Matt Lanza

Good morning! We will get into the weather in a moment. Just doing our public service announcement here: With the remainder of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo being cancelled, we will obviously cease rodeo forecasts. We know how disappointing the cancellation is to so many people, us included. Local officials obviously determined that the risk is significant enough to take these precautions, and you’re definitely seeing that in many places right now. While not a meteorological event, there are so many parallels I keep finding between the information flow with COVID-19 and how we cover hurricanes or floods. Remember, as it is with weather, make sure you’re getting your information from reputable sources, and heed the advice of local officials. Harris County has a dashboard already setup that will have the latest information, both from a big picture and locally.

The only interjection we can really make is that there have been comments made by some folks that the threat will end once the weather warms up. They may be a bit overconfident. A colleague, Bob Henson, writing for Weather Underground discussed this in depth the other day, and I’d encourage you to read that article to get a better understanding of the actual science and potential scenarios of how weather may impact the progression of the virus. A lot of unknowns, a lot of weird stuff going on, and a lot of drastic measures being put in place to make an effort to flatten the curve. As we do with storms, we’ll get through it all. Eric and I will continue to provide our typical daily updates of course, though hopefully the weather doesn’t add to our woes in the weeks and months ahead.

Alright, on to the weather.

Today

Dense fog advisories are posted once again this morning along the coast and just inland, as we again have some fog in place. This is becoming “the norm” for now, and I would expect this continues to some extent off and on into next week.

Much like yesterday, the fog and clouds should slowly clear this morning, leading to probably a nice afternoon, albeit a warm one again.

Look for highs in the 80s for most folks away from the coast with continued high humidity. Our normal high temperature today is 72° at IAH Airport. More impressively, our normal low is 52°, which we aren’t even in the same area code as right now.

Friday and weekend

So the chance of rain this weekend will probably be higher than it is today and was yesterday. But it will still probably be on the low side. Most of us should remain dry, but a few of us could see a shower on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. The highest odds are probably still north of Houston, even north of Conroe. Look for more nighttime fog at the coast and a good deal of cloud cover each day. We should see at least a little sunshine here and there but perhaps a bit less than we’ve had lately.

High temperatures will be in the 70s to low-80s and low temperatures in the 60s to perhaps even near 70 degrees. Expect southerly winds of about 5 to 15 mph.

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We got some sunshine yesterday after all, pushing temperatures up to and over 80° (several degrees above normal) in much of the area. And then the rains came for some of us. The area near Greenspoint hit the jackpot yesterday with about 2″ of rain.

While I don’t expect as much activity today, the chance of a downpour cannot be ruled out.

Today

Dense fog has developed, mainly from Houston south and east this morning, and advisories are posted. Give yourself a few extra minutes heading out the door this morning if you are commuting in those areas.

Half-mile or lower visibility is being reported along the coast and at least as far north as Hobby Airport and Southwest Houston. Like yesterday, fog should lift and dissipate through this morning, setting up a partly or even mostly sunny afternoon. Look for temperatures to surge back into the 80s again. As noted above, a shower or downpour is not likely but is possible today.

Fog is possible again tonight, especially from Houston south and east toward the coast.

Thursday and Friday

Rain chances look minimal both of the upcoming two days, and I would expect more of the same. Look for morning low clouds and/or fog to yield partly to mostly cloudy skies during the late morning and afternoon. High temperatures will range from the upper-70s to low-80s, slightly cooler at the coast, with morning lows generally in the 60s. Mostly light winds are expected.

Weekend

Rain chances look fairly low this coming weekend, so I would go forward with whatever you have planned. Low does not mean “zero,” however, and as of now, Sunday carries a better chance of showers than Saturday. The best chance will be from about Conroe northward on either day. It looks like a minor story right now, with no serious rain expected in our area, but nevertheless it is one we’ll keep watching for any changes.

Temperatures should be generally within a stone’s throw of 80 each day, with nighttime temperatures not far off 70 in a lot of spots.

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After a dreary Monday, we’re starting off with a dreary Tuesday now. But! I do think there is more sunshine “risk” in the forecast today and tomorrow. Let’s discuss.

Today

There are Dense Fog Advisories posted west and north of Houston this morning and along the immediate coast, as visibilities have dropped overnight.

Most of Harris County is not dealing with fog, except near the bay. Galveston is at a half-mile, as are parts of Liberty County, the Brazos Valley, and areas west of about Katy. As fog dissipates later this morning and afternoon, look for mostly cloudy skies. Hopefully some sunshine, but I think tomorrow has the better chance. A shower, downpour, or stray thunderstorm cannot be ruled out today. Temperatures this afternoon should get close to 80 under cloud cover, or perhaps into the low-80s with sunshine.

If you’re going to check out NCT 127 tonight at the rodeo, temperatures should drop from the mid-70s early this evening to near 70 by 9 or 10 PM. It will be humid, and it could be a foggy drive home for you, so make sure you’re able to take a little extra time heading home from the rodeo festivities.

Tonight & Wednesday

Look for dense to again develop this evening in spots, probably before midnight. Fog may be a bit more widespread tonight and tomorrow, and it will linger through at least mid-morning on Wednesday. All areas should clear out a good bit Wednesday afternoon, except for the immediate coast, where fog could drift in and out through the day. With some sunshine, I see no issues with us pushing back toward 80 or into the low-80s on Wednesday afternoon.

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This week is going to be a lot about repetition: Every day should be warm. Every day will have some amount of cloud cover. And most days will feature some degree of fog too. And Matt is going to fill in for Eric all week. So you have me to blame!

Today

Monday may actually be the trickiest day of the week to forecast. With a weak disturbance passing by, we should at least see some showers through the day today. The best chance will be north of Houston and mostly in the afternoon. It’s probably a good idea to have an umbrella handy just in case, but there is a good chance many of us may not need to pop it open.

Look for highs in the mid-70s with continued increasing humidity.

If you’re heading to the rodeo to check out Chris Young this evening, expect mostly cloudy skies, maybe some mist or light rain, and temperatures dropping from the low-70s early into the upper-60s on your way back home.

Tuesday & Wednesday

Fog is going to become the story on these two days. We should see both coastal sea fog and inland radiation fog develop. The combination will likely lead to a pair of dreary mornings on both days. Fog should clear by midday on both days, except at the immediate coast. While I think we’ll remain mostly cloudy after the fog lifts on Tuesday, we will probably get at least a few hours of sunshine Wednesday afternoon.

Showers are possible Tuesday, but otherwise, although the fog could occur with some mist or drizzle and it will be damp, we should not see any meaningful rain for Wednesday. Both days will see mild to warm temperatures. Look for lows on Tuesday morning to be in the low-60s, warming into the mid- to upper-70s. On Wednesday, we’ll begin in the mid-60s. With some sunshine on Wednesday afternoon, I see us easily passing the 80 degree mark away from the coast.

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