Hot and mostly dry weekend, with an update on the tropics

Over the last 5 days, most of us have seen at least some rainfall with a smattering of storms each day. Not all of us have seen significant rainfall, however.

Feast or famine in the rain department over the last 5 days. Some places have seen 2 to 3 inches, while others have seen next to nothing. (Harris County Flood Control)

Apologies for the map that is clearly excluding some parts of the area. If you’d like a bigger view, you can view recent rain totals at Harris County Flood Control. Amounts of up to 2 inches or so have occurred near Acres Homes, Sugar Land, and out by Katy, with higher amounts in a few spots near there. Then, you have spots like the East End, far northwest Harris County, and some pockets south and also northeast of Houston that have registered little to no rain at all. For those seeking rain, we’ve got nothing good to report for the next couple days.

Today & weekend

Today and tomorrow should be fairly straightforward forecasts. We should see ample sunshine and hot temperatures. Look for daytime highs in the mid- to upper-90s both days. Nighttime lows into Saturday morning should get to the mid- to upper-70s. If we’re looking for a bright spot in the relentless heat, it’s that the nighttime temperatures and humidity levels will not be terribly oppressive. Heat index values should be mostly under control.

High temperatures on Saturday will probably hit the upper-90s in most of the area. But humidity will not be terrible. (NWS forecast via Weather Bell)

Sunday gets a tiny bit trickier. Moisture from an area of low pressure in the upper atmosphere will take over most of the western Gulf but primarily offshore. We should see at least a few showers being flung toward Galveston and other areas southeast of Highway 59/I-69 on Sunday morning or afternoon. But most places will probably stay dry. We’ll start in the 70s and end in the mid-90s.

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A hot weekend, tropics tracking, and the region’s first front?

Good morning. Lots to discuss this morning from heat this weekend, plenty of activity in the tropics, and longing for the season’s first real cold front.

Thursday

Moisture levels are falling over the region, but they’re still high enough to squeeze out some scattered showers and thunderstorms. By now you know the drill; most of the area probably won’t see rain, but the areas that do could see brief, intense thunderstorms. Highs should make it into the mid-90s under partly sunny skies.

Friday and Saturday

High pressure should reign, making for a pair of mostly hot and sunny days for the Houston region. Look for highs in the mid- to upper-90s. These will be some of the last really hot days of 2019 for Houston as we get deeper into September.

Summer will hold on for most of Texas this weekend. (Pivotal Weather)

Sunday and beyond

Our weather for the second half of the weekend and next week will depend on the track of Invest 95L, discussed below. Most likely, we will begin to see elevated moisture levels pulsing in from the Gulf of Mexico, leading to a 30 to 40 percent chance of rain from Sunday onward. But overall confidence is not particularly high. The question is mostly whether we’re mostly dry, or see a pattern of scattered showers and thunderstorms each day. Highs should be somewhere in the low- to mid-90s.

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Another day of scattered storms, while also glancing at the tropics

Good morning! Our Wednesday post is coming to you quite a bit earlier than usual as both Matt and I are traveling. In this case, I’ve gone west on assignment, and it’s easier to post at night than in the morning. Bottom line: you can expect the same weather forecasts, with new-and-improved time zones. (We’re both back in Houston this weekend).

High temperatures on Wednesday should be a touch cooler for Houston. (Pivotal Weather)

Wednesday

If you liked Tuesday, have we got a deal for you—conditions on Wednesday are likely to be similar, albeit with temperatures perhaps a few degrees cooler. Yesterday, we mentioned the possibility of brief, strong storms and that’s precisely was some areas in the Brazos Valley got on Tuesday with some strong winds and heavy rainfall. Similar conditions will be possible in Houston on Wednesday, but it’s hard to peg where. Generally, I think we’ll see scattered storms pop up closer to the coast before noon, and then steadily migrate inland during the afternoon. Some thunderstorms may be pretty strong, but should not persist too long. Look for highs in the mid-90s.

Thursday and Friday

As high pressure begins to take hold we probably can expect rain chances to fall off to around 20 percent. Highs should make it into the mid-90s under mostly sunny skies.

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A little more heat, a little rain, and an eye on the tropics

Scattered rain chances will continue through the middle of the week before sunnier skies return for the first half of the weekend. There still are no real signs of a cold front, alas, but we will need to keep an eye on the tropics over the next couple of weeks—which we’ll discuss below.

Tuesday

Similar to conditions on Monday, we’re going to see some scattered showers develop later today as Gulf of Mexico moisture streams inland. But as there is no real trigger for this atmospheric moisture to precipitate out of the sky, rain chances for most of the region will only be about 30 percent. Skies will be partly sunny, and whether high temperatures climb into the mid- or upper-90s will depend upon the extent of cloud cover and rainfall near you this afternoon. But we can safely say it will be hot.

Most of Houston should see some at least some light rain over the next three days. (Pivotal Weather)

Wednesday

Another day similar to Tuesday, albeit with higher atmospheric moisture levels. This should nudge rainfall chances up into the 50 percent range, and thunderstorms could briefly be fairly intense. Highs will likely be in the mid-90s.

Thursday and Friday

High pressure will begin to build over the region, helping to reduce rain chances down to around 20 percent each day. These should be mostly sunny days with highs in the mid-90s.

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