Storms possible Friday night before an exceptional Spring weekend

When the clock struck 2:10pm on Monday, Houston’s temperature rose from 59 to 61 degrees at Bush Intercontinental Airport. Thus ended a streak of 51 hours of temperatures below 60 degrees, which Matt notes is the region’s longest streak of sub-60 degree weather in April since Houston went 61 straight hours from April 6-9, 2007. But fear not, lovers of cool weather, as the temperature remained in the low 60s for only about 12 hours, before falling back into the 50s this morning as another weak cool front moved into the region.

Houston will enjoy a great spring night on Tuesday night. (Pivotal Weather)

Tuesday and Wednesday

Prepare yourself for a couple of days of exceptional weather. With modest northerly winds, and clearing skies, highs Tuesday should climb into the mid-70s, and on Wednesday into the upper-70s. Lows Tuesday night will generally be in the 50s, and several degrees warmer on Wednesday night as the onshore flow resumes. Enjoy!

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A spectacular mid-week for Houston, but storms may return Friday

Well, that was certainly a chilly weekend for April, with cold, gray conditions for most of Saturday and Sunday—but at least the rain ended early on Saturday for most. It appears as though next weekend will be cooler as well, but we should have lots of sunshine instead of mostly sunny skies.

Monday

Like on Sunday, we won’t see much in the way of sunshine today, and there’s enough moisture in the atmosphere for some drizzle and perhaps even light rain. Highs today will be around 70 degrees. A fairly weak cold front will slide through Houston this evening, but I think at most we can probably only expect some light rain with this passage—nothing at all severe. Any rain should end during the overnight hours, and with clearing skies, low temperatures should fall into the 50s for most of the region.

Tuesday morning will be cool in Houston, but not nearly so cool as the upper Midwest. (Pivotal Weather)

Tuesday and Wednesday

Monday evening’s front, and another push of cooler air on Tuesday, should bring the region some great mid-week weather. I’m looking for two sunny days, with highs in the upper 70s, and overnight lows in the 50s and low 60s. These days should also produce some great sunsets.

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Dust off the jackets Saturday, Houston

A lot to get to today, but the big headline this morning is that Saturday’s forecast has changed. You’ll want the jacket handy.

Today

As of now, we think that, while we will have scattered showers around today, the majority of the daytime should be under control in Houston and points south and west, as capping (which helps inhibit thunderstorm development) will likely be in place much of the day. So at this point, we aren’t expecting anything too serious during the daytime. However, as you go north and east of Houston, a few more organized, stronger storms may get going this afternoon.

Severe weather risk is pretty minimal in Houston, but with weaker capping northeast of Houston, chances of some healthier thunderstorms goes up as you move in that direction. (Storm Prediction Center)

For that reason, the Storm Prediction Center has placed counties north and northeast of Houston in “Slight” (or level 2) risk for severe weather. The most volatile ingredients for severe weather today will again be in far northeast Texas or northern Louisiana. But we can’t rule out a few strong to severe storms northeast of a line from about The Woodlands through Port Arthur. We’ll keep tabs on this today in case anything changes.

Tonight

The cold front, well to our north today, will advance south into our area overnight tonight, probably well after midnight. One difference with this front versus the last couple we’ve had come through overnight: Whereas the last couple fronts timed in the 10 PM to 2 AM window, this one will likely be later, say, 2 to 6 AM-ish. So, you may be woken up later in slumber by a rumble of thunder.

Between today’s showers and storms and tonight’s front, rain amounts may be a bit variable across the region.

Total rainfall today through Saturday shouldn’t be too impressive, though a few spots could see a little more than shown here, mainly northeast of Houston. (NWS WPC/Weather Bell)

On average, I think rain amounts will be a few tenths to half an inch in most places. Some of us may get a little more (perhaps 1-2″ or so with some thunderstorms today). Some places south and west of Houston may only see a small amount of rain. We don’t have any serious flooding concerns from this system.

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Brief storms possible again Friday night in Houston

Good morning. Our weather remains one of a battle between cool fronts and the onshore flow, and as a result we’ll see intermittent periods of nice weather broken by the possibility of storms.

Thursday

It’s a bit chilly across the Houston area this morning, with most of the region having fallen into the 50s. However, winds are swinging back around to the southeast, and this will allow moisture levels to creep back up today. Although skies should remain partly sunny, some light, scattered showers may move into Houston from the southwest later this afternoon. Highs should remain pleasant, in the low 70s. Overnight temperatures tonight should be about 10 degrees warmer with the renewed onshore flow.

Highs Thursday will be seasonal for much of the southern United States. (Pivotal Weather)

Friday and Saturday

A warmer, muggier day with high temperatures probably reaching about 80 degrees. Rain chances, and later thunderstorm chances, will be on the rise during the afternoon and evening hours as a cold front approaches the area. However, a fairly strong capping inversion should set up over the area, and this may limit any precipitation until after the front moves into the region.

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