The watchword for Houston’s weather in the coming days is uncertainty—with the main questions concerning whether it will rain locally over the next few days, and whether a front will push through Houston on Wednesday or so of next week.
Thursday
It’s going to be another very warm day along the coast, with highs in the 90s and heat indices pushing into the low 100s. High temperatures elsewhere will likely get into the mid-90s, tempered somewhat by more clouds in the sky. Forecast models are pretty inconsistent, but given the available moisture in the atmosphere I’d guess about one-third of the area sees some form of light to moderate precipitation later today. This should help moderate temperatures slightly.
Friday and Saturday
By Friday, a nearby upper-level system in conjunction with a weaker capping inversion should increase coverage of rain showers and thunderstorms to 40 or 50 percent. These will most likely occur later during the afternoon hours, with the peak of daytime heating. I still think skies will be at least partly sunny, and we can probably expect highs to get into the mid-90s. Overnight lows will remain sticky and warm, in the upper 70s except immediately along the coast.
Sunday and Labor Day
The second half of Labor Day weekend will likely see more sunshine as high pressure amplifies a bit. Expect a pair of warm, summer days with plenty of sunshine and highs in the mid- or upper-90s. We’re not going to rule out some scattered showers along the sea breeze, however.
Will the front make it?
Oh, my friends. I would love nothing more than to tell you that fall’s first cold front will definitely come barreling into Houston six days from now. But the fact of the matter is that this possibility hinges the strength of a ridge of high pressure near Canada and Alaska early next week, and the extent to which a trough of cooler air can penetrate into the central United States. Right now the models are parsing a pretty fine line on whether that happens or not to allow cooler air to make its way all the way down to us—so we’re sticking to our 50-50 prediction of whether a front makes it.
I’m not counting on a cool front next week, but the first cool front of a Houston autumn is so thrilling, I can’t help but hope!
The pessimistic side of me via almost 50 years here says. No and No. It’s the nearing the end of Summer when it never rains and there are heat advisories at midnight.
Window opening, scented candle lighting weather will be in Mid October at the very earliest, I’m guessing.
It is a bit stultifying that we have to have almost continual heat advisories – and it is 80 degrees at 6 AM (the “coolest” part of the day). When it is 84 degrees at midnight, there’s something very wrong.
Desert climates heat up and cool off quickly but we keep and hold the heat. We are the slow cooker environment of the US – always simmering. Blech.
I’m hopeful for the front but not betting the farm on it.
With the way 2020 is going, we will get the front but then it will stall out offshore and the remnants will form into a hurricane to come back to bite us like what happened with Alicia in 1983.
In September, the next front is always 9-10 days away.
What’s up with the brownish-yellow haze in the air this week? Plain old pollution or smoke?
You say 50-50, I say 2020 and we get nada.
I think we need hourly updates on the front situation…….seems more important than Laura.
I agree with this. I would like updates at least two to three times a day about the front! All jokes aside, thank you all again for what you do!
Considering there seemed to be stronger indications of next week’s front making it through Houston last week and that there’s only seemed to be growing uncertainty as we’ve drawn closer, rather than less, I’ve resigned myself to anticipating our first actual front to arrive some time during the first half of October.
I sure as heck won’t be betting my house on is getting a front. I’m thinking it’s more likely I’ll be paddling around in my above ground pool until well into November. Just call me a pessimist.
Come Sept, summer depression sets in, when you’ve had enough of the heat and you know you are that much closer to a cool breeze.
I can’t say it enough, I’m over this hot weather.