Good morning. The Sun reaches its northernmost extent today in the sky, giving those of us in the northern hemisphere our longest daytime of the year. For today, sunrise came at 6:21 am, and sunset is not until 8:25 pm. More precisely, our day length will be 14 hours, 3 minutes, and 31 seconds. That’s in contrast to our shortest day of the year, on the winter solstice in December, when the day lasts just 10 hours, 14 minutes, and 2 seconds.

We’re going to feel every minute of that sunshine today, with one more particularly scorching day. However, we will see a brief reprieve to end the week, with some healthy (and much needed) rain chances tomorrow. Let’s discuss below.

Wednesday

Skies will be partly to mostly sunny today, with highs again reaching near if not above 100 degrees. However, we’re going to see high pressure start to retreat slightly, and this will open the door to a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms this afternoon. Don’t get too excited. We’re talking about 10 percent. But those odds will improve on Thursday. Lows on Wednesday night should drop into the upper 70s.

Thursday

This will be the most interesting day of the week, weather-wise. With high pressure taking a break, we should see showers and thunderstorms developing to the northwest of our region, around the College Station area, before sunrise. Then a broken line of showers should move through during the morning hours. It’s impossible to say whether you’re going to see rainfall. I’d rate chances at about 50 percent, and these showers will likely be hit or miss, with a few areas seeing in excess of 1 inch, and others seeing nothing. On average chances should be better north of Interstate 10. Skies will turn partly sunny, with highs in the mid-90s.

Friday

This will be the second of our “cool” days this week. Look for highs in the mid-90s again, with mostly sunny skies. Another round of morning showers is possible, but overall chances will be much lower, in the vicinity of 20 percent.

Saturday and Sunday

Sunny and hot conditions return for the weekend, with highs of 100 degrees, as the dome of high pressure builds back over Texas in a big way.

Next week

Not much to say, I’m afraid, other than that the heat remains in a pretty big way. There is some hint in the models that this pattern may finally break about 10 days from now, but that’s far enough into the future that my confidence in that is pretty darn low.

Houston turned up the heat to extreme levels this past weekend, and we’ve got one more day of highs near 100 degrees with humidity pushing the heat index above 110 degrees. After that temperatures will back off slightly for a few days. Unfortunately it now appears likely that this hotter-than-normal pattern will persist through the remainder of June. And after June comes July and August, which is really pleasant to contemplate, you know?

While there is not too much going on with our local weather besides the heat, the Atlantic tropics are unusually active for June. We’ve got all of that covered on The Eyewall. While there are definitely no near-term concerns for the Gulf of Mexico, this is not exactly a great trend for what we might expect later this summer when the Atlantic hurricane season typically get really cranked up.

Tuesday

Like the last three days, today will be very hot and mostly sunny. Highs should reach about 100 degrees, with a heat index necessitating an “excessive heat warning” from the National Weather Service. If you must go outside during the middle of the day for a prolonged period of time, please drink plenty of fluids and avoid strenuous outdoor activities. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. South winds, at just 5 to 10 mph, will provide little relief. Lows tonight will not drop below 80 degrees.

Wednesday

Temperatures may be a degree or two cooler on Wednesday, but it’s still going to be brutally hot and mostly sunny. I’d say there’s about a 10 percent chance of rain showers for the eastern half of the area.

Thursday and Friday

These will be the most “moderate” days of the week as the high pressure system backs off slightly. Look for highs in the mid- to upper-90s, with nighttime temperatures perhaps a degree or two cooler. The big thing I’m watching for is rain chances. I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up, because we’re only talking about a 20 or 30 percent chance of rain as instability works its way into the atmosphere. But this is the best chance of rain for the rest of the month, probably.

Saturday and Sunday

As high pressure builds again, temperatures should climb back to about 100 degrees each day. Sunny and hot, rinse and repeat.

Next week

Hey Eric, does it look like we’re finally going to get a break from this heat wave next week?

No.

Don’t do that to me man.

Ok, at least not during the first half of the week as high pressure remains entrenched over South Texas and Mexico. Maybe by Thursday or Friday of next week? Possibly. Sorry folks, it’s pretty grim.

Good morning. Today is Juneteenth, a relatively new federal holiday that has its origins in Texas. Juneteenth is celebrated on the anniversary of Major General Gordon Granger arriving in Galveston and proclaiming freedom for enslaved people in Texas on June 19, 1865. This came two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.

Unfortunately, we will not have freedom from extreme heat today. Some very moderate relief will arrive later this week, as well as a slight chance for our first showers and thunderstorms in awhile. But it will probably be fleeting.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday

For the first two or three days this week we are going to see conditions very much like what the region experienced over the weekend. That is to say, high temperatures of about 100 to the low-100 degrees with high humidity, leading to an extremely elevated heat index. An excessive heat warning is in effect for now through Tuesday, and we can probably expect that to continue through Wednesday. Please continue to take heat safety precautions when outdoors during the middle of the day.

