Good morning. Do you remember the brutal summer of 2011? If not, that was the warmest summer on record in Houston—high temperatures failed to reach 100 degrees on exactly one day in August of that year. Most of us who lived through it will probably never forget it.
Well, during the last week Houston has had warm nights that rival the summer of 2011. Matt found that the week ending Saturday morning capped off the warmest 7-day stretch of minimum temperatures on record in the city. For the last 7 days low temperatures have averaged 80.7°. The previous record is 80.6° set in 2011.
That gives you some sense of the magnitude of heat we experienced last week, and which will continue this week. To that end we wanted to remind you that today through Wednesday is the very last chance to enter phase 1 of Reliant’s sweepstakes to win a free AC System. Please visit here to enter for your chance to win. Good luck!
Monday
By now you know the drill as high pressure dominates our region’s weather. Highs today will again be in the upper 90s, with partly sunny skies in the morning giving way to mostly sunny skies during the afternoon. Winds will be light out of the southwest. Overnight lows ill provide scant relief from this weather, possibly not dropping below 80 degrees.
Tuesday and Wednesday
More of the same, with hot, sunny, days and muggy nights. Breezy evenings may help a little bit if you’re out for a walk.
Thursday and Friday
Toward the end of this week we expect high pressure to begin to back off somewhat—but not too much, and not right away. This may drop daytime and nighttime temperatures by a couple of degrees, but it would be disingenuous for to suggest it will bring any significant change to our weather. A very, very slight chance of rain returns Friday.
Saturday and Sunday
Our weather this weekend will depend on whether the aforementioned ridge of high pressure weakens further, or clings on. For now we’ll bet on the “clinging on for dear life” scenario, which means the weekend will probably see mostly sunny weather, highs in the mid- to upper-90s, and rain chances on the order of 20 percent per day.
Next week
If you’re wondering when this heat wave will finally break, it does look like next week will bring a pattern change, with more clouds, better rain chances, and highs dropping into the 90 to 95 degree range. We can hope, right?
Guys, isn’t it a bit unusual to have so much cloud cover when under high pressure? I mean several times the last three days I’ve noticed 80+% cloud cover at times. I’m not complaining, it’s keeping the attic “cooler”. The attic maxed out at only 106.4 F yesterday (with radiant barrier).
I noticed this as well in Fort Bend County and thought (pipe dream hope) we would get a shower from it.
My attic temp is 127 F right now (and 22% humidity) — (Monday at 1:26pm) with no radiant barrier. The highest I’ve noticed it this summer has been in the mid 130s. Last summer, it hit the mid 150s (which is the maximum the sensor is rated to measure). I’ve thought about getting radiant barrier, but I actually want attic heating in the winter more than I don’t want it in the summer. My electric bills are much higher in the winter than in the summer. Since hot air rises, the hot attic air vents out the ridge vents and doesn’t come into the house. In the winter, the cold attic air does come into the house. I need to replace and beef up my attic insulation for sure.
If it’s any comfort as of 4:23 PM the attic is 110.3 and rising.
Heating in the winter isn’t an issue – my furnace barely runs. Having grown up in the north the house at 70 is just fine in the winter.
I was pregnant that summer, delivered in September. Absolute worst.
Same! I delivered in October 2011 and was so uncomfortable all summer.
I am wondering if this stifling heat is causing allergies to flare up? Just gross outside.
That is a coincidence that the “Baked Summer of 2011” was brought up. Not only do I have flashbacks to that with the current heat but I think about TS Allison (2001) and Hurricane Ike (2008).
I know it is summer in Houston but this heatwave needs to go.
I remember that was the year of severe drought and fires all over Texas. Many trees died in Houston that year. I remember a friend at work who lived in NW Harris County showing me pictures of the sky behind her house a smoky orange from the flames licking the sky north of her neighborhood. (She did not have to evacuate.) On the positive side, we didn’t have a hurricane that year…
Oh but, it’s 2020, so in addition to Covid, we are gonna have a 2011 summer, go for at least 2 cat 3 storms, and cap it all off with the worlds worst election ever. Foxholes everyone!
You forgot murder hornets.
Wait. So nothing on the comet?
The one that is going to hit Houston?