurricane Harvey. I know, it seems daft to worry about drier weather after a storm like that. But the fact is, most of Houston has had just 4 to 6 inches of rain in the 14 weeks since the storm, and this is causing the region to slip into drier than normal conditions. We’re not in a drought yet, and there are no major widespread, or significant concerns. However by the end of a La Niña winter (typically drier than normal for Texas), we might be.

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