Following Thursday morning’s rumbles, another storm system may arrive in two days

As expected, a healthy round of storms is moving through the Houston area this morning. The show is mostly over for areas north of Interstate 10, but coastal areas may see on and off showers and thunderstorms for another couple of hours. We’ll have one more chance for storms early on Saturday before our weather quiets down for awhile.

Thursday

Most of the storms should be offshore by mid-morning, and by the afternoon hours we should see partially clearing skies as modestly drier northern air moves into the region. With at least some clouds holding on today, I think highs will probably only reach the upper 70s for most of Houston. Winds will remain fairly light, at 10 mph or so, mostly from the north. With clearing skies overnight, I think areas inland of Interstate 10 will probably at least briefly drop below 60 degrees tonight, with the coast remaining warmer.

Friday

This will be a fine, sunny day, with highs in the low- to mid-80s. Winds will be fairly light, out of the south. Conditions will start to turn more unsettled on Friday night as the next storm system and front approaches the area. As of now, I think any serious rainfall will probably hold off until after midnight, however. Lows on Friday night will drop into the low 60s.

Saturday

The good news is that we are starting to have a little bit of clarity on this weekend’s forecast. The bad news is that if you have plans on Saturday morning, and that includes participants in the BP MS-150 bike ride, there is the potential for storms. The jury is still out on whether we’re going to see a few isolated storms, or a more widespread system in association with the next cold front. However, we are increasingly confident that there will be at least some rain showers between the period of midnight and noon on Saturday. So rain, very likely. But severe weather or heavy rainfall? I can give you a solid maybe. Matt should have a better defined forecast for you tomorrow.

The front itself should move into the region during the pre-dawn hours, and likely push off the coast by or shortly after sunrise. This is going to produce fairly robust northwesterly winds, perhaps 15 mph with gusts of 25 mph or higher. So that’s going to be right in your face if you’re riding out toward La Grange on Saturday. Winds will probably be highest during the afternoon hours. Even with clearing skies on Saturday afternoon I expect highs to only reach about 70 degrees. Lows on Saturday night will drop into the mid-50s, so pretty chilly for the end of April.

Sunday

Sunday looks much nicer, with sunny skies, dry air, and highs of around 80 degrees. Lows on Sunday night will drop to around 60 degrees in Houston.

Next week

After several periods of unsettled weather, next week should bring calmer conditions back to Houston. We’re talking mostly highs in the 80s, perhaps approaching the upper-80s by weeks end. Lows will be in the 60s, approaching the 70s by week’s end. While there will be some clouds, I don’t see any major indications for storms or rainfall. At least not yet.