Officially, we won’t have a heat wave in Houston. We “only” hit 88° at Bush Airport yesterday, after Wednesday’s 90 degree high. No matter: We are in the midst of one of the hottest stretches of weather this early in the year on record. If you look at the last 4 days in Houston, our average temperature has been a whopping 78.9°. The earliest we’ve ever had a 4 day stretch that warm prior to this year was April 7-10, 1999, when we averaged 79.4° for the four days.

We broke the previous record for earliest hottest 4 day stretch (1907) by a full degree. The heat continues for one more full day before a bit of a respite this weekend.

Today

Look for more of the same today. Any low clouds this morning should eventually give way to sunshine. We’ll have a steady south wind at 10 to 15 mph (Side note: The breeze yesterday afternoon was actually quite lovely, despite the abnormally warm weather). Expect highs in the upper-80s to perhaps near 90° in spots.

We expect another muggy night ahead tonight, with lows in the upper 60s to low-70s.

Saturday

Tomorrow will start much like every other day in recent memory. But we’ll have a twist via a cold front Saturday afternoon. Expect clouds and some sun with temperatures warming into the lower 80s by late Saturday morning. Thereafter, scattered showers and a few thunderstorms with heavier downpours should begin to move west to east across the area. Any severe weather should be off to the northeast and out of the Houston area. Rain-wise, it wouldn’t be shocking to see some places receive no rainfall with the front. Those would be mainly southwest of Houston. Other areas could see a few tenths of an inch or even more if any heavier storms develop.

Temperatures will drop only a couple degrees behind the front, into the 70s, as it moves across the area between about Noon and 5 PM.

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Houston officially reached 90 degrees on Wednesday at Bush Intercontinental Airport, marking the region’s first such day of the year. This milestone has come about six weeks early this year, and we’ll see two more very warm March days before a cool front on Saturday. Speaking of the heat and humidity, we’ll address the idea that this may help to tamp down the local spread of Covid-19 at the end of this post. The short answer is that it’s possible, but the evidence is far from conclusive.

Thursday

This morning will start off mostly cloudy like Wednesday did, but we should see clearing skies by around noon, or shortly thereafter. Highs again should get up to near 90 degrees, with light winds, making for another very warm day. Lows tonight will likely only fall to around 70 degrees.

Friday

As high pressure begins to ease off, and some more clouds appear in the afternoon sky, temperatures Friday may hold in the mid- to upper-80s but the humidity will still be there. Winds will start to kick up during the afternoon or evening hours, gusting out of the south up to 20 mph.

Saturday

As we’ve been saying, conditions on Saturday will depend on the timing of the front, which probably will sweep through the area (beginning in the northwest) during the late morning hours and end up off the coast during the evening. Local highs will depend on the timing of the front. As for rain showers, most of the model guidance now shows something akin to a dying line of storms, so areas such as College Station may receive one-half inch of rain or more and a pretty good lightning show, with less as the showers get near Houston and push through the city. Lows Saturday night should drop into the 50s, except for the coast.

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Good morning. It is March 25th, and Houston will experience a serious springtime heat wave this week. The average date of the region’s first 90-degree day typically does not come until May, based on historical data:

• Houston-Bush Intercontinental: May 7
• Houston-Hobby: May 6
• Galveston: June 21
• College Station: May 2

However, all locations but Galveston will probably hit 90 degrees this week, or come very close. With lots of sunshine and heat, please take care when outside during the middle of the day. You’ll definitely need some sunscreen out of doors and plenty of hydration. Unfortunately you won’t be able to socially distance yourself from the humidity.

Wednesday

With high pressure dominating overhead like it’s mid-summer, expect high temperatures to reach about 90 degrees under mostly sunny skies later today. Winds will be very light. Low temperatures Wednesday night will only fall to around 70 under partly cloudy skies.

Thursday

This will be another day a lot like Wednesday, with highs near 90 degrees and warm night.

Friday

The pattern begins to change on Friday, although the difference in our weather will be subtle as high pressure backs off to the east. Highs will still be near 90 degrees, but there will be a few more clouds, and winds out of the south will be much more noticeable, gusting to perhaps 25 mph.

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Good morning. We’re entering Houston’s “week of summer” and it’s only March. If this is too early for humid nights and hot days for you, don’t fret too much. Before the end of March it appears as though Houston will return to more seasonable, spring-like weather. But it will definitely be warm until then.

Tuesday

High pressure is beginning to build over the region today, but we won’t quite be in the sauna yet. Mostly cloudy skies should help to keep temperatures in the mid-80s for most areas, with light southwesterly winds. Overnight lows will drop into the low 60s for most—warmer along the coast, cooler well inland—with a mix of clouds and stars.

Wednesday and Thursday

High pressure will peak during the middle of the week for much of Texas, including the Houston area. This will lead to unseasonably warm and sunny days, with highs at or near 90 degrees for the region. These will be almost summer-like days with warm nights to match, as lows likely will only fall to around 70 degrees.

Friday

Another warm day, but we should start to see some more clouds mix in as high pressure weakens its grip over the area. Look for partly sunny skies with highs in the upper 80s.

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