Houston to warm up, and taking a deeper look at this weekend’s winds and rain for the MS 150 bike ride

In brief: Houston will see continued warm weather, with windy conditions beginning Thursday and persisting through the weekend. Starting Sunday we’ll start to see some rain chances that will likely peak on Monday. In this post we also take a look at winds and a potentially rainy second half for the Texas Bike MS 150 ride.

Wednesday

Much of the area has only dropped to around 70 degrees this morning, with a warmer flow in place. Today will see temperatures warm into the low-80s for most locations, although clearing skies later this afternoon could allow some locations to pop up a few degrees higher. This will be the last day for awhile that we don’t experience a fairly pronounced southerly wind, so enjoy the calmer air. Lows tonight will, again, only drop to 70 degrees or a bit lower with a humid air mass in place.

Thursday

While Wednesday is likely to see some clearing skies during the afternoon, I think Thursday will remain mostly cloudy. In response to a front advancing across the central United States we’ll see an uptick in winds from the south on Thursday, with gusts up to 25 mph possible. (Said front, alas, isn’t going to make it into our area). This southerly flow will bring more warmer air into the region, but I think the aforementioned clouds will limit highs to the mid-80s. Expect another warm night.

Friday

Another warm, windy, and mostly cloudy day. We’ll see a slight chance of showers during the daytime, maybe 20 percent.

Saturday and Sunday

Saturday looks to be the warmest day of the week, and our high temperatures will depend on the extent of clearing skies. I do think there will be some breaks during the afternoon hours, so some locations will reach the upper-80s, probably. Winds will really be ripping on Saturday, as well, with southerly gusts perhaps up to 35 mph or even a tad higher in some locations.

Sunday should see a slight diminution in winds, but some gusts up to 30 mph will still be possible. Rain chances are also increasing for Sunday, especially for areas inland of Interstate 10. I’d put chances at about 40 percent in the Houston area. For the most part these should be light to moderate showers rather than thunderstorms, but it’s something to consider if you have outdoor plans on Sunday afternoon or evening. Highs should be solidly in the mid-80s.

Texas Bike MS 150 weather

Saturday looks fine for the ride from Houston, which generally follows a western route. The day will be rather warm, with partly sunny skies most likely. Winds will generally be from the south-southeast, with some fairly strong gusts. While these won’t be tailwinds, they should be cross-tailwinds, so they’ll help rather than hinder. (By contrast, if you’re planning to ride your bike from Houston to Galveston on Saturday, good luck). Rains will not be an issue.

On Sunday, the MS 150 bike ride generally turns more north-northeast. Winds on Sunday will not be as pronounced as on Saturday, but they’ll still be blowing at 10 to 15 mph with stronger gusts. These south-southeasterly winds won’t be perfectly be at your back, but they should be more of a tailwind than a crosswind. So that’s all good. My concern is precipitation, especially beginning in the late morning hours. Showers will definitely be possible near places such as Brenham and College Station. Right now these don’t look too much like thunderstorms, but it’s something to monitor.

Next week

The disturbance that will initiate some showers on Sunday will persist into Monday, and perhaps Tuesday morning. This will bring a decent chance of showers across the area, with accumulations of perhaps a few tenths of an inch of rain for most, with higher isolated totals. I’ll be happy for any rain I can get. Most of next week looks warm, with highs in the mid- to upper-80s and lows down around 70 degrees. It’s not summer, but we’re inching there.