Dreary today and Thursday, but the weekend looks festive for Houston

Winter has come to Houston, and along with it we’re seeing widespread light rainfall for a couple of days before sunny and cool weather.

Wednesday

Today is definitely winter coat weather—even if you’re one of those hardy souls from the north who mocks those of us accustomed to Houston weather. High temperatures will probably top out in the mid- to upper-40s today, and a 10 to 15-mph northerly breeze will keep things brisk, with higher gusts along the coast. Clouds are likely all day as well, with intermittent light rain showers adding to the fun. I’m not worried about accumulations, as most areas should see less than 1 inch of rain. But my, this will be a dreary day.

Thursday

Some northern areas have a slight chance of sleet (tiny, clear pellets of ice) on Wednesday night—I’m thinking of areas like Washington, Grimes, and Walker counties, and points north of there. However, the ground is warm enough still that any such wintry mix should melt on contact. In Houston, we’ll just see cold rain. This day should be a lot like Wednesday, albeit with slightly warmer temperatures and diminishing rain coverage later in the day.

Low temperatures for Thursday night into Friday morning will be quite cold. (National Weather Service)

Some clearing skies (generally from the northwest to the southeast) should allow temperatures on Thursday night to get a bit colder, perhaps in the upper 30s for the Houston area, but a freeze seems unlikely in the city.

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

See full post

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)

See full post

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)

See full post

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.