Late autumn chill arrives in Houston later today, and it should stay awhile

Happy Friday, and happy Veterans Day. Thank you to all those who have served so people like us can yap about weather. One-third of November is in the books now, and it’s the 10th warmest start to a November on record in Houston. The middle-third of the month will not be quite like that. In fact it looks downright chilly at times for next week. The change in seasons begins tonight.

Today

If you have any plans this morning, you should be fine. No real rain is expected, and other than a couple sprinkles on radar this morning, it’s quiet out there. By afternoon, things do begin to change. It will not rain everywhere, but we do expect scattered showers and storms to begin to pop up. Basically, if you have any plans after 2 or 3 PM, you do run the risk of running into showers.

The Storm Prediction Center has placed us in a marginal risk (level 1 of 5) for severe storms today, with a slight risk (2/5) toward Matagorda Bay and Corpus Christi. Basically, any storms that develop this afternoon and evening could have gusty winds, frequent lightning, and the typical heavy downpours we see. Expect coverage of storms to slowly but steadily increase as we head toward evening. High temperatures should get to about 80 or so.

Tonight

The actual front itself will probably swing through the Houston area between 4 PM and 8 PM tonight (lean toward the earlier end of that range on the west side of town and later end of that range on the east side). Off and on rain showers or downpours with thunder should continue through midnight. It will turn breezy and quite chilly overnight.

Look for lows in the 40s in most spots. With that, a gusty breeze will make it feel even a bit chillier. Be ready tomorrow morning!

Weekend

The weekend days both look fine. Tomorrow will have that somewhat annoying breeze in addition to temperatures in the 50s most of the day. Winds will be 15 to 25 mph. Sunday looks similar but less windy. Expect highs near 60 on Sunday afternoon after another morning of 40s.

Monday and Tuesday

Increasing clouds will build in for Monday with showers or rain likely developing as the day wears on. By evening, I would expect widespread showers or steady rain in most of the area. We’ll try to nudge back into the low-60s on Monday afternoon. Another cold front will push through on the back side of the rain Monday night, knocking us back into the 40s for Tuesday morning. Clouds may stay with us on Tuesday morning before clearing by afternoon, with highs in the 50s and a breeze.

By the time we get to Tuesday, we will hopefully have all seen close to an inch or more of rain between today and Monday.

Rest of next week

The rest of the week will keep us in autumn mode with 50s by day and 40s or even 30s by night in spots. Freezing temperatures may be possible in outlying areas by Thursday or Friday morning. It still seems unlikely within the city, but we’ll see how things trend this weekend. At this point, further rain chances beyond Tuesday seem low.

Fundraiser

Like Eric, I want to extend our appreciation for all those who have either contributed or purchased swag during our annual fundraiser so far! You’ve still got time to purchase or donate to directly support our work. You can click here to do that. If you don’t wish to purchase merchandise and just make a contribution, click an item, click “buy/donate,” and check the box that says “I’d like to make a donation only.” Again, a sincere thank you for your support, and thanks as always for reading!