A weak front has pushed into Houston, a stronger one comes Friday

Houston hit 92 degrees on Monday at Bush Intercontinental Airport before a moderate cool front pashed through the region overnight. I’m not making any guarantees, but if I had to guess this probably was the last 90-degree day of this calendar year for Houston. We may get close again a day or two this week, but a stronger front will arrive by Friday morning. The bottom line is that fall will start to feel more like fall in the days ahead.

Tuesday

The region will see sunny skies today in the wake of the front, and highs should push into the mid- to upper-80s as our drier air warms more quickly. But this should also allow temperatures to drop more quickly as the Sun goes down. Lows tonight should drop to around 60 degrees to the north and west of Houston, and in to the mid-60s in the city itself. Winds will be light, out of the northeast.

A cool front has pushed offshore this morning, and stalled. (National Weather Service)

Wednesday

Another sunny day, similar to Tuesday. As winds shift to the south during the afternoon we’ll see the beginnings of an onshore flow that will make for more humid conditions overnight and on Thursday.

Thursday

This day will see plenty of sunshine too, but may feel warmer due to increasing humidity. Expect highs to reach the upper 80s—here’s where we risk some areas touching 90 degrees again. A stronger front is expected to cross the region on Friday morning, likely reaching the coast around sunrise, give or take. This may produce some showers overnight. Right now I’d peg rain chances at about 40 percent for the area, with light accumulations of perhaps one to two tenths of an inch of rain.

Friday

Some morning clouds should give way to afternoon sunshine, as highs remain in the 70s for most of Houston in the wake of the front. Friday night should be the coolest of the week, with lows generally dropping into the 50s across the area except for the immediate coast.

Saturday morning’s low temperatures will be quite pleasant. (Pivotal Weather)

Saturday, Sunday, and beyond

Highs on Saturday should remain in the upper 70s to 80 degrees, with a lot more sunshine, followed by slightly warmer conditions on Sunday—which also will be sunny—following the return of the onshore flow. Next week’s weather is a bit uncertain as it is not clear whether another front will make it through by Tuesday or so.

Announcing the second winner of Reliant’s big AC Giveaway

We’re excited to announce the second winner of a complete AC system from Reliant! As you may recall, for the second year in a row, our sponsor has given away two AC systems to Houston area residents to help them beat the heat—and there has been plenty of heat to beat this year.

The winner of Phase II of Reliant’s AC Giveaway, Cassie and her family. (Photo courtesy of Reliant)

The winner of this year’s second AC System is Cassie, who lives in Friendswood. She has four children, some of whom are participating in virtual learning this fall due to COVID-19. She found out about the contest through our site’s Facebook page and decided to enter to keep her family comfortable while working and schooling from home safely. The family’s previous AC unit was in decent condition, but leaked water, wasn’t placed to code, and didn’t cool the house efficiently. So the installation of the new unit will make a world of difference for Cassie and her family. After learning that she had won the contest, here’s what Cassie had to say:

We are so grateful for Eric Berger and his weather team. They are our number one source of information! Winning this sweepstakes is such a bright spot after a truly very difficult summer. Thank you, thank you to Space City Weather and Reliant!

Likewise, we are thankful for our readers, as well as Reliant, who has been a great, long-time sponsor of our site. They keep the lights on for us, figuratively and literally.

In addition to providing electricity, Reliant alos offers AC and heating services, generators, indoor air quality checks, and thermostats through their home services division, plus special offers for Reliant customers. Check out this link for more information.

Before, and after. (Reliant)

This will wrap up the AC giveaways for 2020, but we’ve got some big things planned for Space City Weather and Reliant in the coming year, so be on the lookout for announcements soon. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Wait a second Houston, it really is fall and not summer

Given the weather events of the last couple of days—a hurricane making landfall in Louisiana, high temperatures in the low- to mid-90s across Houston—you’d be forgiven if you thought the calendar read mid-August, rather than mid-October. However a pair of fronts this week will remind us that we’re heading deeper into fall.

Monday

It is rather warm and muggy this morning, with lows only on the mid-70s across the region, and sweaty dewpoints to match. With the exception of areas far to our northwest, such as College Station, a cold front will not arrive in time to modify our high temperatures today, which should reach around 90 degrees.

However, the arrival of this weak front later today in Houston should bring drier air into the region overnight, allowing for lows to generally drop into the upper 60s. There will be a slight chance of rain showers with the frontal passage later this afternoon or evening along the coast. Although the front will be most noticeable west of Interstate 45, it is now expected to make it all the way off the coast.

Change in temperatures for Tuesday morning, compared to Monday morning. (Weather Bell)

Tuesday

This should be a pleasant day, with dry air, highs in the mid-80s. Winds will be light, out of the north or northeast. Lows Tuesday night should drop into the low- to mid-60s. Skies will be clear.

Wednesday and Thursday

These will be a pair of slightly warmer, and more humid days while we await this week’s second front—due to arrive later on Thursday. Highs likely will be in the mid- to upper-80s, and there’s perhaps a 30 percent chance of rain on Thursday afternoon or evening as the front blows through. This will be a stronger front that will bring noticeably cooler weather for the weekend.

Friday

We expect to see mostly sunny skies, with highs perhaps only in the low 70s. Lows Friday night should be the coolest of the week, with temperatures possibly dropping into the 40s for areas well inland, and the 50s for most of Houston.

An early look at Saturday morning’s low temperatures. (Pivotal Weather)

Saturday and Sunday

We’re expecting a sunny weekend, with highs in the mid-70s to 80 degrees. The onshore flow may return by Sunday, or we may get yet another front—as of yet there is not great agreement on that in the global models.

Delta moving northeast to Louisiana, brushing Houston with winds

2 pm CT Friday Update: Hurricane Delta is now moving north-northeast toward Louisiana, and will make landfall later this afternoon or early evening, likely around sunset. Delta has weakened slightly, to 110 mph, but because it has grown into a large storm it will push a powerful storm surge into Vermillion Bay and nearby areas. Its winds will batter areas already devastated by Hurricane Laura just six weeks ago.

The winds we’re feeling in Houston today are due to that expanding wind field. Galveston Island recently recorded a gust of 58 mph, to go along with sustained winds of 45 mph—above Tropical Storm levels. Further inland, many locations in Houston have recorded gusts of 30 mph or above today. These winds are probably about at their maximum levels, and will begin to wind down later this afternoon or early evening as Delta moves further to the northeast.

Map of wind gusts and radar at 1:30 pm CT Friday. (National Weather Service)

As expected, rains have been falling primarily over the eastern half of the metro area, with as much as 1 inch near Galveston Bay, while no rain has come down over West Houston. Expect rain chances to ebb later this afternoon and evening as well.

It’s a similar story with tides and waves along the coast, but the storm’s approach at low tide (this afternoon) is helping to mitigate some of the surge we’re seeing along the upper Texas coast. We still expect to see a fair amount of beach erosion.

Delta will move quickly away tonight. The bottom line is that beginning tomorrow, summer returns to Houston, with sunny skies and, by Sunday, highs in the 90s. With fair weather over head, we should probably be thinking about what we can do to help our hard-hit neighbors to the east in Louisiana. They have endured a terrible one-two punch from the tropics this year.

We’ll see you on Monday morning.