Good morning. Although today will be our region’s warmest day until Sunday, the high temperature will probably not reach 60 degrees for some locations. Beyond the chillier conditions, and the potential for a light freeze on Saturday morning, there is not a whole lot to remark upon as Houston experiences fairly typical weather for this time of year. And if you like it, you’re in luck. After a brief warm-up early next week, this chilly weather could persist through at least the first half of February.

Tuesday

Temperatures will rise from the upper 40s this morning to around 60 degrees for much of the area today, but likely not go any higher due to mostly cloudy skies. A northerly flow will bring drier air into the region later today, and this will eventually erode cloud cover late today or tonight. As this drier and cooler air works its way into the region, expect temperatures to drop to around 40 degrees tonight, with cooler weather inland and warmer conditions along the coast.

Wednesday and Thursday

These will be a pair of chilly winter days, with highs generally in the 50s, and lows in the 40s. Wednesday will see lots of sunshine, but Thursday should see the return of some clouds. Both days will probably see light northerly winds, with possibly a shift to southerly winds by Thursday evening.

Friday

Another cold front will arrive on Friday, probably during the morning, to shut down any kind of a serious warmup for the region. The atmosphere will be fairly dry so I’m betting against rain with this front, but it can’t entirely be ruled out. Winds will be breezy, out of the north, on Friday in the wake of the front and highs may struggle to reach the low 50s despite sunny skies. Temperatures will drop sharply on Friday night with clear skies and lessening winds. Much of the region away from the coast, and outside of Houston’s urban core, will probably see a light freeze on Saturday morning.

Saturday, Sunday, and beyond

Saturday is likely to be sunny, with moderate winds, and a high of around 60 degrees for most areas. This will be a fine winter day for any outdoor activities. Sunday should be partly sunny as well, with highs in the mid-60s as winds shift to come from the south. I think rain chances will remain near zero for most of Sunday, so this should be a fine day for outdoor activities as well.

A warming trend will occur from about Monday through Wednesday of next week, with highs reaching perhaps the low 70s by the middle of the week. Rain chances look to be healthy all three of these days, with accumulations of perhaps 1 to 2 inches, but it’s way too early to say anything more specific than the pattern is likely to turn wetter. A front on Wednesday night, give or take half a day, is likely to bring colder and drier weather back to the region.

A few words on generators

I wanted to say a few words about generators this morning because now is the time to be thinking about such a project in advance of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season. As demand for whole-home generators has surged following the great Texas freeze last February as well as COVID supply chain issues, there is now an industry-wide lead time of 8-9 months from initial inquiry to completed installation. While these times have begun to shorten, if you want to have peace of mind with backup power this summer and fall, now is the time to begin planning.

As you probably know, Reliant is a long-time sponsor of Space City Weather. They partner with a company called Quality Generators that offer a range of generator products, including whole-home generators. I had one installed last year, and the process was quite smooth. Buying a generator capable of powering your entire home is a major investment. For the average homeowner in Houston, it will likely cost between $10,000 and $15,000. But for many, it may be a worthwhile investment.

Here are a few other things to consider:

Nearly two weeks ago, we predicted that the “rest of January” would feel rather winter-like for Houston. Since that time, with one exception, nighttime temperatures have been in the 30s and 40s. Now, it’s safe to say the rest of this month will remain on the colder side of things. This week will see high temperatures generally in the 50s, with lows in the 30s and 40s.

Monday

The story for today will be widespread rain showers due to the proximity of a low pressure system near the coast. During summer time, such a system would have greater atmospheric moisture levels to work with, so we’d be more concerned about heavy rainfall. In this case, however, most areas will likely pick up 0.5 to 1.0 inch of rain as light to moderate showers ebb and flow across the region. Coastal areas could see a bit more than this, but we’re really not expecting anything too extreme. With leaden skies, high temperatures today should peak in the mid-50s, before dropping into the upper 40s tonight.

Tuesday

Rains should end on Monday evening as the system pushes off to the east, and this will help to pull in a surge of cooler and drier air on Tuesday. Temperatures should reach about 60 degrees in Houston on Tuesday, with partly to mostly cloudy skies and northerly winds, before lows Tuesday night drop to around 40 degrees.

Wednesday and Thursday

These should be a pair of partly to mostly sunny days, with highs in the mid-50s and overnight lows dropping into the low 40s.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

Another front should arrive on Thursday night, possibly bringing some more light rain into the area. This front will help keep temperatures on the cool and sunny side for most of this weekend, with highs in the 50s on Friday and Saturday, and perhaps the mid-60s on Sunday. It looks like Saturday morning will bring the coldest temperatures this week, with a light freeze possible for much of the area.

This time there likely will be no front to end the warming trend, so temperatures should jump up into the 60s or perhaps lower 70s by Monday, and we may also see an increase in rain chances later on Sunday and into Monday, but the details of all this will remain fuzzy for now.

The bottom line is that as the calendar turns toward the end of January, we’re really into the depths of winter for Houston now, and weather this week with consistently “cold” days is going to feel like it for our southern region. Enjoy or disapprove at your discretion!

Good morning, and it is indeed a chilly one across the area. Temperatures this morning are mostly in the 30s and the precipitation is moving offshore. Any risk of icing has now passed for the majority of the area, and per drivetexas.org the only icy patches being reported right now are along 290 between Hockley and Waller. We can now settle in for a chilly start to the weekend, though a calm one at least.

