Good morning. Today marks the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season, which will last for the next six months. It’s also a big day for Matt and myself, as we’re launching a new website devoted to tropical weather in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea. It’s called The Eyewall, and you can head over there now to check it out, and find out more information about what we’re doing. But I’m sure some readers will have questions about what this means for Space City Weather, and that’s what I’m going to address now.
Is Space City Weather going to change?
No.
Like not at all?
Like not at all. Matt and I are 100 percent committed to Space City Weather, and improving it every way we can. To that end, look for an updated version of our app soon, that squashes some bugs and delivers the much-asked for dark mode feature in addition to other goodies.
Why are you doing this?
There are two primary reasons. One, much of the current national hurricane coverage is sensationalized, and we think there is room for a different, no-hype approach. And two, we are frequently asked for local sites during hurricane season. (I.e. my mom is in Destin, where can she get this kind of coverage for Tropical Storm X or Hurricane Y) Well, now we’ve got an answer. We’re counting on you to tell friends and family beyond Texas.
Will there be cross-over between the two sites?
A little bit. The Eyewall will publish a “Daily Tropical Outlook” every weekday, and weekends as needed. There will be other hurricane content as well, and lots of coverage of active storms threatening land. Once a week we will cross-publish one of these “tropical outlooks” on Space City Weather (i.e. like with our weekly tropics report).
What happens if a hurricane threatens Texas?
For Space City Weather we cover the storm as usual. The local material would then be cross-posted onto The Eyewall. But our intent is that for readers of Space City Weather there will be no noticeable changes. We will not be publishing content from the Eyewall about storms affecting other parts of the country, or Mexico and the Caribbean Islands here, although we may link to it from time to time on Space City Weather.
Do you have a sponsor?
Not yet. Really, this is an experiment. Matt is taking on a big extra burden with this, and while we’re going to have some contributors, we want to see if this is sustainable. We also want to see if there are readers for this. Maybe it flops. Maybe it doesn’t. Really, we just want to give people some comfort in a terribly trying and traumatic time in their lives. We’ll see.
Now, onto the forecast…
Thursday
Our weather for the next few days will be guided by a modestly strong ridge of high pressure. This means we’re going to see warm and sunny weather. Highs today should reach about 90 degrees, with light southeast winds. One nice aspect of the weather is that dewpoints have not reached hair-melting levels yet, so the humidity won’t be oppressive. Lows tonight drop into the low 70s. Rain chances today are about 10 percent.
Friday
A little warmer, with highs in the low 90s. Otherwise, pretty much the same as Thursday.
Saturday
Another day with mostly sunny skies and highs in the low 90s. For areas far north of Houston, likely even north of Conroe, there is a slight chance of some rain showers later in the day.
Sunday and Monday
As high pressure eases off, skies will become more cloudy in response to rising atmospheric moisture levels, and our rain chances will go up. Both Sunday and Monday should see about a 50 percent chance of rainfall, with accumulations in the order of 0.25 to 1 inch. Overall chances are probably a bit higher north of Interstate 10, but this far out I don’t have great confidence in that. The clouds should bring highs back down to around 90 degrees on both days.
Later next week
Rain chances continue for a few more days, helping to tamp down high temperatures. But it’s possible that we’re headed toward the low- or even mid-90s by later next week. Hello, June!
Excited about the new web site. I think it is great as we have friends and family in Georgia and Florida that could be affected! Thanks for the extra no-hype info!
Im looking forward to the eyewall!!! I am actually flying tomorrow late into Miami and know there may be impacts from an Invest. Will you post an update on the eyewall regarding this? I saw the picture at the bottom of the article but it wasn’t addressed yet….I think the new site will be very very successful, you will see, thank you for thinking of it. You guys are awesome!!!
Congrats on the launch of “Eyewall”!
Congratulations! Yes, I worry about my son and his family in Florida every hurricane season. Thank you
I appreciate your approach to reporting about local weather news and forecasts more than I can say. I only wish there were an equally “un-hyped” source for political news!
The great work you do is appreciated. Good luck with your new endeavor.
LOVE LOVE LOVE the idea of EYEWALL. You guys do a fantastic job and am very much looking forward to no hype hurricane forecasts/watches. Will definitely be sharing that site with my family and friends in New Orleans and the Tampa Bay area. I am always bragging about your forecasts to them. I hope the endeavor is successful and I am sure it will be with you guys at the helm. Keep up the great work. WE ALL APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORTS.
I am cautiously optimistic about this new part of SCW. Please don’t let it become a “thing”. You guys have always been the “Austin” of weather news. Now look at Austin. Please don’t become that. Don’t become a “thing”. Respectfully, Dan
What is that supposed to mean? Weirdo.
Love this! I am a storm tracker fanatic so look forward to trying out this tool! And I love the No-hype approach.
As always, thanks for your “no hype” style. I’ve alerted friends in Florida about “The Eyewall.” I’m certain they’ll be interested.
Eyewall sounds interesting. How are y’all going to differ from Levi & Tropical Tidbits during storms? Your daily updates will be a nice addition, but on approach and during storms I’d be interested to see how y’all’s coverage will complement one another.
Good luck. I’ll be praying for you, your servers, and Lee’s sanity when the first storm hits.
Levi provides a pretty deep dive into things, which is great for those of us that want/enjoy that, and which is somewhat easier to do in video format.
Given that this is more for the at-large public consumption and the emphasis is on clearly communicating risk/hazard in a non-technical fashion, this is where we’ll see the difference. I hope I’m not too far off here, but this is how I would see it.
Love what you guys are doing!!! I’m looking forwards to your updated app. Will share!
Have I missed a post? Ever since the national hurricane Outlook was published, I’ve been watching for SCW to say something about Houston’s outlook but I haven’t seen any yet.
Hard to beat Tropical Tidbits for charts galore. Better ads there too. Most of us are not meteorologists but maybe some engineers who love data. The competitive edge could be the write-ups for busy people as long as not too dumbed down. Teaching moments would be great. Always want to learn.
The eye wall is a great idea.
Thanks to all of you who work really hard at this.
Does that “x” in the Gulf mean anything to Houston?
I was told about your site by a Houston cousin & have enjoyed your discussion of the weather. But, I now live in Florida & while I’ve found a couple of good sources, I’m excited to see what you bring to the Eyewall! Will be following….
I am sooooo happy to hear you have created Eyewall! Thank you, thank you!
Looking forward to it! I always look to ya’ll for no frills and accuracy!
Great news to hear. Your coverage on hurricanes way back on SciGuy is really when I started reading you. Quick question: will the Eye Wall also be sending out emails like SCW does?
As a Houston transplant in Boston, I am ridiculously excited for The Eyewall! No one here really does what you do, and while this will only cover the tropics, I’m ready looking forward to your expansion.
Thank you for The Eyewall. We no longer live in Houston but are living along the Gulf. We miss you all!
I found y’all during Harvey and have been a daily reader since. I tell everyone about your site, and I don’t trust any other. I am so excited and grateful for your new site! I am a hurricane junkie. As trying as they are, they are fascinating. Your daily reports on Harvey made me feel so aware of what was going on and not so alone. Thank you all for your hard work, and I wish the SCW team all the best! Adding the new site to my home page!
I discovered you guys while living in Houston and you kept me sane during Harvey, for which I’ll forever be grateful. Now I live in the Tampa Bay area and I still go to you guys when there’s something happening in the Gulf – even though your focus is on Texas, I rely on your no-hype approach. This idea thrills me and I’ll be sharing The Eyewall with everyone I know!