Good morning. Any vestiges of last weekend’s Arctic blast have fled from Houston now, retreating from a warm and moist southerly winds blowing into the region from The Gulf of Mexico and the country itself. The pronounced flow will make for warm temperatures for much of the United States.
Today
Expect a breezy day as southerly winds gust into the low 20s. Skies should be partly to mostly cloudy as high temperatures climb into the upper 70s. Expect lows tonight to fall only into the mid-60s.
Wednesday and Thursday
Not really sure what to say about these days other than … WTF?!? We’ll get another couple of very winds (20-25mph gusts) days, with partly sunny skies and high temperatures of around 80 degrees. Did I mention that this is typically the coldest time of year? The record high for both days is 81 degrees, and we’ll have to watch and see if those are broken. Overnight lows will probably remain in the upper 60s.
Friday and Saturday
A cold front will enter Texas on Friday but stall north of the Houston region. Along with more favorable dynamics in the upper atmosphere, this should lead to at least some scattered rain chances on both days, and we can’t rule out some thunderstorms. With the possibility of some rain and the return of some clouds, expect highs to moderate slightly, perhaps into the mid-70s.
(Space City Weather is sponsored by Westbury Christian School for this month)
Sunday
The forecast for the Houston Marathon continues to come into focus, and the focus is not pretty. With virtually no chance of a cold front now, lows on Sunday morning will probably fall between 63 and 67 degrees in downtown Houston, with temperatures rising into the low- to mid-70s by around 1pm. (The record for a high minimum temperature on Jan. 15th is 67 degrees). Unfortunately dewpoints probably won’t be much lower, which will result in high humidity, perhaps above 90 percent for the first few hours of the race. That’s pretty brutal.
In terms of precipitation, the models are still flopping around a bit, with some pushing the better rain chances onto Monday and Tuesday. However with atmospheric moisture levels quite high, I still think there’s at least a decent chance of some light rain during the race, and we’ll have to continue to watch for the possibility of a few thunderstorms.
Next week
The general forecast seems pretty clear even if the details aren’t. Days should remain warm for this time of year, in the low 70s perhaps, with a healthy chance of rain. It’s not possible to pinpoint when the rain will come, but I certainly think 1 to 3 inches could fall from Saturday through Tuesday-ish. We’ll have to watch for rain during the Martin Luther King Jr. festivities. Finally, a cold front should move through later on Tuesday or Wednesday, to bring temperatures closer to normal levels.
Posted at 6:45am CT on Tuesday by Eric
If this is “winter”, what is the upcoming summer going to be like???
I shudder to think. Fortunately there rarely is a lot of teleconnection between the two.
Picky writer point: blow torches aren’t warm and moist, they’re hot and dry. Maybe “steam bath” or “plume”?
Ahh, a good point. Thank you.
I really enjoy Space City Weather- I read every email. However, today I was shocked that, despite being sponsored by a Christian school, you still chose to use profanity in your posting. I hope those kids are not reading it. And I prefer not to read profanity either.
Point taken. This January heat has be a little on edge…
I like the profanity.
Different strokes…
Summer is going to bite, just like it always does.
Eric, I don’t remember Houston “winters” having this many stretches of warm days since I moved here in 2002. Am I wrong? What is going on? Thanks for the great info you always provide!
It is warm, but we have had warmer winters. The lack of a sustained cold period is a bit depressing, however it may yet still come in the second half of January or February.
I’m curious what the gulf ocean temps are doing, hope they are cooling down to averages to keep us “cooler” in the spring months so we don’t get too early start on the summer temps.
At least we’re in a place for several days when neither our furnaces nor air conditions will be running for a few days. That’s nice for the pocket book.