Warmer, with light rains, before a cool and sunny winter weekend

Good morning. Houston is warmer this morning, with lows in ranging from the low- to upper-40s, but the respite from winter won’t last too long.

TODAY

As the onshore flow resumes these more southerly winds will bring moisture back into the atmosphere, and we should see increasingly cloudy skies this afternoon and evening. Highs will climb into the upper 60s, somewhat dependent upon how early the clouds move in.

WEDNESDAY

Conditions will change Wednesday as a weak front approaches Houston and likely stalls along the coast. If moisture levels were higher I’d be confident in seeing some decent rain showers, but as we’ve been so dry for awhile, I expect only scattered, light rain on Wednesday, likely during the morning hours. Highs will be in the low 70s.

THURSDAY

A stronger cold front will likely move through the area on Thursday morning, and again I expect to see some scattered showers but nothing too heavy. Perhaps some areas will see a few tenths of an inch of rain, but it should be nothing to write home about. Highs will be about 70 degrees and I expect skies to begin clearing late on Thursday.

FRIDAY, SATURDAY and SUNDAY

The clearing will be driven by a very pronounced ridge of high pressure, shown in the forecast map for the upper level of the atmosphere on Friday, at noon.

This ridge will accomplish a couple of things. It will clear our skies out very quickly and bring us mostly sunny conditions through at least the middle of the day on Sunday. Additionally, brisk northerly winds will bring us colder, drier air, which should drive morning lows into the 30s — although likely not all the way to freezing — by Saturday morning. Highs will be in the 50s on Friday and Saturday, before moderating to around 70 on Sunday.

The ridge will also push any heavy precipitation well to the east of Texas, likely in a swath from Mississippi through New York (including snow for northern areas), this weekend.