Today

Some lingering rain or sleet may occur in the Matagorda Bay region until a little after sunrise, but everyone else should just be waking up to clouds.

Those clouds will clear from northwest to southeast this morning and afternoon. I’d venture to say at least 90 percent of the area will see sunshine before the day is up, with the exceptions maybe being along the immediate Gulf coast. Despite developing sunshine, most places probably won’t get out of the 40s today. Coupled with a light to moderate breeze, it will feel chilly.

Weekend

Tonight will be the coldest night of this cold snap. Skies should be clear and winds light, or what meteorologists refer to as “ideal radiational cooling.” It means temperatures will fall steadily after sunset, and we should bottom out in the 20s and low-30s across the region tonight.

Look for a low right around freezing inside the Beltway, 29-31° outside of there to Grand Parkway, and generally upper 20s beyond that. As always, slightly higher or slightly lower temperatures are possible based on your location, but it should not get any worse than that. It’s probably a good idea to protect any sensitive plants, particularly outside the Beltway, but we don’t expect any serious problems. If you’re looking for a benchmark, this freeze looks similar in a lot of ways to the ones we had earlier this month, just after New Years. Another freeze will be possible Sunday morning, but it would be most likely north and east of Houston and a degree or so warmer than tomorrow’s.

The rest of the weekend looks splendid, with plenty of sunshine Saturday and some high clouds on Sunday. Expect highs in the lower half of the 50s Saturday and upper-50s on Sunday.

Monday

A quick moving, vigorous disturbance is going to pass by the region Monday afternoon and evening. Expect clouds to increase Sunday night into Monday morning. Rain will begin to develop and spread from southwest to northeast across the region later Monday morning into the afternoon. The heaviest rain looks to be around mid to late afternoon, and then it will taper off Monday evening. At this point, it looks like a good old fashioned soaking rain, something most of the area needs right now. There is some chance we’ll get some thunderstorms embedded within the rain as well, and some stronger storms can’t yet be entirely ruled out. But that is not the expectation right now. Check back with us Monday morning for the latest.

We should be able to muster a solid half-inch to inch of rain across most of the area, as long as the current forecast holds. The highest totals should be south and east of the city. Monday will warm from the 40s into the mid-50s.

Rest of next week

Look for a warm day with sunshine on Tuesday, as highs should get back into the 60s. A cold front should uneventfully pass through the region Tuesday night, yielding some more 30s for lows by Thursday morning and highs in the 50s Wednesday and Thursday. A freeze is not expected outside of perhaps typical colder spots like Conroe, Huntsville, Cleveland, or west of Katy. Skies should be partly to mostly sunny. A general warming trend will likely begin after that cold front, which could return us to more frequent above normal temperatures again by early February. Stay tuned!

Good morning. After Wednesday evening’s storms, our focus now turns toward cold weather ahead and the potential for some sleet or freezing rain to fall across the area on Thursday night. The bottom line is that we don’t think much freezing precipitation (if any) will fall across the Houston region, and it is unlikely to be impactful.

Thursday

Temperatures are generally in the low- to mid-40s this morning across Houston, but with a brisk northerly wind it feels colder than that. The mercury will not rise today, as temperatures remain in the 40s, due to overcast skies and the ongoing incursion of colder northerly air. Although the storms associated with Wednesday night’s cold front have moved offshore, as an atmospheric disturbances moves overhead later today, some light rain will again become possible this afternoon and overnight.

The atmosphere will have dried out enough that inland areas, north of Interstate 10, are unlikely to see much precipitation. However, areas along and south of Interstate 10 may see a few hundredths to tenths of an inch of rain. As temperatures fall tonight, some of this precipitation may take the form of sleet or freezing rain. However, it will be a race between falling temperatures and ending precipitation to see if we get any wintry precipitation in the Houston region. For now, the most likely answer is that the rains end before the atmosphere gets sufficiently cold to produce sleet or freezing rain (snow is very unlikely). The good news is that surface streets should remain above freezing so any wintry precipitation is unlikely to stick. If this forecast changes, we will of course update you later today.

The story may be different for other parts of Texas, particularly if you’re headed southwest of the Houston metro area, beyond Fort Bend County. There is a better chance of more sticky freezing rain in these area. For example, there is a Winter Storm Warning for the Coastal Bend area tonight.

Friday

This will be another gray day to start out, with highs likely only peaking in the mid- to upper-40s. However, any lingering precipitation should wrap up around sunrise, and skies should begin to clear out during the afternoon hours. This will set the stage for a colder and drier night, with much of the Houston region likely seeing a light freeze.

Saturday and Sunday

The weekend looks clear and cold, with partly to mostly sunny skies and highs in the 50s, and overnight lows in the upper 30s to 40s.

Next week

Monday should see widespread rain showers as a low pressure system nears. Most likely accumulations will be 1 inch or less, but we’re keeping tabs on the potential for higher totals due to available moisture. Otherwise expect highs in the 50s, possibly rising to the 60s by Tuesday. After this point another front arrives to push highs back into the 50s. Another freeze next week seems unlikely, although not impossible, as winter-like conditions hang around.