Thursday and Friday

Sometime on Wednesday, the high pressure system that has dominated our weather for several days will begin retreating slightly to the west, allowing for a cloudier and slightly cooler period. The relief will be modest, with high temperatures likely in the mid- to upper-90s, but it should bring down the dangerous heat index for a few days. Some weak disturbances will also drive rain chances into the area for a couple of days. Do not expect much—most areas probably have a 10 to 30 percent chance of rain—but this is better than what we’ve seen for a week now.

Next weekend and beyond

The medium-term looks pretty hot, I’m afraid. At this point the most likely scenario is that the high pressure system starts to rebuild over Texas, including the Houston metro area. So we probably will see the return of triple digit temperatures, sultry humidity, and heat warnings. I wish it were otherwise.

Tropics

The Atlantic tropics are unusually frisky for this time of year, and we can probably expect the formation of Tropical Storm Bret within the next day or two. The storm, and an additional wave behind it, likely are of no consequence to Texas or the Gulf of Mexico. For full coverage of all things tropics, be sure and check out our new Atlantic hurricanes website, The Eyewall.

We’ve seen a lot of comments from folks on the site and social media along the lines of, “Well, it always gets this hot in summer and always has and this is no different so why are you making a big deal of this?” It is true: Houston is hot in summer. From May through September, you can describe Houston as hot, humid, sultry, or whatever other colorful adjective you want to use. Some may say, the difference between 94 and 98 and 100 is difficult to perceive anyway, so what difference does it make?

Usually about twice per summer or so, the heat in Houston goes to what I call the next level, where it’s hot like always, but it just feels worse. This is the type of heat where your body can truly suffer if you don’t take it seriously. We’re in one of those periods right now, arguably one of the worst such periods in several summers. Heat index values yesterday were all over the place, including near 115° in spots around Houston and even near 120° in spots near Corpus Christi and Port Arthur. A more typical summer day may feel along the lines of 99 to 105° or so. So this has moved into the higher echelon of next level of heat. Hence, we are trying to convey that this is more serious than normal summer heat. And it will continue for awhile longer. Please take it seriously this holiday weekend, especially if you’ll be attending any of the Juneteenth celebrations in the area or outdoors in any capacity.

We have energy saving tips from our sponsor and partner Reliant just below the forecast. As the heat puts stress on the grid over the next several days, these energy saving tips will come in handy.

Friday & Saturday

All we can tell you about these two days is that they’re going to be miserably hot and humid. Expect heat index values of 110° to 115° or higher, with actual temperatures near 100° inland and in the 90s along the coast. A heat advisory is posted for the coast, while the rest of the region has an excessive heat warning. The last time the city of Houston had an excessive heat warning was in August of 2016. So, again, this speaks to both the rarity of heat of this magnitude, as well as the fact that it’s June not August.

Let’s not forget about nighttime. Low temperatures will struggle to get much below 80 degrees each night. This sort of compounding heat can take a toll, especially on the very young and elderly. If you’re headed to the Gulf for some relief, please also keep in mind that rip currents look a bit strong this weekend, so be aware of that if you jump in the water.

Sunday & Monday

Copy and paste Friday and Saturday’s forecast and tweak the temps by 1 or 2 degrees in either direction. More heat warnings and/or advisories are a guarantee.

Rest of next week

By later next week there’s some chance that we may exit this “max heat” type situation and get back to something just regular “abnormally hot.” So instead of heat index values of 110 to 115°, maybe we fall back to more like 105 to 110° or so. It’s a maybe, but at this point, we’ll take whatever good news we can get.

In terms of rain chances, they remain near zero until perhaps midweek or late week next week, when maybe we can bump them up to 10 or 20 percent on a good day.

A Message From Our Sponsor, Reliant

As Eric and Matt have warned us, the summer heat is here. With triple-digit temperatures forecasted for the coming week, Reliant is sharing helpful tips to stay cool while managing your energy usage.

• Setting your thermostat four degrees higher when you’re away from home for more than four hours can help reduce electricity usage.
• Raising the temperature of your home by even a few degrees also reduces energy consumption. Every degree of cooling below 78 degrees increases your energy use by 6-8%. While the suggested temperature for ideal energy use in the summer is 78, a comfortable temperature setting is a personal preference – just know every degree makes a difference.

• Rotate your ceiling fan counterclockwise for a wind chill effect. This can make the temperature in a room feel up to four degrees cooler, allowing you to be more comfortable and adjust your thermostat to save money. Don’t forget to turn off your fan when leaving the room.
• Use blinds or curtains to reduce solar heat gain by up to 50 percent. Direct sunlight can increase the demand on your A/C by as much as 30 percent.
• Check air filters monthly and replace as necessary. A clean air filter can keep your A/C running at peak condition.
• Avoid using heat-producing appliances like the clothes dryer, dishwasher, or oven during the hottest times of day. These appliances can cause your A/C to work harder to keep your home cool.

Find additional energy efficiency tips from Reliant by clicking here.