It looks like a soggy Labor Day Weekend is in store for the Houston metro area

In brief: Today will again see scattered rainfall across the metro area before more widespread showers and storms push into our region beginning tomorrow. The period of Thursday through next Tuesday should see daily rain chances above 50 percent, so make any Labor Day plans in Houston and Galveston with a backup indoor option.

Wednesday

Today is probably the final day with only “scattered” showers and thunderstorms rather than more widespread storms. Locations south of Interstate 10 probably have about a 50 percent chance of rain today, with lesser chances inland. Skies will, accordingly, be partly sunny and high temperatures for most regions are likely to reach the lower 90s. This probably will be our hottest day for the next week. Low temperatures will drop into the upper 70s on Wednesday night.

Atmospheric “heights” this weekend indicate that the Texas coast will be wide open to Gulf moisture, thanks to the absence of high pressure. (Weather Bell)

Thursday and Friday

Rain chances will be higher to end the work week, likely in the vicinity of 70 or 80 percent for most locations. I expect these to be mostly passing showers, so accumulations during each storm will likely be one-half inch of rain, or less. With partly to mostly cloudy skies, most locations should see high temperatures in the upper 80s to around 90 degrees.

Labor Day weekend

Unfortunately, if you were hoping to end summer with a beach bash over Labor Day weekend, you’re likely to be disappointed. The combination of plenty of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and a couple of upper-level low pressure systems will keep the threat of daily rainfall high, especially for locations closer to the coast. Daily rain chances over the holiday weekend will be in the 60 to 80 percent range. These showers won’t last all day, to be sure, but they’re likely to put a damper on outdoor activities. Highs will range from the upper 80s to about 90 degrees for most locations.

NOAA rain accumulation forecast for now through Labor Day weekend. This is just an estimate, remember. (Weather Bell)

Next week

Conditions on Monday and Tuesday of next week may become even more favorable for showers, and the potential for heavy rainfall. We’re not ready to call for a Stage 1 flood alert for coastal areas, as I want to see more data. But the potential is there. Regardless, the threat of moderate to heavy rainfall will persist for the entire region, along with highs in the upper 80s to 90 degrees.

By Wednesday or so, the potential for widespread showers starts to diminish, and the latter half of next weekend probably will start to see more sunshine and less rainfall. Highs probably will get back into the low-90s.

Seven-day outlook for the tropics. (National Hurricane Center)

Tropics

The National Hurricane Center is continuing to track a couple of areas that have a low-end chance of developing, but in terms of the Gulf of Mexico there is not a whole lot that gives me pause about the next week or so.

25 thoughts on “It looks like a soggy Labor Day Weekend is in store for the Houston metro area”

  1. I know it’s nearly September, and that can be a busy hurricane month. But it sure seems like the National Hurricane Center got it very wrong for this year’s predictions unless a sudden bunch of back to back to back storms occur?

  2. Yay, more daily power outages! That little storm yesterday knocked the power out lol. I’m so sick of this stupid city. Just a couple more months and I’m out. Peace and good riddance!

      • As an aside, I haven’t ever announced my departure at the airport. Sometimes work calls me and I have to tell them I’m leaving so they’ll let me get off the phone. I see a lot of people that simply keep talking when boarding, but hopefully I can avoid expectations that I become one of those people.

        If Houston isn’t to Adam’s liking, I hope he finds a good place. We’re particularly hurricane prone, but pretty much anywhere else is also going to suffer from more severe weather now. With regard to power outages, most affluent people I encounter here add whole-house generators to have reliable power. That’s not as necessary elsewhere.

        • Jokes are always funny when they’re explained so here goes. Pilots have to communicate with Air Traffic Control and get clearance to leave, hence their announcement of where they intend to go and when they clear themselves for departure from the gate, taxiway, runway, etc. So yes, if you’re leaving in a commercial airplane, your departure is always announced.

      • Hard to blame one when power reliability is a constant issue, automobile and homeowner’s insurance is getting unaffordable for many, and that’s if you can get a policy written, property taxes are getting untenable. There’s just a confluence of variables merging that is making life very difficult here.

        • Insurance is high everywhere, not just in Houston. Property taxes are high, but that’s because there’s no income tax. Newsflash, everywhere is expensive. Houston is one the most affordable big cities in the entire country.

          • “High” is one thing; but to go from $2K-3K for annual homeowner’s insurance (in addition to carrying NFIP) to almost $6K in just a couple of years, which will certainly exceed the $6K mark in the next year or so, for a pretty modest home is, again, unreasonable. This will outpace all but the best of household incomes.

    • I’d like to disagree but I can’t. This area sucks and it’s getting worse. I’ve never lived in area with so many power outages and so many traffic signals not working.

      • Agreeing. Lived here as long time. The weather situation is definitely worsening, as is the increasingly visible unwillingness to maintain or improve the infrastructure.

        There’s a palpable vulnerability brewing that wasn’t present when I grew up here. I never feared storms before, and I trusted the infrastructure to hold.

        Now I expect it to crater while we scramble, and the corps will continue to serve us word swill.

        I used to enjoy weather radars. Now they wrack the nerves. I suspect this isn’t going to change for the better.

        • Well said…

          I am not one to sugar coat sh^*t….When I see that things are becoming difficult to live with, I call it, and change things if at all possible…

          I love Houston…I find a lot about the summers magical, especially at the end of the day as the sunlight fades..I love my long walks in the morning, during all of the seasons…I love going to Galveston and to other close by beaches..Between friends and availability of public pools, I have many opportunities for outside pool time..One of my kiddos lives only an hour and a half away from me..

          With the above said, I just can’t deal with a tropical storm or hurricane taking out power for days or weeks, during a 100 degree heat wave…There’s not much of a cool down at night, because of the humidity..
          Maybe someday I can afford to move..I’m already pushing 70…

    • LOL! Omg, I needed that Bateman. I guess those humanoids ‘in the city’ are automatons or something.

    • I agree with you Drought Hater. Here in Santa Fe, we haven’t had rain all month. We’re having to keep our dog medicated because he’s seriously afraid of thunder and that’s all we’ve been getting. And with no rain, our grass has turned brown, and all our shrubbery has already wilted for the last week or so.

  3. Forecast for College Station for Saturday? I’m seeing 50% rain during the day. Wondering how wet tailgate is going to be. Thanks

    • So, @David Wick …
      You don’t watch KBTX ?? We are in Magnolia, and get all five Aggieland channels (3.1 to 3.5). 3.5 is the 24 hour Aggieland Weather channel.

      Watching it now and they show a 40 percent chance of rain for the day of the game against Notre Dame. Of course, it’s at 18:30, so there may not be much rain at that timeframe (?)

      Anyway, if you can’t get the KBTX channel on TV, just go to:
      kbtx dot com slash-sign weather

      I’d paste the URL, but it takes forever for a moderator in here to approve (sometimes it never happens).

    • As of 1:18 pm, Wednesday, the Weather Channel is predicting possible rain from about 9:30 am to 11:30 am, about 0.05 inches at Kyle Field. No rain is predicted after 11:30 am.

      “Can you outsmart an Aggie?”

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