As the southern edge of a major storm system moves approaches Houston the western half of the metro area is under severe thunderstorm warning this morning until 5:30am CT.
Area of severe thunderstorm warning in effect through 5:30am CT. (National Weather Service)
In addition to heavy rain (about 0.5 to 1 inch with this line of storms) this means there may be strong winds, hail and possibly even a tornado over a northern part of the city near Spring. I expect the thunderstorm warning area to expand eastward as we get closer to sunrise.
One saving grace from this system is that it continues to steadily move eastward and should move out of the eastern half of the Houston region by 7 or 8 am CT. After the main line of storms moves through we could see some additional scattered showers and thunderstorms later this morning and afternoon. But as for the potential for very heavy rain and severe weather, this is the main event.
We’re starting to see storms fire up in west Texas and Oklahoma which will progressively move eastward across northern Texas later this evening. These storms will likely bring heavy rains, hail and tornadoes to the warning area below, including Dallas-Fort Worth complex. Conditions could get pretty nasty.
Good morning. Before we move on to the potential for inclement weather later tonight, and again later this week, I wanted to note for the record that there was in fact a tornado in Houston on Sunday evening. The National Weather Service confirmed the touchdown of an EF-0 tornado, with 70-mph winds, in League City. It’s track went for 1.4 miles.
TODAY
It’s a warm and muggy morning, with temperatures only falling into the low 70s out there, and we’re going to see a very warm day in the upper 80s under partly sunny skies. Areas in northern Texas and Oklahoma are likely to see strong storms later today, and quite possibly a number of tornadoes. However I do not believe any of these storms will move into the Houston area today.
WEDNESDAY
Some of the energy from the system over northern Texas should sag southward into the greater Houston area by early Wednesday, or mid-Wednesday morning, however. The best chances for storms should come north of Interstate 10, and the primary threats are wind and hail, with tornadoes a lesser possibility. As for timing, for the metro area I expect any line of storms that does develop to move through between about 6am and noon. We are probably looking at widespread rain totals of 0.5 to 2 inches of rain, with greater accumulations to the north. Isolated areas could see higher rain totals. While these storms have the potential to produce a flooding threat, and I’m not ruling that out, I don’t feel as though most areas will see high enough rain totals. (We will be watching it closely all the same).Some lingering showers are possible Wednesday afternoon.
The potential for storms on Wednesday morning is greatest to the north and northeast of Houston, but that doesn’t mean the city is in the clear. (NOAA)
As you may know last Friday, for the first time, Space City Weather sought sponsorship. I’m pleased to say we’ve had great interest. Already we have someone lined up for May, with several months likely to be booked after that as well. If you know someone who may be interested here is a link to more information.
Still, many of you have asked about contributing to the site through micro-donations. Matt and I discussed the possibility of this, but we think the best thing for people to do is make a donation to the flood victims from last Sunday and Monday’s tremendous rainfall. Two of the best ways to do that are:
A typical scene on Monday, April 18, in Houston. (Laurence Simon/Flickr)
As we get closer to hurricane season we’re also planning to sell some Space City Weather t-shirts by which people can both support the site as well as help us spread the word. We’ll have more information on that in a month or so.
In the meantime, thanks for all the support, and we’ll continue to stay on top of things for you guys.
