In brief: We’re increasingly confident that a fairly robust cold front will arrive on Thanksgiving Day in Houston, bringing colder and much more seasonable weather. The good news is that there is unlikely to be any meaningful rain with the front. Today’s post breaks down what to expect on the holiday.

Hi all, just jumping in on a Sunday because we’ve finally got a little clarity on the forecast for one of the most anticipated holidays of the year: Thanksgiving. For more than a week we’ve been waffling a bit on what to expect, but we’ve finally got a bit a clarity. Hence a weekend post to tell you what we know so you can prepare accordingly.

Weather leading up to the holiday

Today and especially Monday will be hot, very hot by late November standards. With temperatures in the mid to possibly upper-80s on Monday, we’re likely to break some records. A modest front arrives on Monday night to cool us down for Tuesday, but by Wednesday we’ll be trending warmer again with an onshore flow. Although our temperatures will be swinging around, we don’t expect much if any precipitation. So pre-Thanksgiving travel across Texas should be fine.

Thanksgiving itself

A stronger front is coming on Thursday to Houston—flying in like a gaggle of turkeys, so to speak. If you live well inland, say in a place like Katy or The Woodlands, the front may already be moving in by sunrise. Or it may be a few hours later. So expect windy conditions, with gusts up to perhaps 25 mph from the north or northwest. Temperatures will be in the 60s, and likely remaining there throughout the day.

If you live in central Houston, or closer to the coast, it’s quite possible the front will lag a bit. So the morning may be warm and muggy, with temperatures in the 70s, before the front arrives during the middle of the day some time. But again, the story will be the same, with fairly robust northerly winds bringing in some drier air pretty quickly. This should be the kind of front you notice as it moves in. Lows on Thursday night should drop into the 40s, with continued breezy conditions, so keep that in mind if you’re going to be out late or up early Friday to go shopping.

Holiday weekend

The rest of the weekend looks to see partly cloudy skies, with highs generally in the 60s, and lows in the 40s. So it should feel like the holiday season. Rain chances look fairly low until early next week. We’ll have a full forecast for you on Monday morning.

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In brief: Houston gets another day or two of nice weather before a big warm up Sunday and especially Monday (near record highs). A strong front with details TBD looks increasingly likely sometime on Thanksgiving Day, ushering in a spell of colder weather next weekend.

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Today and Saturday

It’s another cool morning, with Bush Airport down to the 40s and Hobby down near 50 degrees. Look for another spectacular day today, with highs into the 70s or upper-60s and plentiful sunshine. Much the same tomorrow but it’ll be a couple degrees warmer.

Sunday

By Saturday evening, winds will have turned around to come from the southeast, ushering back in humidity and allowing for a pretty decent warming trend. We should punch back up to near 80 degrees Sunday afternoon, after a morning in the 50s. You will notice a breeze during the day and the humidity start to pick back up some by evening. It’ll be mainly sunny once again, however.

Monday and Tuesday

Monday’s forecast for mid-80s will come close to testing the record of 86° set back in 1967. Look for our warmest temperatures then. A weak cool front is likely to push through the region either Monday afternoon or evening. I suppose we could see a passing shower Tuesday morning, but overall this front looks relatively uneventful. Tuesday will be a bit cooler, however, with highs back in the 70s and morning lows in the 50s or low-60s.

Wednesday

The big travel day. A storm system in the lee of the Rockies will begin to develop on Wednesday. Locally, this will lead to a significant shift back to onshore winds. It will be breezy and a bit warmer Wednesday again with more humidity. Along with this could be some passing showers or thunderstorms. Highs will be back near 80, with morning lows in the 60s. Travel to Colorado will likely feature significant weather and mountain snow. Travel to Louisiana or points east should be mostly fine. Travel within Texas looks mostly fine for now as well.

Thanksgiving Day and beyond

Models seem to be in agreement that the next strong cold front hits on Thanksgiving Day. The good news is that it looks relatively moisture starved here in Southeast Texas — for now. We’ll see if that continues. But the it will turn windy and sharply colder at some point either Thursday or in time for napping on Thursday evening it appears. Temperatures should fall into the 40s Thursday night.

Colder weather will remain through the rest of the holiday weekend. I am guessing we’ll see a reinforcing shot of colder weather to follow Sunday or Monday before perhaps a more meaningful warming trend after the holiday.

In brief: Houston is experiencing its coldest night of the fall season so far, with temperatures dropping into the mid-30s in some inland locations. We’ll continue to see fall-like weather into Saturday before we warm up for a few days. If you’re wondering about the Thanksgiving forecast, it’s about as clear as plum pudding.

