Good morning. Much of the region outside the inner urban core of Houston is starting the day in the 30s, and we’re going to see a pair of even chillier nights before a warming trend this weekend. A front that will move through right around the opening of the new year will return us to winter-like weather, and later next week we’ll also see decent rain chances return.
Thursday
Today will be sunny and cool, with high temperatures in the 50s thanks to prevailing high pressure. Winds will be from the northwest, at about 10 mph, with the potential for some higher gusts. Lows tonight will drop into the 30s for pretty much the entire area, with the possibility of a light freeze for outlying areas. However, it still looks like most of the metro area surrounding the Houston area will remain just above freezing. As I noted earlier this week, Houston has not recorded a freeze this calendar year.
Friday
This day will be almost a carbon copy of Thursday in terms of sunshine, winds, temperatures and another cold night.
Saturday
Temperatures start to moderate some this weekend, with sunny skies and highs in the low to mid-60s. Winds turn more west and then southwesterly. The air remains dry. Lows on Saturday night will drop into the 40s for most.
New Year’s Eve
Winds will briefly turn southerly on Sunday, and this should allow temperatures to pop up to around 70 degrees, or a tick warmer. A few clouds will also form as atmospheric moisture increases. This should all make for a mild evening to ring in the new year, with temperatures in the low 60s. The only real question is the timing of the front, and whether there will be enough moisture to squeeze out some rain showers. At this point I’d say there’s about a 20 percent chance of light rain to the east of Interstate 45, and lesser chances to the west late on Sunday night, and early on Monday morning, as the front passes through. This frontal passage should push lows for Monday morning down to around 50 degrees.
Next week
New Year’s Day should be partly sunny, with highs in the low 60s. It should also be dry. But that changes by Tuesday as the overall pattern turns more favorable for rainfall. Tuesday and Tuesday night should see the best chances, but each day next week after Monday should have at least a shot of rainfall. Total accumulations for the week, for most areas, probably will be on the order of 0.5 to 1.0 inch of rain. In terms of temperatures, we’re looking mostly at days in upper 50s or lower 60s, and nights in the 40s. So a chilly start to 2024.
Thank you guys for always bringing us no hype weather forecasts. Love your sense of humor also! Y’all are the ONLY weather we follow.
Loving this weather! Keep it coming!
A/C not running, furnace only runs when I’m sleeping or early morning. My bank account loves it too!
This has not felt like an El Niño winter. We are not getting enough rain after the dry summer. It just feels like our area is perpetually capped these days. The biggest winners: all of the developers who bought flooded homes and land on the cheap after Harvey in 2017. They were truly ahead of the climate change curve or so it seems!
D. R. I totally agree about not getting enough rain after the dry summer. We keep getting fooled when there’s rain in the forecast. I’m still having to water my flower beds, gardens and right now I have the water well filling our pond.
The last two summers and the last three years in general have been dry. Overall, my impression is that we have been drier since Ike in 2008. And hotter overall–both day and night. There have been floods in these years–big ones–and I am sure there will be floods again, but we do not get the usual showers and rainy days I grew up with. I spoke with folks at TAMU who confirmed that my personal observation is correct. I don’t know what to plant anymore.
yup excited to have a cigarette outside in the cold, best feeling ever
Nothing like it. The cold tingling feeling as the smoke hits the lungs has to be experienced. I personally smoke two heaters at once for double the pleasure.
I can’t imagine there is anyone who posts on this site that really is stupid enough to smoke.
Fellow smoker (and commenter here). What you said is rude and hurtful. I would like to invite you to enjoy a Marlboro red with me on the patio sometime. I think you’ll find it a relaxing and enjoyable experience.
No thank you, I’d like to keep my lungs healthy and my breath/clothes smelling good.
not very kind of you, Kenny. it’s a free country.
Free indeed, which makes him free to comment whatever he wants.
“Its a free country” is such an abused, meaningless phrase. By your reasoning, Ken’s freedom to post that comment would make that comment a morally indifferent thing, as if freedom means there is no such thing as better or worse, harmful or healthy, good or evil.
Easy there Aristotle
Groan… I left Facebook because of all the animosity. Please let’s stick to the weather and not make loaded comments!