Summary: On Tuesday and Tuesday night the axis of heavy rainfall fell over areas north of Houston, inundating locations such as College Station and Huntsville with 3 to 6 inches. But by early Wednesday morning, as anticipated, the focus has shifted southward into Houston and down to the coast. On-and-off showers and thunderstorms can be expected for much of today in those areas. This will cause street flooding in some locations and care should be taken. A Stage 1 flood alert remains in effect for today and tonight.
Wednesday
The radar shows at-times intense pulses of showers and thunderstorms moving from southwest to northeast across the southern half of the Houston metro area this morning in response to a passing disturbance. These storms have dropped 1 to 3 inches since midnight near the coast and will continue for much of the day. However there is some evidence that the storms should wane, somewhat, in intensity later this morning and during the afternoon hours. Accordingly, we can probably expect additional accumulations of 1 to 3 inches for areas south of Interstate 10. Rain is likely further inland today as well, but accumulations should be less with the focus near the coast.
In terms of impacts, as of 6 am CT, Houston Transtar is showing no significant problems on area freeways. In terms of area rivers and bayous, Jeff Lindner of Harris County Flood Control District said he expects to see some minor flooding today along the East and West Forks of the San Jacinto River. Other bayous, for now, look to be in good condition.
High temperatures today will reach the upper 60s, with cloudy skies. Winds will be light, generally from the northwest. The best time for a break in showers will come late this afternoon into the evening hours for the Houston area.
Thursday
I expect that an additional round of showers will develop to the west of Houston late on Wednesday night, and then push through the area from west to east overnight. These storms, perhaps producing another 0.5 to 1.0 inch of rain for some locations, will end as somewhat drier air moves in with a weak front. After lingering showers end during the morning hours on Thursday, we can probably expect partly sunny skies, with highs near 70 degrees. Lows on Thursday night will drop into the 50s.
Friday
This should be another day with highs in the upper 60s to 70 degrees. Skies will be mostly cloudy. We’ll see a decent chance of showers—it doesn’t look like anything impactful—later on Friday or Friday night as a stronger front pushes through Houston. This will set the stage for clearer and sunny weather.
Saturday and Sunday
The weekend will be sunny and chilly. Look for highs of about 60 degrees on both days. Saturday will be a bit breezy, with winds from the north, but Sunday should be fairly serene. Lows on both Saturday and Sunday nights will drop into the 40s in Houston, with upper 30s possible for areas further inland.
Next week
The first half of next week will see continued winter-like weather, with highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s. By mid-week we’ll start warming some, and some slight- to moderate rain chances return later next week and into the weekend to go along with mild temperatures.