In brief: In today’s post we recount the extraordinary humidity currently afflicting the region, and explain why it will soon end. Houston also faces the threat of storms and some heavy rainfall later this afternoon and this evening as a cool front moves into the area and eventually pushes off the coast.
Oh, the humidity
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the humidity the last couple of nights has been extraordinary. This morning, just before sunrise, the low temperature at Bush Intercontinental Airport has reached a low of just 80 degrees. This is solidly 2 degrees above the previous ‘record minimum’ temperature at the site of 78 degrees, set back in 1945. The dewpoint is 79 degrees this morning, so the air is nearly saturated, and humidity is very high. It feels like deep summer out there.
As you cans see above, the region’s minimum temperatures this morning are running 8 to 12 degrees above normal for the region. So yeah, it’s pretty yuck out there. For this reason, even though today’s front is not super strong temperature wise, it will eventually bring enough drier air to make things significantly more comfortable, and our nights and evenings quite a bit more pleasant.
Wednesday
Our radar is quiet this morning, but that is likely to change as we get later into today and this evening, and a front slowly sags down into the region. Through this morning, to the extent storms develop, they probably will do so well north of the region, along and north of Highway 105 in Montgomery County. But this afternoon we are likely to see scattered showers and thunderstorms develop in coastal counties, ahead of the front. By late this afternoon or evening, a line of storms will likely coalesce to the northwest of Houston and move toward the coast, reaching offshore by around midnight or in the wee hours of Thursday morning. These storms will be capable of producing 2 to 4 inches of rainfall in spots, but I think most of the area will see less than this. Nonetheless, the threat of heavy rainfall (and possibly some damaging, straight-line winds) will be present from this evening and into Thursday morning. High temperatures today will generally be in the lower 90s, with lows tonight dropping into the lower 70s.
Thursday
Some storms may linger on Thursday morning, and for the immediate coast there remains a possibility of showers into the afternoon. But for most of the region skies should be clearing as drier air slowly moves in. Expect highs in the mid-80s with northwest winds at 5 to 10 mph. Lows on Thursday night should drop into the 60s for most of the region away from the coast.
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
This period should see sunny skies and modestly lower humidity. Daily highs will reach about 90 degrees, perhaps a degree or two lower or higher. Nights will be in the vicinity of 70 degrees, cooler for inland areas and slightly warmer for the coast. With dewpoints in the 60s the air will be somewhat humid, but not oppressively so. It should be a very fine weekend for outdoor activities. Enjoy!
Next week
I don’t see too much change next week, with highs remaining in the vicinity of 90 degrees and lows in the lower 70s. Humidity may creep back up a little, but I’m confident we’re not going back to the oppressive dewpoints we are experiencing this morning.
Tropics
The tropics are heating up with two storms likely to form in Atlantic Ocean near the Bahamas in the coming week. It’s a confusing forecast to puzzle out, but fortunately none of that action is likely coming into the Gulf. Stay tuned for a special announcement about the Texas hurricane season in tomorrow’s update.