Plans for next year

As we continue our annual fundraiser (you can click here to find more information on how to donate, or buy merchandise), I wanted to talk a little bit about our plans for next year on Space City Weather. Here are some of our goals for 2025:

• Update our flood scale with the latest social science research
• Major overhaul of our iOS and Android apps to modernize their back end
• Big, public celebration of our 10th anniversary
• Additional partnerships with the community to support worthwhile projects

Thursday

Temperatures this morning range from the mid-30s in Montgomery County to the upper 50s on Galveston Island, which gives you some sense of the geographic diversity of the Houston region, and the challenge of forecasting weather across such a broad and diverse area. In any case, it’s the coldest night of the season so far, and you’ll probably want a sweater or jacket on the way out the door.

High temperatures today will reach about 70 degrees beneath sunny skies. Winds will be light from the north or northwest today. With dewpoints in the 20s this afternoon, the air will feel very, very dry for Houston. Temperatures tonight will be chilly again, but likely 1 to 3 degrees warmer than Wednesday night.

Friday

A day that will be a lot like Thursday, with ample sunshine and drier air. High temperatures will be a touch warmer, in the low 70s, with overnight lows dropping to around 50 degrees in Houston, with cooler temperatures for outlying areas.

Saturday and Sunday

As high pressure makes its way to the exits, we’ll see the onshore flow returning this weekend. Highs on Saturday will still hold in the mid-70s for most locations, with mostly sunny skies, and fairly low humidity. But overnight temperatures will only drop to about 60 degrees. The second half of the weekend will see the return of some clouds, a bit more humidity, and high temperatures in the lower 80s. The weekend looks rain-free, so any activities you have planned are good to go.

Next week

Trying to forecast the weather for next week really ruffles my feathers. That’s right, you’re going to get plenty of Thanksgiving puns right up to the holiday itself.

Monday looks warm, with highs in the mid-80s and a warm night. At that point a weak front may sag into the area—we’ll see if it has enough oomph to push all the way through—and this could knock temperatures back slightly on Tuesday.

A stronger front is probably coming later in the week, but whether that’s on Wednesday night, Thursday, or Thursday night is not something we can say for sure. And with the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, the timing really matters, especially since there is likely to be a little rain with the front. In any case, I’d expect daily highs to be around 80 degrees ahead of the front, and likely falling back to the 60s afterward. So yeah there’s a wide range of possibilities still on the table for Thanksgiving. Next weekend should be colder, however, with nights in the 40s or 50s.

In brief: Houston finally feels like fall, and the colder weather will stick around into Saturday. Rain chances are basically nil for the next seven days. Next week we’ll see a distinct warmup, and it’s still too early to tell whether a front will arrive in time to cool us down for Thanksgiving.

Fall arrives in Houston for a while

Temperatures this morning are generally in the 50s across the region, away from the coast, following the arrival of secondary surge of colder air. The next three nights will all be colder still, with lows in the 40s for much of the region before a warmup this weekend. Normal low temperatures for this time of year are about 50 degrees, so we’ll be a few degrees below our typical weather for the back-end of November for a few days.

Wednesday

We’re seeing some gusty winds this morning, up to 25 mph or even a bit higher, as this second front moves into the region. These winds should die down somewhat this afternoon. High temperatures today will push into the upper 60s to about 70 degrees, with sunny skies. As winds slacken tonight, with clear skies, we should see ideal conditions for cooling. This will allow lows to drop into the upper 40s in the urban core of Houston, lower 40s for surrounding suburbs, and possibly upper 30s for areas west of Katy and north of The Woodlands. This will be our region’s coldest night of the season so far.

Thursday and Friday

Expect more sunny weather, cooler temperatures, and dry air. Highs both days will be about 70 degrees, with nighttime temperatures in the upper 40s for Houston, and a little bit cooler for outlying areas. Winds will generally be light, from the north. This will be fine, fall-like weather.

Saturday and Sunday

By the weekend we’ll start to feel the effects of the onshore flow. Saturday will bring more sunny skies, with high temperatures in the mid-70s. The air will still feel reasonably dry, but overnight lows will only fall to around 60 degrees on Saturday night. Sunday will be moderately humid, with highs around 80 degrees or a tick higher. There may be a few clouds. All in all, it’s a fine weekend for outdoor activities.

Next week

The first part of next week still looks fairly warm, with high temperatures in the low 80s, and mild nights in the 60s. At some point a decent front is likely to pass through the area, but whether that’s in time to cool us down for Thanksgiving remains very much an open question. This makes it difficult to forecast weather for the holiday, so for now I’m just going to wave my arms and ruffle my feathers, and say, stay tuned.

Fundraiser

The response to our annual fundraiser so far has been tremendous! We’ve still got about 10 days to go, and your support makes a meaningful difference in our ability to serve everyone in the Houston area. If you’re interested in helping out, please consider donating or purchasing merchandise here.