We are heading back to being mired in a weather pattern that is generally low impact (aside from some fog) but also fairly obnoxious: Lots of clouds, cold fronts that will shift temperatures in a big way depending on where they’re situated, and plenty of rain chances but ultimately not a lot of rain accumulation. Let’s dive in.

Today

Areas of fog, locally dense, have developed this morning, and there is a Dense Fog Advisory through 9 AM for most of the area. Give yourself a couple extra minutes out the door today. As fog lifts, expect a good deal of cloud cover this morning, giving way to some partial afternoon sunshine at times. High temperatures today will be contingent on sunshine. With a lot of sun, we could make a run for 80° in spots, particularly west of I-45. With clouds hanging on, expect upper-70s in most places. Some fog may roll back into coastal communities later this afternoon.

Saturday

The forecast for tomorrow is tricky. The first in a series of cold fronts will get down to about US-59 in the morning.

Using the image above (which shows dewpoints instead of air temperatures), you can see the cold front is conveniently right along US-59. This is from the NAM model, which is probably the most aggressive of the models in bringing this front south. In fact, this may even be a smidge too far south and east. But I want to show you how sharp a cutoff this is between very warm humid and potentially cooler and drier.

The front will likely make limited progress south and may even begin to retreat a bit back to the north in the afternoon. Ahead of the front, we will see areas of dense fog along the coast or in the bays once again for much of tomorrow. Temperatures will likely be in the 70s to perhaps near 80° again. North and west of Houston closer to the front in the afternoon, look for mid-70s. There is a small degree of uncertainty tomorrow. If the front is able to be aggressive and dives southeast enough, some areas north or west of US-59 may only see highs in the 60s Saturday.

The good news is that rain chances look limited on Saturday. There may be a few showers or sprinkles along the coast, but otherwise, it just looks mostly cloudy tomorrow (foggy along the coast).

See full post

Our forecast remains on track through the first half of the weekend, with mostly sunny conditions and warmer weather. After this, however, our weather turns a bit murky both literally and figuratively as a cold front stalls out near, or over the region. Certainly we’re not expecting anything too extreme, but for now the forecast is hard to parse with any great detail.

Thursday and Friday

The work week will end with a pair of fine, partly to mostly sunny days, with high temperatures generally varying from the low 70s to the upper 70s depending upon cloud cover. Nights will be moderate, with lows in the upper 50s for inland areas ranging into the low 60s for the coast. Rain chances are near zero and humidity levels will be reasonable with some drier air mixing in.

Saturday

The first half of the weekend will see more of the same, although cloud cover may increase some later during the day on Saturday. This still should be a dry day for most, with highs in the mid-70s, so plan those outdoor activities with confidence. Nighttime temperatures on Saturday will be quite warm, likely in the 60s pretty much area-wide.

See full post

Houston’s weather will offer something for most people over the next week or so. Through Saturday, we’re going to see partly to mostly sunny weather, with gradually warming weather as temperatures climb through the upper 70s to perhaps 80 by Saturday. For early next week we’re going to abruptly transition back to the cold, gray, and possibly wet conditions more common during winter.

Wednesday

After this morning’s cold start, highs today will get into the mid- to upper-60s for what should be a banner day under full sunshine. As winds begin to return from the south tonight, overnight lows will only fall into the lower 50s for most of the region.

Thursday and Friday

The overall pattern will remain mild through the end of the week, as the movement of air in the mid-levels of the atmosphere moves generally from west to east, keeping our region dry. The net result of this should be partly to mostly sunny skies, with highs in the 70s, and nighttime temperatures in the upper 50s to lower 60s. 

See full post

The last of the rain showers associated with Monday night’s cold front are pushing through the coastal areas, and drier air is flowing into the region from the northwest. After days and days and days of mostly cloudy conditions, Houston should now see a nice stretch of mostly sunny and dry weather.

Tuesday

Areas well inland, near Conroe and College Station, are already seeing clear skies this morning, and this general trend will move into Houston and the coastal areas later this morning with the influx of drier air. The clearing skies should allow highs today to get into the mid- or upper-60s. The primary concern will be winds, which could gust up to about 20mph as the front pushes in. Temperatures tonight will drop down to near 40 degrees in the city, with cooler conditions further inland, and a bit warmer near the coast.

Wednesday

A beautiful, mostly sunny day with highs in the mid-60s. As a more southerly flow returns later in the day we can expect more moderate nighttime temperatures about 10 degrees warmer than Tuesday night.

See full post