One of the finest football players of his generation, J.J. Watt, may have been drafted by the Houston Texans in 2011. But on Wednesday we can safely say that he truly became one of us, for he has grasped one of the core truths about living along he Upper Texas coast.
Houston weather is crazy.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) July 19, 2017
Watt, presumably, was caught in one of those isolated downpours on Wednesday that deluged a small area of the city, while a block away it was perfectly sunny.
Thursday and Friday
Houston lies on the southern periphery of a high pressure system, and therefore rain showers will likely be few and far between to end the work week. There’s still enough moisture to produce a few downpours, but for the most part the bigger story is going to be heat, with highs in the mid-90s and humidity pushing the heat index over 100 degrees. These days will be very warm, so prepare for outdoor activities accordingly.
Saturday and Sunday
At this point it appears the high pressure system will pull back somewhat, allowing for modestly better rain chances. Both days could produce scattered showers, capable of producing a few tenths of an inch of rain, with some small areas seeing higher amounts closer to the coast. Neither day looks like a total washout, but the potential for rain is worth factoring into weekend plans. The good news is that a few more clouds should limit highs to the lower 90s.
Monday and beyond
At present the forecast models don’t exactly build a suffocating ridge of high pressure over the region, but rather it appears Houston will sort of be on the edge again. This should be enough to produce mostly sunny days next week, with highs in the mid-90s, and only a slight chance of showers along the sea breeze. In other words, it will feel a lot like Houston summer out there, so be ready for some heat.
Posted at 7:10am CT on Thursday by Eric
Thanks Eric. Another steamer for sure. Umbrella holding steady over our house.
I have noticed a marked change in terminology recently to the use of the word “downpours” – this is true over traditional media channels as well as internet. It seems over the last few weeks this term is used much more than afternoon showers or heavy showers, which has been used a lot in the past. I’m just curious, has there been a recommended shift to this term recently, why is this word all of the sudden used so much?
No. I think it’s more of the fact that we’ve just had real downpours of late. Like 1-2 inches of rain per hour. Not just scattered thunderstorms.
Well, looks like I picked a great time to go to Seattle / Olympia, WA, where the next 10 days are forecast for highs 80-84 and lows 55-58. While it has never worked before, I WILL TRY to bring some of that back to the sweltering Houston area.