In brief: Houston will be cold, gray, and intermittently rainy until Saturday, when we should see some sunnier skies for awhile. We may hit 70 degrees by Sunday, but after that we’ll have a few more cold days. It really is going to feel like winter in Houston.
Thursday
From Wednesday evening through the early hours this morning much of the Houston region has picked up 0.5 to 1.5 inches of rain due to a combination of increased atmospheric moisture and a front that has pushed in. For many locations (especially inland of Interstate 10) rain chances will be below 50 percent during the daytime today. For the most part, any developing showers should be light to moderate, rather than heavy.
In terms of temperatures, much of the region is in the low- to mid-50s this morning, and that is where we are likely to peak today. Lows tonight will drop into the low- to mid-40s across the region, with generally light winds.
Friday
I think we’ll probably see a lull in rain showers on Thursday night (not completely, but for the most part), however we could see the return of some additional light rain on Friday. These would be nuisance showers (i.e. one to two tenths of an inch, at most) rather than anything that will cause problems. However, with high temperatures likely peaking in the low 50s for much of Houston, this will add to the feeling of cold and dreary conditions. Rains should end completely by Friday evening, with lows dropping into the 40s area wide.
Saturday and Sunday
The onshore flow will return briefly on Saturday, setting the stage for some warmer conditions. I expect Saturday to be partly sunny, with highs in the mid- to upper-60s, and overnight lows dropping into the mid-50s. Sunday should see mostly sunny skies, with highs in the low 70s. A secondary push of colder air will arrive on Sunday (we may see some wind gusts up to 15 or 20 mph) but this should not preclude a fairly warm day, by recent standards. Lows on Sunday night will drop into the low- to mid-40s at least, however, with the influx of colder and drier air. Rain chances for the entire weekend are close to zero.
Next week
We will see a lot more sunshine next week than the region experienced this week. I expect most days to be partly to mostly sunny. The first half of the week will be chilly, with highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s (note that, at this point, Tuesday morning looks to be the coldest morning with lows possibly reaching the upper 30s in parts of Houston. We should warm into the 70s during the daytime by mid-week.
Another front likely arrives ahead of the weekend, but that is far enough in the future to be pretty fuzzy. As of today we are three weeks from the Christmas holiday which is simultaneously very soon (like wow, there’s a lot to be done) but also far enough off for any forecast to be meaningless. I’ll make a first stab at that next week.
