The dry air was nice, but now it’s likely gone for summer

Good morning. As I walked outside last night it seemed like I could feel the last dry parcel of air leaving the region. I’m not sure whether Houston has experienced its last front of the spring of 2020, but we’re now in a pattern where humidity will rule the day, as it does in summer in Houston. We’ll have a couple of warm, partly sunny days before clouds and then rain chances return for Memorial Day Weekend. If you’re heading to the beach, Saturday may be your best bet.

Wednesday will be another quite warm day. (Pivotal Weather)

Wednesday

Some clouds have developed this morning across the region as moisture pools beneath a capping inversion, but skies should still clear out by around noon or shortly thereafter. This, combined with light southerly winds, should allow temperatures to reach up into the low- to mid-90s. Cloud cover will increase again overnight, preventing lows from dropping below the mid-70s for most of the Houston region.

Thursday

As high pressure moves away from the region, our weather will begin to slowly change on Thursday. This will likely mean partly sunny instead of mostly sunny skies, and high temperatures should back off slightly to perhaps around 90 degrees. We can’t entirely preclude the possibility of light showers to the northwest of Houston, but it seems unlikely to me. Clouds build again Thursday evening, making for another warm and humid night.

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Houston will be hot and sunny until Memorial Day Weekend begins

The story of this week’s weather continues to be the heat. On Monday, Houston had its warmest day in eight months. The official high of 94 degrees at Bush Intercontinental Airport was the hottest temperature since September 16, 2019. Last year, the first day of temperatures reaching 94 degrees or higher came on June 1. In any case, summer has arrived in Houston.

Tuesday

If you liked Monday’s heat you’ll love today. With high pressure still firmly in place, and mostly sunny skies, we can expect highs to top Monday by a few degrees. ( The record high temperature for May 19 in Houston is 95 degrees.) Humidity levels remain a bit lower than normal, and while this will help the air heat up faster, the slightly drier air will also help rein in the heat index this afternoon.

Welcome to summer, Houston. Here are Tuesday’s forecast highs. (Pivotal Weather)

As hot as temperatures will be today—and we’ll be running a good 8 to 10 degrees above “normal” highs on Tuesday—there should be just enough dry air hanging around to make for a pleasant evening as the sun goes down. Low temperatures tonight should drop into the low 70s.

Wednesday

As winds shift from the southwest to the south, we’re going to see the formation of some clouds on Tuesday night, and some of these should linger into Wednesday. This will also mark the return of more characteristic humidity for Houston, and this in turn should limit highs into the low- to mid-90s.

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Hello 90s! Houston will reach near record highs this week

Houston will experience warm daytime conditions this week, especially through Wednesday as highs push up into the low- or even mid-90s, under sunny skies and the influence of high pressure and slightly drier air. The upside of this is that nights to start the week should see lows dip into the upper 60s for everywhere but the coast. Rain chances probably will not return until Friday at the earliest.

Monday

After starting out just below 70 degrees, highs today should climb into the low 90s for most of the region with very light, westerly winds. Skies will be sunny so we’re pretty much guaranteed a spectacular sunset for the metro area. Low temperatures on Monday night should be similar to Sunday night—which is to say quite pleasant for this time of year with the drier air allowing for a more rapid drop as the sun dips below the horizon.

Tuesday’s high temperatures should be the warmest so far of this year. (Pivotal Weather)

Tuesday

This probably will be the warmest day of the week with a warm southwesterly flow and just enough dry air left for temperatures to really pop during the afternoon hours. Expect highs in the mid-90s for much of the city, almost certainly the warmest weather we’ve seen in 2020. Houston’s record high for May 19 is 95 degrees, which is definitely in reach. Make sure to take precautions when outside for extended periods of time.

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Squall line clearing the Houston area, some showers may linger

Good morning. After Friday’s unexpectedly widespread storms—with flash flooding in areas such as League City, Seabrook, Kemah, and elsewhere—conditions early Saturday are going more to form. A fairly strong squall line with gusty winds and briefly intense rainfall has pushed through most of the metro area as of 4:30am CT, and it should be well east of the metro area by sunrise. It has generally dropped 0.25 to 0.75 inches of rain.

This should be the worst of the region’s weather, but the upper-level low pressure system we’ve been talking about remains just to the north of our region. This should continue to drive showers and possibly some thunderstorms through the morning hours and into the early afternoon hours. These storms that develop should be weaker and less widespread as they move from west to east. Accumulations following the squall line’s passage should be less than one inch for most parts of the metro area today.

Annotated radar image at 4:20am CT Saturday. (kktv.com)

A lesser chance of showers and storms will persist through the overnight hours and into Sunday. The greater likelihood of development will be over Montgomery County and points north, away from the coast and areas hardest hit on Friday. Sunday should see partly sunny skies in addition to the possibility of some occasional light to moderate showers.

By Monday the drier air should take effect leading to sunnier days and clear nights. This should have the effect of dropping lows into the upper 60s, making for quite pleasant evenings and mornings. Our advice is to enjoy the relatively low humidity while it lasts.