Houston’s weather pattern turns wetter, and eventually a bit warmer

After a week without rainfall, the region will see some decent rain chances over the next several days. That’s not to say we are going to see a total washout, but there’s the potential for a solid 1 to 2 inches of rainfall between now and next Wednesday, with isolated areas seeing a little more. Let’s take a more detailed look at the forecast.

Rainfall accumulation forecast for now through Wednesday morning. (NOAA/Weather Bell)

Thursday

Today will be the last day with a near zero chance of rainfall, even as a cold front moves through later on this afternoon. Look for partly to mostly cloudy skies, with a high temperature in the mid- to upper-60s. This is pretty typical weather for December.

Friday

After the front we may see some scattered showers tonight, with rain chances best to the south of Houston, from Galveston down the coast to Matagorda Bay. Most likely, central parts of Houston won’t see much if any rain on Thursday night and Friday morning. The day itself will be cold, with highs likely remaining in the 50s under mostly cloudy skies. Overnight lows on Friday will fall into the low 40s for most of Houston, with upper 30s for inland areas in Montgomery County, and warmer conditions along the coast.

(Space City Weather is brought to you this month by the Law Office of Murray Newman)

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Rain returns this weekend, and Christmas still looks chilly

Temperatures have fallen to freezing levels for some areas north and west of Houston this morning, although most of the city and coastal areas have remained a few degrees above this threshold. It is nonetheless a cold winter morning out there, so don’t forget to bundle up yourself and your loved ones this morning.

Much of Texas is seeing freezing temperatures this morning. (Weather Bell)

Wednesday and Thursday

Sunny skies this morning will help warm things up across the region, with high temperatures today reaching the mid-60s. Lows tonight will probably be 5 to 10 degrees warmer than Tuesday night, so we shouldn’t see any freezes. Another pleasant, partly sunny day is on tap for Thursday with highs in the mid-60s. However, before the weather can warm up too much, another cool front will move into the region on Thursday. There is a slight chance of some rain on Thursday night and into Friday morning along the coast, but as of now I expect the region to remain mostly dry.

Friday

In the wake of Thursday’s front, Friday morning will start out cold, but not freezing for Houston. Temperatures probably will warm only into the 50s under partly sunny skies, and with a cool northerly breeze. Chilly.

(Space City Weather is brought to you this month by the Law Office of Murray Newman)

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Cool and pleasant this week, with a healthy chance of rain Sunday

A cold front quietly moved through Houston during the overnight hours, and this will set the stage for calm, cool weather for the rest of the week. Winter is here, and it will feel like it.

Tuesday through Thursday

Not much to say about these days. We’ll see sunny conditions, with high temperatures in the mid-60s, and chilly nights. Look for lows in the upper 30s to 40 degrees for inland areas, and around 50 degrees right along the coast. We’ll also see some modest northerly breezes on Tuesday in the wake of the front.

Friday

Another front will arrive on Thursday night, probably after midnight, which will lead to a chilly day on Friday. I’d expect high temperatures of around 60 degrees.

(Space City Weather is brought to you this month by the Law Office of Murray Newman)

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Post-Harvey week in review: December 11, 2017

Welcome back to our weekly Monday wrap-up of Harvey and flooding-related news you may have missed over the last seven days. Let us know if we missed anything in the comments. Previous recaps are here:

Post-Harvey week in review: December 4, 2017
Post-Harvey week in review: November 27, 2017
Post-Harvey week in review: November 20, 2017

Reads of the Week

Sunk Costs – Back-to-back record flooding along the Brazos River has forced people in Richmond to make an excruciating choice: Stay or go? (Texas Observer): The Brazos River at Richmond has seen four of its 10 highest crests on record since May of 2015. Some residents have flooded multiple times, and they now grapple with the question of where to go from here.

Developing Storm Part 1: Nature ruled, man reacted. Hurricane Harvey was Houston’s reckoning (Houston Chronicle): A multi-part series from the Chronicle began last week, and it aims to discuss the storm in the context of it not being exclusively a *natural* disaster. It’s worth reading. The first part discusses the reactions and decisions that had to be made in the heat of battle.

Developing Storm Part 2: Build, flood, rebuild: flood insurance’s expensive cycle (Houston Chronicle): Part two of the Chronicle series talks about the history of the National Flood Insurance Program. It discusses in depth how Congress has failed to act to make NFIP more fiscally viable.

Surveys & Symposiums

Survey: Harvey’s wrath affected 66 percent of Texans in its path (Corpus Christi Caller-Times): Two-thirds of people surveyed in counties affected by Harvey report that they have some sort of damage from the storm. They also report that help hasn’t quite been adequate to this point.

Report: An uneven recovery after Harvey threatens to leave people behind (Rice Kinder Institute): Almost half of people from Harris County that responded to an Episcopal Health Foundation and Kaiser Family Foundation survey lost income from Harvey. Seventeen percent of people from 24 counties surveyed are now suffering a new or worsening health condition. Harvey’s damage has stretched people and resources thin and has led to cascading impacts that will continue to be felt in the region and threatens to leave vulnerable and lower-income populations behind.

Where do we go from here? Houston-area leaders grapple with Harvey aftermath (Houston Chronicle): The Houston Chronicle held a symposium last week to discuss Houston after Harvey. Here are some highlights from that event.

(Space City Weather is brought to you this month by the Law Office of Murray Newman)

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