Good morning. A strong cold front remains on track for Houston later this afternoon and evening, which will bring a few sunny days and much drier and cooler air to the region. My only real concerns right now are the potential for scattered showers this evening along with the front, and breezy conditions overnight into Saturday.

Friday

Today’s the last hot day for awhile. High temperatures away from the coast should reach about 90 degrees, and this probably will be the last time this occurs in 2021. (Emphasis on probably). Skies will be partly sunny with light westerly winds. The front itself should reach northwest Harris County late this afternoon, perhaps around 4 to 6 pm, push into central Houston shortly thereafter, and reach the coast by 8 or 9 pm tonight.

Some scattered showers will be possible inland this afternoon, and a broken line of storms may form as the front nears the coast due to the availability of more moisture in the atmosphere. In the front’s wake, winds will be gusty overnight, possibly reaching 30 mph or above. Temperatures will fall with the front and its northerly air, likely reaching the 50s by Saturday morning.

Saturday

The strongest wind gusts will begin to fall back by sunrise, but we should still see breezy conditions on Saturday with gusts of about 20 mph from the north and northwest. Skies will be sunny, with highs in the mid-70s, and overnight lows on Saturday night will likely be the coldest for the region since April, with some inland areas reaching the 40s.

Sunday

Skies should be mostly sunny on Sunday, and with light winds this day should be nearly ideal for outdoor activities. Highs will be in the mid-70s and overnight lows probably a couple of degrees warmer than Saturday night.

Next week

We’ll see a gradual warm-up next week, with highs in the 70s again on Monday and possibly Tuesday before rising into the low- to mid-80s by Wednesday and Thursday. The models are about 50-50 on whether another cold front pushes into the region next Thurday or so, but regardless our next real chance of rainfall after this evening’s frontal passage probably will not come until that time frame.

It’s been a long, long summer as always Houston. So enjoy this weekend. You’ve earned it.

Good morning. The remains of Hurricane Pamela—a system that moved into Mexico and then Texas from the Pacific Ocean—have brought moderate to heavy rainfall over central Texas. As these storms move toward us, western parts of the Houston region may see shower activity later this morning. Otherwise, we’ve got two more very warm days before a much-anticipated cold front arrives later on Friday.

Thursday

Radar this morning is lit up with showers from south central Texas through Brenham and College Station. These storms are moving slowly eastward this morning, and at the same time they’re also weakening somewhat. Based on short-term modeling, the biggest threat today for rain accumulations of 1 to 2 inches, or more, are areas such as Sealy and Rosenberg. Some lighter showers may progress into central Houston, but mostly the city will probably just see clouds. Rain chances should end altogether this afternoon. Highs will be in the upper 80s today, with sticky conditions tonight in the mid-70s.

Friday

This is the day a cold front will move into Houston, but before it does we’ll see partly sunny skies and a southwesterly flow that will support very warm temperatures. Highs will likely reach the low 90s across Houston, and if I had to guess, I’d say this probably will be the last 90-degree day of 2021. The front itself should push through during the late afternoon or early evening hours, and it’s possible a broken line of storms will accompany the frontal passage. Colder and drier air moves in behind the front, with lows dropping into the upper 50s on Friday night for all but the coast.

Saturday and Sunday

The weekend outlook remains grand, with highs in the 70s, lows in the 50s and ample sunshine. Saturday night should be the coldest of the week with inland temperatures dropping to the upper 40s for some, with 50s for the rest of the area except Galveston. Sunny skies abound.

Next week

We’ll see a gradual warming trend next week, with highs likely reaching the mid-80s by Wednesday or Thursday, and overnight lows in the 60s. The next front will probably push through around Thursday, or so, and may bring some modest rain chances with it. We’ll see.

Winter Outlook

Matt and I are working on an outlook for winter conditions in our region, and plan to release it next Wednesday.

