In brief: In today’s post we discuss the ongoing rain chances for today and through the weekend, as well as the arrival of a new round of Saharan dust. We also are happy to share the news that we think we have finally tackled the notification issue on the Apple version of our app.

Yes, we think app notifications are finally fixed

As many users of our Space City Weather app installed on Apple devices know all too well, notifications on that platform have been broken. After installing, they’ll work for a couple of weeks and then stop. This has been annoying for you and a giant pain in the butt for us. We tried several things to fix it, only to have the problem return.

Now, we think—all fingers and toes crossed!—that we have solved it. Hussain Abbasi, our developer, initially wrote the app in a Microsoft coding tool that lost support this year. Meanwhile, Apple changed the way app notifications are handled, but Microsoft didn’t update its older tool to account for that. Once Hussain realized this, he began the painful process of recreating the app in the new version of Microsoft’s coding tool that does use Apple’s latest notification system. What at first appeared to be a minor bug fix turned out to be, as they say, a heavy lift.

We released the app a few weeks ago, quietly, to see if it indeed fixed the problem. And it appears to have done that. There are still a few bugs in the new version, which is to be expected since it’s essentially a rewrite of the app. We hope to have some bug-fix updates coming in the next few days and weeks. In the interim, you may notice that weather data loads a little slowly at first. And some iPhone and Mac users are reporting the app crashes upon launch, but that appears to be rare and the cause has been identified.

If you have updates set to auto-install on your device, you already have the new version. If you haven’t updated and want notifications back, feel free to download it. (it might help to uninstall the old version before installing the new one.)

Note that this only applies to users of Apple devices. The Android version is, for now, unchanged, but our upcoming releases will address some issues there, too, including the occasional crash on, weirdly, Pixel 9 phones only. Go figure.

Thanks for using our app! We’re working to make it better for you.

Thursday

The atmospheric setup supports another day of variable shower activity today, with some areas likely to pick up 1 inch of rainfall and other locations seeing only dark clouds and distant lightning. Overall rain chances are about 50 percent, with the most likely time for showers from late this morning through the early evening hours. The proximity of rain will help keep high temperatures in the vicinity of 90 degrees for most locations. And yes, while this is fairly warm, I’d remind you that it is but a taste of what is coming in terms of summer time heat for Houston. (i.e. see the forecast for next week). Rain chances will slacken for the overnight hours, with low temperatures falling into the mid- to upper-70s.

Friday and Saturday

These days will be similar, with partly to mostly sunny skies and high temperatures of around 90 degrees, or just above. They will also be subject to hit-or-miss showers, but I expect coverage to be less, perhaps 30 percent daily. Winds will generally be light, from the south, at 5 to 10 mph. Beginning Saturday or Saturday night we might being to see some hazy skies due to an increase in Saharan dust.

Sunday and Monday

Sunday, and possibly Monday, will bring another shot of decent rain, perhaps 50 percent daily. Accumulations don’t look overly impressive, but some locations may quickly pick up half an inch of rain. Highs on Sunday may top out around 90 degrees, but we should climb into the lower 90s by Monday.

Next week

As high pressure builds nearby we are going to see mostly sunny weather. Temperatures will start out in the mid 90s (coastal areas will be a bit cooler) with highs likely approaching the upper 90s toward the end of next week. Skies will be mostly sunny, but the lingering presence of Saharan dust should help moderate dewpoints slightly. So very hot, and quite humid—but not sizzling humid maybe. We’ll still have a daily chance of shower activity along the sea breeze, primarily during the afternoon hours, but these chances are likely on the order of 20 percent. Basically, it’s going to feel very summer-like out there.

In brief: We continue to be in an environment where showers and thunderstorms are possible, and may be numerous during the daytime. This pattern will hold through today and possibly Thursday before slightly drier weather. Later, some time next week, temperatures appear likely to soar into the mid- or upper-90s.

Wednesday

Showers and thunderstorms on Tuesday were definitely hit or miss: Some areas near Tomball and Sugar Land received in excess of 1 inch, while most of the rest of the region picked up significantly less. Then, last night, more than 1 inch fell in locations near League City. This pattern is likely to continue today, with hit or miss showers and thunderstorms across the region. Storms should be more common near the coast this morning before spreading inland later today.

