Storms possible today as a front moves into Houston, with much more severe weather well to our east

Good morning. Today will see a line of thunderstorms move through the Houston area between 7 am and Noon, to be followed by an influx of drier air across the region. This storm system will find more favorable conditions east of Houston, and there is a large area of the southern United States where severe storms—including tornadoes and hail—could form later today. NOAA hasn’t issued a “high” risk warning for severe storms, which is the magenta-colored area centered over Mississippi in the map below, since 2019. This is a serious situation, and any travel east of the greater Houston area today should be carefully considered.

NOAA severe weather outlook for Wednesday and Wednesday night.

Wednesday

As of around sunrise, a fairly organized line of storms is moving through the College Station area, and this will continue to advance toward Houston this morning. However, due to a capping inversion, we expect the intensity of these storms to weaken as they move into the city. They should exit to the east by around Noon or 1pm. Rainfall accumulation for most will be around 0.25 inch, which is unfortunate because many areas could use a little more than this. We cannot rule out an isolated strong thunderstorm, so take care when out and about this morning in Houston.

Glorious spring time weather eventually awaits us behind the front, and we should see clearing skies this afternoon as drier air moves into the area. Lows tonight will drop down to around 50 degrees, and winds may gust as high as 30mph out of the north.

Higher resolution view of NOAA storm outlook for Wednesday and Wednesday night. (NOAA)

Thursday and Friday

Thursday will start out gusty as well, but winds should die down some during the afternoon and evening hours. We’ll see sunny skies throughout the end of the work week, with highs in the upper 60s to 70 degrees, and lows in the upper 40s for the most part. It looks like Friday night will be the coldest night of the week.

Saturday and Sunday

Saturday will see full sunshine and highs of around 70 degrees, but as winds take on a more southerly flavor we may see a few clouds start to pop up by Sunday, when highs may climb into the low- to mid-70s. Rain chances remain near zero throughout the weekend.

Forecast low temperature for Friday morning. (Weather Bell)

Next week

We’ll see a continued warming trend into the early part of next week, as highs get into the upper 70s perhaps, with slightly better rain chances and more clouds. It looks like some kind of front will work its way through on Tuesday or Wednesday, but I don’t have any confidence in the details.

So for now, enjoy our amazing spring-like weather in the days ahead, and check on friends and family members in the southeast after the storms there later today and tonight.

Rain chances increase over the next 24 hours before sunshine returns

Good morning. The fog is back across Houston, but it should begin to dissipate later this morning. Houston will then be warm and humid for another day and a half, before a front with some sticking power ushers in several days of very pleasant, spring-like weather that should last into the weekend.

Tuesday

After the fog clears this morning skies will remain cloudy, and we may see some scattered to isolated showers throughout the day. Otherwise, it will just be fairly humid, with highs likely reaching the low 80s in most locations. Conditions overnight will remain cloudy, with low temperatures possibly not dropping below 70 degrees for much of the metro area.

NOAA rain accumulation forecast for now through Wednesday. (Weather Bell)

Wednesday

After another warm morning, a front will approach the region. Rain chances will be fairly high during the morning hours, and I expect much of the region will likely see around 0.25 to 0.5 inches of rain before a drier air mass moves into the region. We may see some a few thunderstorms to the east of Interstate 45 where the atmosphere should be a little bit more unstable.

The drier air should reach Houston by around noon, give or take, and move offshore during the afternoon hours. Temperatures will drop as skies clear and the Sun goes down, with lows falling to around 50 degrees Wednesday night.

Thursday and Friday

Just a pair of lovely spring days, with sunny skies, highs near 70 degrees and lows in the upper 40s to around 50 degrees. Some brisk northerly winds may linger into Thursday morning out of the north, but those should begin to die down later in the day.

Saturday and Sunday

The sunshine party continues into the weekend, with mostly clear skies on Saturday, and at least partly clear skies on Sunday. Highs on Saturday will again be around 70 degrees, before getting into the mid-70s on Sunday as the overall flow turns more southerly.

Enjoy those spring-time temperatures while they last. (Weather Bell)

Next week

Most of next week looks warmer, with highs in the 70s and 80s, and lows in the 60s. There may be another front passing through by mid-week but that is far from a certainty.

Houston will see lovely spring-like weather later this week

Good morning. Light winds and a fairly moist atmosphere have combined to produce widespread fog across the region, with visibilities down to one quarter mile or less in some areas. This should remain until mid-morning, before finally burning off. Please take care on roadways in the meantime.

Monday

After the fog dissipates, skies will be partly to mostly sunny today, with temperatures rising to around 80 degrees. Winds will come from the south later this afternoon as the front that moved through Houston on Sunday returns back onshore. This will also bring a slight chance of showers this afternoon for areas south of Interstate 10, with higher resolution models hinting at the possibility of some isolated thunderstorms. Lows tonight will only drop into the 60s as a warm, and fairly humid air mass returns to the area.

A colder airmass lies northwest of Houston this morning, but it’s not coming closer today.

