Easter weekend is upon us, and with many folks planning to take their gatherings outdoors this year, we want to try and pin this forecast down as precisely as possible for you to plan around. In a nutshell: We don’t expect any significant weather at all this weekend, and you should go forth with your plans unaltered due to weather. But there will be just enough of an annoying chance of some light showers later on Sunday.

Today

Skies will start off mainly clear today with ample sunshine. Look for that to continue with just a few high clouds passing through at times later today. It will be another very pleasant, temperate day, with highs in the 60s to perhaps near 70 degrees.

Saturday

Tomorrow won’t be the worst day ever, nor the best day. Look for a good deal of clouds sprinkled with breaks of sunshine. A weak disturbance could squeeze a little virga (rain that evaporates before reaching the ground) out in the afternoon, but for the most part I think Saturday will be fine for all our outdoor plans.

Temperatures will warm from the 40s or 50s in the morning to 60s in the afternoon, held down a couple degrees due to clouds. A few spots could break into the 70s with enough sunshine.

Easter Sunday

We will once again see a good deal of clouds and breaks of sun for Sunday. The forecast has become relatively tricky here, with another disturbance pivoting through and a little more moisture available than on Saturday. The odds of any one location seeing rain is fairly low. But I do believe some locations will see a shower on Sunday. So, the best advice we can offer right now is to go forth with your plans as scheduled, but you may feel some “spritzes” out there Sunday afternoon. By no means will it be enough to wash you out for the day, but it may be enough to be annoying in a few locations.

Temperatures on Sunday should start in the 50s and work their way to about 70 degrees or so. If it does rain in your neighborhood, temps could drop back into the 60s for a few hours.

Next week

We begin to turn the corner back toward warmer, more humid weather on Monday. Highs should top off in the 70s, with morning lows in the 50s once more. A shower is possible with a mix of sun and clouds.

By Tuesday, we’re starting the morning in the 60s and reaching well into the 70s, if not low-80s. Wednesday looks even warmer, with morning lows in the mid to upper-60s and highs in the mid-80s. We should see a typical spring pattern of morning clouds giving way to afternoon sunshine and a token 10 to 20 percent chance of a shower.

Even warmer weather looks possible later in the week, with maybe a weak front in there at some point between late week or early the following week.

Can we hit 90 degrees next week?

Last year, we hit 90 degrees for the first time on March 25th. In 2019, we did it on April 9th. Typically, we don’t reach 90 for the first time until May 7th (though since 1990, that date has moved up to May 1st). Yes, we could hit 90 degrees next week or weekend. As of right now, the European ensemble is projecting that the air mass over Texas by late next week or next weekend (Friday shown here) will be about 10 degrees or more warmer than normal.

We start to see average high temperatures get close to 80 degrees next week, so it becomes simple math at that point. Given the dry soils and growing drought over most of Texas, this will not be a Herculean task. There are still some question marks Depending on your point of view, that’s wonderful or the worst news ever. Either way, it is what it is, and we’ll update you on things Monday!

Only six weeks ago Houston endured its coldest spell of weather in three decades. Now, we’re on the cusp of a period of much warmer weather, with highs in the upper 80s possible next week. So tonight, as temperatures drop into the upper 40s, be sure and enjoy this taste of fairly cold weather. We probably won’t see its like for another six months, at least.

Thursday

The cold front has come and gone, and except for the coast (where gusts are still in the 30s) winds are beginning to die down. Skies will be sunny today, with highs in the upper 60s to 70 degrees, and a persistent northeasterly wind. As those winds settle down tonight, we’ll see conditions ideal for cooling, with lows dropping into the mid-40s in much of Houston, upper 30s for far inland areas, and low 50s near the coast.

Friday

We’ll enjoy another splendid springtime day, with highs in the upper 60s and more sunshine. As winds shift to come from the east, and then southeast, overnight temperatures will be a few degrees warmer.

Saturday

Clouds will begin to develop Friday night, and Saturday should therefore see mostly cloudy skies to go along with moderate southeasterly winds. Highs will reach about 70 degrees. A bit of an atmospheric disturbance will pass across the region Saturday night, and there may be enough moisture to squeeze out some very light, scattered showers on Saturday night. Lows will drop into the mid- to upper-50s for most.

Easter Sunday

Any showers should be gone by sunrise, and skies for Sunday should be only partly cloudy. Overall, conditions will be pleasant, with highs in the low- to mid-70s. Hide those Easter eggs with confidence!

