Expect decent rains this week ahead of the next cold front

Good morning. After a mostly sunny weekend, some clouds return today, along with a continued warming trend that will push highs into the mid- to upper-70s. The Houston area will see widespread rainfall on Tuesday evening through Wednesday morning, which will bring in the region’s next cool front. This will bring a couple of chilly nights, with lows perhaps in the mid- to upper-30s.

Monday

There is a bit of fog out there, nothing too dense, but take it easy if you run into limited visibility this morning. High temperatures today will climb into the mid-70s beneath partly sunny skies. Later this afternoon you’ll notice winds out of the south, gusting up to 25 mph. This will bring increasing moisture levels that will help set up our next chance of rain showers starting later on Tuesday. Clouds will increase Monday night, with lows dropping only to around 60 degrees in Houston.

A few areas may reach 80 degrees on Tuesday ahead of the next front. (Weather Bell)

Tuesday and Tuesday night

Fog will again be possible on Tuesday morning, and despite mostly cloudy skies this should be our warmest day of the week. Look for high temperatures in the upper 70s, with a few inland areas possibly touching 80 degrees. Most of the daytime should just be gray, but by the afternoon hours we should start to see some scattered, light showers. These may increase in intensity after midnight, as the front approaches and moves into Houston by around sunrise. Lows on Tuesday night will only drop to around 60 degrees ahead of the front.

Wednesday

Rain showers should exit the area pretty quickly after the front’s passage on Wednesday morning, by around noon at the latest. The model guidance for total rain accumulations from the front are all over the place, from less than 0.5 inch to 2 inches. My sense is that a few areas will see heavier rain and thunderstorms, but that the majority of the region will see about 0.5 inch of rain give or take. The bottom line is that I don’t expect this event to be too impactful, although the additional rains will keep yards on the wet side. I’m not anticipating any flooding issues right now. Winds will be breezy out of the north after the front, gusting perhaps to 25 mph. Highs Wednesday will be in the 60s, with nighttime lows falling into the mid-40s for most.

Thursday and Friday

These will be a pair of sunny days. Thursday will be in the 60s, with light northerly winds, and another night in the mid-40s. Friday, however, will be more blustery, with a reinforcing blowing into the area. I don’t expect any rain with this front, but Friday could be gusty with winds blowing up to 30 mph and highs only in the 50s. As temperatures drop into the upper 30s on Friday night, these gusty winds will quickly cool you off. Outdoor activities are not recommended Friday night, therefore.

Friday night’s low temperatures are shown here. With the winds, it’s going to be quite cool. (Weather Bell)

Saturday and Sunday

The first half of the weekend will be sunny and cool. Next Saturday will, in fact, be a lot like the Saturday just past, with highs near 60 degrees, probably. However, as winds shift to come from the east this weekend, it will set up a more moderate flow for Sunday. As a result look for building clouds on Saturday night, and highs in the mid- to upper 60s on Sunday

Next week

Most of next week looks warmer and cloudier. Monday and Tuesday should see decent rain chances in response to an upper-level system, and I’d look for highs in at least the 70s through much of the week. It is too early to say with any confidence whether a mid-week front will make it all the way through Houston.

4 thoughts on “Expect decent rains this week ahead of the next cold front”

  1. I wish this drought would end so that all of these rains would stop. I can’t even put a bike in my yard because the stand sinks into the mud and tips it over.

    • We’re no longer in drought, at least in Harris county. The cause-effect part of your first sentence is going to give me palpitations.

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