Obviously, the big story this weekend was heavier than anticipated rainfall on Sunday. Our Friday forecast for the weekend was not particularly good. We missed on the potential for heavy rainfall and storms on Sunday, when some areas of southern Harris County recorded as much as 6 inches of rain. While there were no major flooding events as a result of the rain, and most of the region received 1.5 inches of rain or less, it is nonetheless regretful. It also serves as a reminder of the challenges of predicting heavy rainfall along the Gulf of Mexico.
Rain accumulation from early Sunday through early Monday. (NOAA)
Monday
It’s another very warm morning for early spring, with low temperatures only falling to around 70 degrees for most of the Houston area. After Sunday’s widespread showers, moisture levels remain fairly high over the region, but there’s not the same forcing to really drive the development of rain. As a result I think we’ll see some scattered rain showers later this morning and afternoon, but nothing too widespread. Highs will be around 80.
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Good morning, and happy Go Texan Day, y’all! Today looks great, but this weekend should get mixed reviews, as we’ll be dealing with some rain chances dampening things a bit. On to the details.
Today & Saturday morning
Today will be a fine day. We are starting off a bit chilly this morning, with a lot of 40s on the board north and west of Houston.
Another cool start this morning, with plenty of 40s and low 50s in the area. (NOAA/NWS)
It looks mostly sunny and dry this morning and afternoon. We’ll have some high clouds skirting through from time to time, but overall it looks to be a nice day. Temperatures should get up to near 70 degrees with a modest breeze.
It should be a quiet evening, though it won’t be quite as cool as this morning or Thursday morning. Temperatures should start Saturday about five to ten degrees warmer than those days. Clouds will begin to increase tonight as well, leading to a mostly cloudy, but likely quiet Saturday morning. It *should* be good weather for the Downtown Rodeo Parade or the Rodeo Run. We can’t entirely rule out a sprinkle or some light rain, but steadier rain should hold off until after Noon.
Saturday’s rain *should* hold off until after the Rodeo Run and Downtown Parade.
You’ll still want to keep tabs on the forecast before you head out in the morning, just to be safe.
A sense of normalcy has returned to Houston this morning, as temperatures have fallen into the upper 40s across most of the region. This will be but a fairly brief respite, however, from the warmer weather of late. Also, we’ll probably see rain this weekend.
Today and Friday
In the wake of Wednesday’s cold front, pleasant weather will predominate for Houston, with highs in the upper 60s to 70 degrees, and cooler nights. How cool? Temperatures tonight could fall into the low- to mid-40s for many inland areas, and this will bring a real chill into the air. Friday night will be warmer, with the onshore flow starting to resume, but I still expect lows to fall to around 50 degrees for most areas. Skies will be partly to mostly sunny, with winds around 10 to 15 mph.
Saturday and Sunday
As the onshore flow resumes, rain chances will return to the metro area this weekend. The temperature forecast, at least, seems fairly clear. Both days will see highs from the upper 60s to low 70s, dependent somewhat on cloud cover, and lows probably down to around 60 degrees. The difficult part of the forecast comes in determining rainfall, which will depend upon the evolution of a low pressure system moving up into the region from south Texas on Saturday. The forecast models just don’t have a good handle on this yet.
Estimated rainfall totals for Houston for this coming weekend. (Weather Bell)
February ended on fire. According to the National Weather Service, the low temperature on Tuesday morning was 73 degrees—setting a record high minimum temperature for any day in February, in any year. This beat the old record by 2 degrees, would break or tie a record for every day in the city from January 1 through April 11, and matches the normal low for June 10. In summary, Houston’s warmest February on record ended with ridiculous weather, the same way we began it.
A month of record-setting temperatures in Houston. (National Weather Service)
Today
Low temperatures this morning are about the same as Tuesday, but fortunately a cool front arrives today, returning the region to more sensible weather for this time of year. The front should move through the region by around noon, and a capping inversion should prevent all but a few scattered showers from developing as it blows through. Winds could gust up to 20 or 25 miles out of the north this afternoon and early evening as drier air moves in. While afternoon temperatures should still reach about 80 degrees, conditions will cool off fairly quickly as the Sun sinks toward the horizon.
Thursday and Friday
As we’ve been saying for awhile, the end of the work week should provide some splendid, early spring-like weather, with highs in the upper 60s and low temperatures around 50 degrees, warmer along the coast and cooler inland. The only concern I have is for winds, which will be out of the north on Thursday (perhaps gusting to 15mph) and then out of the east and then southeast on Friday, perhaps gusting a little higher.
Saturday and Sunday
I’m starting to have some confidence that at least Saturday morning should provide decent weather for outdoor activities. I expect a high temperature of about 70 degrees under cloudy skies, as moisture levels rise. The tricky question remains the timing of any rainfall, which could begin as early as Saturday afternoon, or not start until Sunday morning. In any case, I think most of the region is probably looking at picking up about 1 inch of rain this weekend. Highs on Sunday should rise into the mid-70s.
Early next week
As has been usual for the region this winter, Houston will fall into a “warm” pattern for most of the next work week, as it looks like high temperatures will be between 75 and 80 degrees, and lows in the 60s. So if you enjoy cooler weather, this Thursday and Friday are for you.