Next week

The story of next week concerns how warm temperatures will get. I think we may hit the upper 80s by Wednesday or Thursday, along with increasing humidity levels. It won’t be akin to summer in Houston, but it will remind us of what Mother Nature can do as the calendar turns toward April and May. It now looks like our next front may come around Friday, April 9. That’s also when our next chance of significant rain is likely to come. But confidence in that system, and its effects, is rather low at this time.

Conditions are very warm and muggy this morning, with lows across Houston in the 70s. This will change in a few hours, however, as a blustery cold front moves through and makes for a very windy afternoon and overnight period. This front will knock lows into the 40s across much of the area—probably the last time that will happen for some locations this spring.

Wednesday

The aforementioned front should reach the College Station area around sunrise, central Houston around Noon, and push off the coast by mid-afternoon. A broken line of light showers may strengthen as it nears the coast, and finds more moisture. Thunderstorms will be possible immediately along the coast.

Temperatures will drop into the upper 50s to 60 degrees after the front’s passage, and winds will likely gust above 30 mph. Those winds will taper off a bit after sunset for areas north of Interstate 10, but blow along the coast for most of the night. Lows will drop into the 40s, even in Galveston, after midnight.

Thursday

Winds will drop back some on Thursday, although northerly gusts in the low 20s will be possible. Highs will rise into the mid- to upper-60s along with sunny skies. Overnight lows will drop again into the 40s, with some areas in Montgomery County possibly seeing the upper 30s.

Friday

This will be another sunny day, with highs likely slotting somewhere into the upper 60s. Winds will shift to come from offshore later in the day, and this should moderate overnight temperatures a bit.

Saturday

Clouds return, and even with southerly winds this should help to limit highs to around 70 degrees.

Easter Sunday and beyond

Sunrise temperatures will start in the 50s for most, with the coast a little bit warmer. Sunday should bring a little more sunshine, although the afternoon will probably still see partly to mostly cloudy skies. Highs will reach the mid-70s. We also can’t entirely rule out a few scattered, light showers during the afternoon and early evening hours, but most of us will probably remain dry.

As high pressure builds over the region, temperatures will begin climbing into the mid-80s next week, with at least partly cloudy skies. We’ll start to get familiar with our old friend humidity again.

Good morning. Houston’s forecast remains on track, with warm, humid weather before a strong front moves into the region on Wednesday. This will clear out our skies, and cool down our temperatures for most of the rest of the week. Enjoy this spell of cooler weather, as April is right around the corner.

Tuesday

It’s a misty, warm morning for much of the region, with temperatures in the mid- to upper-60s. Humidity is near 100 percent. Some of these clouds will depart later today, and a little sunshine may peak through as highs reach into the low 80s. We could see a few very scattered, very light showers later today and tonight as temperatures remain in the low 70s near the coast, and maybe fall into the upper 60s for inland areas. It will be a warm night, a promise of things to come as the region edges closer to summer.

Wednesday

But it’s not summer yet, as a front on Wednesday will attest! In terms of timing, the front should reach far western and northern parts of the Houston metro area around sunrise, push into the central city by around Noon, and move off the coast during the early afternoon hours. A line of light showers will probably accompany the front, but accumulations should measure only about a tenth of an inch for most. Temperatures will drop about 15 degrees with the front’s passage, into the 50s. Winds will be quite strong out of the north, with some areas seeing 30 mph or greater gusts.

Thursday and Friday

These will be colder and sunnier days. Look for highs in the 60s (perhaps low 60s on Thursday) and lows generally in the 40s for most of the region, and much drier air. We won’t be seeing many more days in the 60s until next fall at the earliest, I suspect.

Saturday and Sunday

By Friday night the onshore flow should return, and this will likely push high temperatures to around 70 degrees by Saturday, and the mid-70s on Easter Sunday. Skies will be partly sunny. The real question is whether we see any rain as atmospheric moisture levels creep back up. For now I think an atmospheric inversion will prevent enough rising air to produce showers, which in any case would be light and scattered were they to develop on Saturday evening or Sunday. Bottom line: Your outdoor Easter plans are probably safe.

Next week

The trend for next week will be one of warming, as highs rise into the 80s, and perhaps even the mid-80s. After Wednesday’s front we’re not seeing any strong indications of another cold front next week. That probably will change at some point, but the warming trend seems clear.