One more chance of rain Friday before hotter and sunnier weather settles in

In brief: The Houston area has had a wet week, and by and large this has been beneficial for the region before the onset of summer and the lurking potential for drought. We have a final chance late tonight and on Friday as a weak front moves into the area, providing a spark for showers. After that we’ll see June-like weather as June begins.

Rain status

Houston has picked up some much needed precipitation this week, with a vast majority of the region picking up up 2 to 5 inches of rainfall as a series of disturbances have passed through. As rarely happens, for Houston at this time of year, the region got just enough rain rather than too much; with our soils receiving a good drenching without too many flooding issues. This week’s rains put us in a much better posture heading into the coming summer, drought-wise.

Our rain chances have not ended. The primary driver over the next 36 hours will be an advancing front that stalls near the coast on Friday, bringing some decent rain chances to areas along and south of Interstate 10, before pushing offshore. However, we don’t expect too much in the way of organized storm activity. Oh, and if you’re tired of the rain, after Friday conditions look mostly dry for at least the next week or so.

Thursday

Our weather today will be mostly sunny, with high temperatures this afternoon pushing up to around 90 degrees or a touch higher. Winds, generally, will be light. (If you like to go bike riding in the evening, this will be especially noticeable). I think it’s possible that we will see some isolated to scattered showers this afternoon, but for the most part the region should be rain-free. Lows tonight will be muggy, in the upper-70s for most locations.

Friday

On Thursday night a front will be pushing through Central Texas, and we could see a fairly strong line of showers and thunderstorms along the I-35 corridor advancing toward the Houston area. But as of now, I expect these storms to weaken some as they move down toward Houston. Still, I think the region will see a healthy possibility of some showers and thunderstorms on Friday morning, perhaps around sunrise or a bit later. We cannot rule out some hail and damaging winds with these storms, but overall odds seem fairly low.

As the front nears the coast it could stall, and thus for coastal counties we may see some lingering showers in the afternoon (or they may simply remain offshore). Skies will be partly to mostly cloudy on Friday, with light winds from the northwest. Highs will be around 90 degrees, with lows in the lower 70s.

Saturday

The front will usher in some briefly drier air. Don’t expect much, but humidity may be a tad lower on Saturday. Expect highs in the upper 80s with partly to mostly sunny skies. Lows on Saturday night may again drop into the lower 70s. Rain chances are near zero.

Sunday

Temperatures should reach around 90 degrees, or slightly above, with mostly sunny skies. We may see a few scattered showers during the afternoon as humidity levels recover some. Lows on Saunday night will drop into the mid-70s.

Next week

Most of next week should see mostly sunny skies with highs in the low 90s. We cannot rule out temperatures rising toward the mid-90s by the end of the week. However, conditions will feel fairly typical for June in Houston, which is to say hot and humid. Rain chances are low each day, but probably non-zero as a few areas may catch a stray shower.