Expect another splendid weather day today, we also take a look at eclipse weather in Texas

Summary: After a chilly start Houston is going to see a very fine day of weather. Then we’ll see a warming trend through the weekend. Some clouds will mar festivities on Easter Sunday, but otherwise it should be a mild day. In this post we also take our first real look at an eclipse cloud cover forecast.

Thursday

After a chilly start to the day—for one of the last times this season much of Houston is seeing temperatures in the 40s—we’ll warm nicely with highs reaching the mid-70s. With plenty of dry air in place, this will be another one of those A+ days in Houston, so expect another fine evening. The only concern is air quality, with an Ozone Action Day in place. This is due, in part, to very light winds at the surface. With those winds turning more southerly, expect a bit warmer conditions tonight, with lows mostly in the 50s.

Friday

This will be another sunny, pleasant day. Temperatures will be slightly warmer, in the upper 70s. Southerly winds will also be more noticeable from the south, gusting perhaps to 20 mph. Lows on Friday night will drop down to around 60 degrees.

Saturday

The warming trend continues this weekend as the onshore flow remains in place. Highs on Saturday will be around 80 degrees, with partly to mostly sunny skies. As dewpoints will be around 60 degrees, the air will still feel reasonably dry. Lows on Saturday night will only drop into the upper 60s.

Easter Sunday

Sunday won’t be warm enough to boil an egg, but highs should reach into the low 80s despite partly to mostly cloudy skies. Along with the clouds, winds on Sunday will be a bit gusty from the south. Still there are no concerns about rain or other activities that might preclude egg hunting or bunny hopping. Lows on Sunday night will be mild indeed, dropping only to about 70 degrees.

Monday

The start of the next week will be quite warm, as highs push into the mid- to upper-80s. Could a few inland areas briefly touch 90 degrees? Yes, they could. But I think mostly cloudy skies will inhibit that kind of warming for most of the region. Still, this day will be a reminder that summer is not all that far off as we exit March.

Next week

A front arrives early next week, probably on Tuesday, to bring back more spring-like weather. This likely means highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s for a few days with some drier air. So, nice. There’s not much of a chance of rain with this front it looks like, but that’s not a hard-boiled fact yet.

Eclipse weather

Alright, we’re just on the bleeding edge of having some sense of what to expect for April 8, 2024, when a total eclipse traverses the central part of the state. For those interested in the national outlook, Matt is providing regular updates at The Eyewall. His general conclusion that it’s too early to say anything remotely definitive. And I agree.

Here’s what I can say about Texas. After the front moves into Texas next week, we’re going to see several days of clear weather across the state, from roughly Tuesday through Friday. And after that? The majority of models cloud things up heading into next weekend. At that point we’re really beyond the stage of reliability predictability. For what it’s worth, which is not much, the global model ensembles are showing an average of about 50 to 60 percent cloud cover for the early afternoon of April 8. Generally, the further southwest one goes in the state, the better. And for the time being, at least, Texas looks to be in a little better situation than much of the rest of the country.

We should have something more sensible to say about all of this in Monday’s update.