Overall rain chances are probably on the order of 60 percent with everything from gully washers to light rain to simply ominous skies in your neighborhood. Flooding shouldn’t be too much of an issue, but we cannot rule out some ponding on streets. Highs today will reach the upper 80s for most locations, but areas far inland will see a little more sunshine, and may push into the lower 90s. Winds will generally be light. Lows tonight will drop into the 70s, with decreasing rain chances.

Thursday

Expect a similar day to Wednesday, albeit with perhaps slightly less coverage of showers and thunderstorms. Nevertheless the potential for moderate to strong, if briefly lived, storms will be there. Temperatures and humidity will be similar to Wednesday.

Friday and Saturday

A slightly drier air mass should drop rain chances back to around one-in-three for each of these days, with decreasing intensity. As a result skies should be partly to mostly sunny, with highs in the lower 90s. For the most part, I think outdoor activities will be fine.

Sunday and Monday

These days should bring slightly better rain chances, perhaps 30 to 50 percent, but overall accumulations look modest. Expect highs in the lower 90s.

The rest of next week

A modest ridge of high pressure may build over much of Texas later next week, and by Wednesday or so we should be solidly into the mid-90s, and possibly hotter toward the end of next week. So expect July to feel very July like. Whether this ridge sticks around or breaks down to allow some rain chances to return, well, we’ll just have to see. It’s not August—yet.

In brief: Showers and thunderstorms are likely across the greater Houston region today, starting near the coast and spreading inland, and Wednesday. We don’t expect them to be too disruptive. We should then dry out for a few days before another round of showers on Sunday or Monday.

Tuesday and Wednesday

The Houston region will experience slightly cooler weather, along with widespread showers and thunderstorms, during the next two days as the region’s atmosphere becomes unsettled. Although these showers will be most prominent during the daytime hours, some rain will also be possible during the overnight hours.

If you’ve lived in Houston for any period of time, you know generally what to expect. These storms will be hit or miss, with some areas seeing gusty winds and briefly heavy rainfall (and possibly small hail) whereas two neighborhoods over may only see dark skies. Most of these showers should be quick to move through, so we don’t expect widespread flooding issues. On average, most locations should pick up about 0.5 inch of rain over the next two days, but rain totals will vary widely.

Depending on the timing of rainfall at your locations, high temperatures are likely to range between the mid-80s and lower-90s. Skies will be partly sunny with generally light winds (outside of thunderstorms) at 5 to 10 mph. Nights remain warm and muggy.

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday

A slug of drier air moves in to the region during the second half of the week, and while this won’t entirely end rain chances, it should knock them down to about 30 percent each day. Consequently these three days should have mostly sunny skies and high temperatures in the lower 90s. If you have outdoor plans bring an umbrella, but I think showers each day will be more miss than hit. Overnight lows are in the upper 70s.

Sunday and Monday

Our model guidance indicates that another healthy chance of showers and thunderstorms will push into the area on Sunday and stick around through Monday. Overall accumulations may be on the order of another 0.5 inch for most locations, but I can’t really stress enough that totals will be inconsistent across the Houston region. On average I expect a bit higher rainfall amounts closer to the coast. Highs should be in the vicinity of 90 degrees.

Next week

At some point next week I expect high pressure to more firmly establish itself. As a result we can expect rain chances to decrease significantly. I would also anticipate highs in the mid-90s next week by Tuesday or Wednesday, with a risk of upper-90s before the weekend. Hello, July!

A message from Eric, on behalf of Reliant

As you probably know, Reliant is a long-time partner of Space City Weather. As part of our relationship, I will occasionally share information about the products and services they offer. This is not a hard sell by any means, and I want to be sure these products are high quality. So, anything I write about here, I’ve tried. In this case, I’m excited to share that we’re in the process of installing Reliant’s new Smarter Home Bundle package, which is a free add-on for Reliant customers that makes home energy management smarter and our lives easier.

My family and I will be testing out the technology and features and sharing a review with you in the next month or so. But in the meantime, I wanted to share the basics for current and new Reliant customers. Qualifying customers receive a free Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro and Vivint Smart Thermostat paired with complimentary white-glove installation. In addition to these freebies, enrolling in this offer also gives you access to the Vivint app that provides personalized energy insights by Reliant and control of the Vivint devices in one spot. In other words, you should not need multiple apps to manage all the smart technology in your home.