Houston’s forecast calls for three hot days before a reasonably strong cold front sweeps into the area on Friday, likely during the afternoon or early evening hours. After that we’re going to see an absolutely stellar fall weekend. We’re also tracking the possibility of heavy rainfall on Thursday due to Hurricane Pamela, in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, but that threat should remain well to our west.

Wednesday

Today will be partly sunny, and hot. Winds will be out of the south at 10 to 15 mph, and highs will likely reach the low 90s for much of the region. Rain chances are near zero. If you’re a person who likes summer in Houston, you’ll want to soak up all this day has to offer. There will be plenty of humidity as well, of course. Overnight lows will be sticky, in the upper 70s.

Thursday

Hurricane Pamela will make landfall in Mexico today and, traveling to the northeast, approach the Big Bend area early on Thursday. This will bring the potential for heavy rainfall into the state on Thursday, but we think the bulk of this activity will be in Central Texas, along the Interstate 35 corridor, where 2 to 4 inches of rain may fall. For the Houston area, I think most areas will see on the order of a tenth of an inch or two of rainfall, but we can rule out some isolated spots of heavier rainfall. This will otherwise be a mostly cloudy, humid day with highs in the upper 80s.

Friday

Are you sick and tired of summer? Well, relief is on the way. Friday should be a mostly sunny day, with highs near 90 degrees. But later on a front with a fairly striking gradient of temperatures and dewpoints will push through on Friday. Best guess for timing is that the front will reach the Interstate 69/Highway 59 corridor in central Houston around 4 to 6 pm, and the coast around sunset or shortly thereafter. We may see a broken line of showers with the front, but overall, rainfall accumulations do not look too impressive.

Saturday and Sunday

Saturday should see at times breezy conditions in the wake of the front, with northerly winds possibly gusting to about 20 mph. Winds will die down later during the afternoon. Skies will be sunny, and with the influx of cooler air high temperatures will probably max out in the mid-70s. Saturday night should be the coolest of the period, possibly dropping into the upper 40s for far inland areas, with 50s for most of the region. Sunday will again be in the superb 70s.

An onshore flow resumes by Monday or so, but highs will probably only recover to the low 80s by the mid of next week.

We’re not there yet, but we’re close. Houston faces four more days of summer-like weather before a strong cold front arrives. And then we should reach the time of the year when fronts arrive with some regularity. There will still be warm days, of course, and periods of humid nights. But 90 degree days? I think after Friday we’re done with those for 2021. There are no guarantees in weather, of course, but if you’re ready for the time of year when most days are in the 70s or low 80s, we’re almost there. It’s not summer. It’s not winter. It’s the in-between time in Houston, and it’s pretty darn glorious.

Tuesday

Most of the region is seeing a sticky morning, and with a mix of sunshine and clouds later today highs should warm to near 90 degrees. The atmosphere will be just disturbed enough to allow for the development of isolated to scattered showers this afternoon, which would be short lived. Winds will be out of the south at about 10 mph. Tuesday night will be mostly cloudy, with lows in mid-70s.

In Chicago, weather for today’s make-up of Game 4 between the Astros and White Sox looks good, with partly sunny skies and a high of around 70 degrees. Time to close out the series!

Wednesday

A hot day, with mostly sunny skies and highs near 90 degrees. Winds will be out of the south, to go along with rain chances of around 10 percent or less.

Thursday and Friday

These will be muggy, warm days with highs of around 90 degrees. Skies will be partly to mostly sunny, with perhaps a 30 percent chance of rain each day. The aforementioned cold front is due to arrive on Friday evening-ish, likely pushing well off the coast by midnight, or early Saturday morning. At this point I do not expect an organized line of storms with the front.

Saturday, Sunday, and beyond

The weekend looks fabulous, with days in the 70s, nights in the 50s, and partly to mostly sunny skies. A slow warm-up trend begins by around next Tuesday or Wednesday, but we’re likely going back to the low 80s for highs, with lows in the 60s. After Friday, rain chances appear to be low to non-existent for awhile.