Tuesday and Wednesday

Warm conditions remain on these days, with highs of around 80 degrees and mostly cloudy skies. A very few, light showers are possible Tuesday evening, but the better rain chances will come on Wednesday morning as a cold front approaches and moves through the area. Accumulations look modest, perhaps 0.25 inches to 0.5 inches of rain for most, give or take. Right now it looks like the front will push through during the late morning hours of Wednesday, or by around noon. This should allow for clearing skies later in the day and a cooler night, with temperatures dropping to around 50 degrees.

Thursday and Friday

This will be a bonafide front and move more definitively offshore, and as a result we’ll see clear and cool weather. Look for highs around 70, and lows in the upper 40s to around 50 degrees, with clear skies to end the work week.

Friday night could be the coldest of the week for the region.

Saturday, Sunday and beyond

For now, it looks like the drier air will hold into much of the weekend, so we can probably expect partly to mostly sunny skies with highs in the low 70s and lows somewhere around 50 degrees. That sounds lovely, and we’ll hope that forecast holds.

Conditions will warm early next week before another front potentially moves through by Tuesday or Wednesday.

Houston’s temperatures head for a bit of a roller coaster ride after Saturday

Good morning. A very quiet couple days are ahead for Houston, followed by a cold front on Sunday, which should hopefully bring us some rainfall. We are beginning to run into a bit of a precipitation deficit again. While most of the area is technically not in drought, we are once again seeing it expand in Texas. Within the Houston region, we have gone from 9 percent coverage of drought back at the end of February to 35 percent drought coverage as of yesterday’s update. Since the first of the year, our area has seen anywhere from 40 to 50 percent of normal rainfall (with the exception being north of Conroe).

Rainfall since the beginning of the year has been rather paltry in most of the region, leading us back toward drought for at least the third or fourth time since last spring. (High Plains Regional Climate Center)

We’ve seen this happen about three or four other times since last May, and some kind of weather system or slow moving front has bailed us out from devolving into serious drought. We’ll see if that happens again this time.

Today & Saturday

Fairly similar weather is on tap for today and tomorrow. Low clouds and fog are the story this morning. Visibility isn’t severely restricted in most spots (except perhaps along the immediate coast), but we’ve definitely shifted into a murkier look this morning. The pattern the next couple days will be similar with low clouds and fog in the morning, some partial afternoon clearing, and a slight chance of showers. Any rain would be very, very spotty, and it would be unlikely to amount to much more than a few minutes or few hundredths of an inch.

High temperatures should generally be in the 70s to perhaps low-80s, with lows in the 60s to perhaps close to 70 degrees in spots.

Sunday

The forecast for Sunday is both straightforward and tricky, if that makes sense. The overall theme for Sunday is very simple: A cold front will push through, probably in the late morning and early afternoon from northwest to southeast across the region. With it, some showers and thunderstorms but probably not a ton of rainfall. We expect a couple tenths to a quarter-inch or so, with maybe slightly higher amounts north.

Where it gets tricky on Sunday is with the temperature forecast. We should start off quite warm, in the 60s to low-70s. We’ll likely bump into the mid or even upper-70s before the front sweeps through, dropping temperatures a good 10 to 15 degrees. Models differ a good bit on how far those temperatures will drop, with some saying low-50s by afternoon and others in the upper-50s to low-60s. Either way, it will turn a good bit cooler in the afternoon on Sunday, so if you’ll be out and about, be ready.

It will also be breezy, with wind gusts of 20 to 25 mph at times on Sunday.

Next week

Sunday’s front will make it about 30 to 50 miles offshore before stalling on Monday. It should come back at us as a warm front later Monday and on Tuesday, bringing a chance of showers for some of us. Eventually, a stronger cold front will likely sweep through on Wednesday, bringing another chance of showers and storms, and then cooler air and nicer weather for the end of the week.

When all is said and done, we should see about a quarter to half-inch of rainfall between now and next Thursday morning, with at least some risk for higher amounts along or north of I-10. Some places, especially close to the coast may only receive a couple tenths of an inch. It will be unevenly beneficial for our region.

Total rainfall through Thursday morning from the NWS shows higher amounts as you go north. (Weather Bell)

Because of fronts coming at us in so many directions, temperatures will be a bit of a roller coaster ride next week. Look for low-50s Monday morning, 60s Tuesday morning, and possibly near 70 on Wednesday morning, before 40s and 50s return for later in the week. Daytime highs will offer just a little less whiplash, with near 80 or warmer on Monday and Tuesday, 70s on Wednesday depending on the exact timing of the front, and then lower-70s or even 60s on Thursday and Friday.

I have seen some continued comments and concerns about rumors of another freeze coming to Houston. That doesn’t seem to be in the cards. Certainly, late next week doesn’t look much worse than low-40s, and even that’s pretty aggressive. We may have another dose of cooler air another week after that, but no models show any risk of a freeze from that one either. We wouldn’t worry.