I’ll report back soon on what the experience was really like for me. In the meantime, if you’re interested in learning more, click here.

Last week Eric offered a tip for Houston-area newbies for surviving Houston’s fearsome heat and houmidity. (And no, that’s not a typo.) That inspired many of you to offer your own suggestions for dealing with summer. We’ve compiled the best of the best so you can work on your climatological coping skills.

As a native of SE Texas, summer is hot and that’s the fact, Jack! But…I have found that, if I talk or complain about the heat in June or July, that just seems to prolong the summer unnecessarily. Instead, I avoid those water cooler conversations about the heat…until August, then I let it all hang out! Because sometimes fronts start making their way into H-Town a few weeks into September, and it cools down to like 88 degrees and everyone starts thinking it’s fall and pulls out their sweaters! This strategy of denial means you only have a month in a half of hot weather…August and maybe half of September! All our our newly arrived neighbors thank me when I share this strategy with them!

– Sharron Cox

I don’t know if it truly helps any, but my psychological trick to get through the summers recently has been to count the weeks instead of the days. 9 weeks til September just on some psychological level feels better than 74 days. Maybe it’s because by this point, we’re typically mowing once a week, and I really don’t wanna by the time August comes around. And I know we’re getting close to only needing to do single digit cuts left.

– Josh Sorensen

Face the heat head on. Go outside for a walk at 3 PM. Go for a run in the morning and greet the rising sun. Lay in the grass at 2 PM. Feel the radiation. Sweat through the humidity. Learn to love that which we cannot change. This is the best way to deal with summer heat in Houston. Before you know it, you will think 90 degrees feels moderate. A slight breeze and you will have goose bumps. September starts to feel chilly.

– Humidity connoisseur

I am a native, and have lived in two other places, Los Angeles and Saudi Arabia. When I start to feel as though summer will never end (and honestly, it’s hot through sometimes mid November here) I remember how I felt when I stepped off the plane onto the tarmac in Dhahran, and the humidity slapped me in the face. It was 110F in the summer there with 80 to 90% humidity. I will never forget that. Houston is absolutely awful, but that was just a smidge worse (at the time – we’ll see how things change 🙁 )

– Ashley

I also try not to complain too much until August, go swimming at night to reset my body temperature, and my new summer hack is hanging out in the cheese aisle at HEB. Even colder than a movie theater and can grocery shop too.

– Cheryl Detten

My Summer Survival Strategies:

1. Sit outside sometimes, to become acclimated, as another commenter said. The following two steps will help with this.

2. Cold iced Cafe du Monde made with tons of brown sugar and milk at 2 pm, outside. It’s the worst part of the day but you get to have coffee!

3. Wine and Chips O’Clock at 4 pm, outside. The worst part of the day’s heat is over! (I prefer white wine and potato chips.)

4. August 14: official Changing of the Morning Light Day. The sunlight in the morning changes from harsh blue-white to a softer yellow-white.

5. August 28 CHANGING OF THE LIGHT DAY!!! The light is noticably softer and golden. You have made it thru the worst. Only a month until the moveable feast that is COOL FRONT DAY!!!

Oh, and visit the gem and mineral section of the Science Museum. Like being in an ice cold glittery sparkly cave.

– Bea

One thing that gets me through the Houston summer is just knowing that for 8 months of the year between mid September and mid May the weather is actually quite decent and tolerable. Just gotta get through July and August and Fall will be right around the corner. 

– Anthony Stott

A trick I do is make it a point to get out for 20 or 30 minutes during the peak heat of the day. 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. I’ll get out and go for a motorcycle ride or do a little bit of work in the yard. Maybe just 15 minutes! lol. What this does is allows me to be absolutely scorched during that time and comparatively it makes the mornings and evenings feel much better.

– Scott Smith

Lived in Texas most of my life, especially the Houston area. Long enough to grasp the Biblical nature of this area: Dust to Dust, or Noah’s Ark.

– Shawn Harrison

If these pearls of heat-related wisdom inspire you to offer tips of your own, please do so in the comments!