Enjoy this week’s cold front, because after that January looks warm for awhile

Good morning. The biggest weather story of the next few days is the fog we’ll see over the next couple of mornings. A front on Thursday morning will usher in some colder and drier air to end that. But we’ll see a warming trend this weekend, and most of next week looks rather toasty for January. Does that spell the end of winter? Read on to find out.

Tuesday

Widespread fog has developed this morning as low temperatures and dewpoints are both about 60 degrees. As the air temperature rises this morning, the fog will dissipate, leaving mostly sunny skies. High temperatures this afternoon will reach the mid-70s, with light southwesterly winds. Low temperatures tonight will drop into the low-60s, and with matching dewpoints we can again expect the development of some fog.

Wednesday

This will be the warmest day of the week, with partly to mostly sunny skies, and highs near 80 degrees for much of the area. Winds will be out of the southwest at 10 to 15 mph. Wednesday night will only see lows drop into the low- to mid-60s.

Thursday

At some point on Thursday morning, probably around sunrise, a cold front will sweep through the Houston region. My sense is that this front will be dry as it moves into Houston, although there is a slight possibility for some storms associated with the front to form north of Houston, particularly north of Highway 105 in Montgomery County. Dewpoints will plunge behind the front, so we’re going to see sunny skies, with highs in the low- to mid-60s, and dry air on Thursday. Winds will be notable out of the north, gusting to perhaps 25 mph. They should dial back some by Thursday night as lows drop into the low 40s.

Low temperatures on Saturday morning will be the coldest of the week. (Weather Bell)

Friday

This will be the chilliest day of the week, with highs struggling to reach 60 degrees despite sunny skies. Winds will be out of the north at around 10 mph. We will see ideal conditions for cooling on Friday night, with Houston dropping to around 40 degrees, and inland areas perhaps into the upper 30s.

Saturday

After a chilly start, temperatures on Saturday will warm into the mid- to upper-60s. You may notice the onshore flow resuming, which will moderate temperatures on Saturday night, dropping only to around 50 degrees. This looks like a fine, fine day for outdoor activities.

Sunday

The second half of the weekend will be warmer. If you’re running the Houston Marathon, start line temperatures will be in the low 50s. However, there are a few things I’m concerned about as a runner. First of all, dewpoints will also be in the 50s, so the lack of appreciably dry air will be noticeable. Winds will also be picking up, gusting out of the south at 15 to 20 mph. Fortunately there’s not too much southward running in the marathon route. Temperatures will also rise pretty quickly, to about 70 degrees by noon, and mid-70s by the afternoon. Bottom line, stay properly hydrated. If you’re a slower runner like me, the second half of the marathon will be fairly warm. Lows on Sunday night will only drop into the mid-60s.

Next week will be considerably warmer than normal for January. (Pivotal Weather)

Next week

The forecast for next week is warm. We may see a few weaker fronts that will bring some slightly elevated rain chances. Overall, however, we’re looking at highs in the upper 70s and lows in the 50s, probably. It won’t feel like winter, however that does not mean we’re done with the cold. A good friend asked me Monday if winter was over. I replied that it is not, and indeed there are some hints in the models at a colder spell about 10 to 12 days from now. So winter? Yeah it’s probably coming back toward the end of this month.

18 thoughts on “Enjoy this week’s cold front, because after that January looks warm for awhile”

  1. winter isn’t over until early march most years. who are these people that think holiday season = winter??

    • Right, they used to have the Easter snap, the last chilly spell that always comes around Easter. There is still some more winter to go, but it is possible that we don’t get down to freezing or below freezing again this winter.

  2. Thank you and I am glad that winter is not over! I am not ready for the sweat season yet. I feel like our winters are our summers as that is when we can get outside and move around!

    • Lmao, could I ask what area you live in because if you’d live in the south you’d sure as hell appreciate the cooler weather😂

  3. La Niña has got to go!!
    It is robbing us of the seasonal cool that most of us enjoy and need before the misery of the summer months. This 3 years and counting pattern is also giving us summers that resemble Saudi Arabia instead of South Florida.

    • I lived in South Florida for a few years. We are still much colder than Miami normally is during winter. They get in the 40s a handful of times, and almost never 30s. Most days are 70s, lows around 60.

      • The latitude of Houston is roughly 30 degrees N, about the same as Cairo. The latitude of Miami is like 25.5 degrees N, about the same as Qatar and Bahrain. Houston ought to be cooler than Miami……..

    • Until after the Easter snap, which is the cold spell that comes every year around Easter, the last chilly weather before spring heats up and moves into summer weather. Although, it is possible that we don’t get down to freezing again this winter. I certainly hope so.

  4. Eric,
    I have a friend running the marathon at about a 4 1/2 hour rate and plan to welcome him close to the 15 mile point at San Felipe and Tanglewood around 9:30, will you be wearing anything silly (other than a grin) to be recognized?

  5. please no more cold! This warm ‘toast’ weather is beautiful and perfect. It makes winters here so nice.

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