Widespread showers possible today, front likely to miss on Thursday

Good morning. We’re now into the second week of September. A few of us had a friendly debate on Twitter this weekend about whether August or September was the worst month of the year in Houston, weather-wise. I’m definitely on Team August, for the simple reason that at least in September there is hope for a front and a hint of fall. Matt and several others said September is the worst for the very reason that some semblance of fall should be here in September, but it often is not. So what do you think? In any case, this week will be difficult as we watch a dying front approach the area, but likely not make a significant impact on our weather.

Tuesday

For some, this will be quite a wet day. We should see on-and-off rain showers across much of the area with a moist air mass and small feature in the atmosphere that will promote rising air. Some areas may see 1 to 2 inches of rainfall, while others see little to no precipitation from these hit-and-miss showers. Where it’s not raining, partly sunny skies should help to push high temperatures into the low-90s. Low temperatures Tuesday night will be in the upper 70s to around 80 right along the coast. Winds will be light out of the southeast.

NOAA forecast for cumulative rainfall between now and Thursday morning. (Weather Bell)

Wednesday

This is another potentially wet day as the overall air mass remains fairly unsettled upstream, with a fairly strong front pushing into Texas. This may help generate some additional showers and thunderstorms over the Houston area, keeping highs again to around 90 degrees or perhaps a little bit higher.

Thursday

The aforementioned front will be dying as it moves toward the southeast, across Texas. How far it gets remains a big question that we just can’t answer for now.  But some of its drier air may make it into western and northwestern parts of the metro area at the surface, including places like Katy, Prairie View, and Magnolia. It will be a close call, but some of these locations may wake up to drier and slightly cooler on Thursday morning. For the rest of us—and those areas as well, most likely, it will probably be business as usual for summer, 2020. Look for highs in the low- to mid-90s.

The NAM model (shown here) is most aggressive in bringing a front near Houston, but most other models don’t come this close. (Weather Bell)

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

For now the weekend looks quite hot. We’re expecting highs in the mid-90s—we know, we know—with partly to mostly sunny skies. Rain chances may increase on Sunday and Monday as a surge of moisture moves into the area, but our overall forecast confidence in this remains fairly low. If you’re wondering when the next front that actually pushes into Houston will arrive, I’m afraid there’s little support for one in the models until around September 20th.

Tropics

The tropics remain super active and Matt will have a full rundown for you later this morning. Fortunately, there are no immediate threats to the Gulf of Mexico.

52 thoughts on “Widespread showers possible today, front likely to miss on Thursday”

  1. I vote to “split” the baby: the worst month-long period is Aug. 16 thru September 15. (Or is that allowed)?

  2. August. I have spent the entire month walking to my car at 5:15am to go to work, and it feels as though I’m swimming. Absolutely disgusting. At least September has a thought of “Fall” coming. And I’m a lifelong native (although the other two places I lived were possibly hotter). YUCK. Although this is really yuck too.

  3. August was the worst. September at least gives us a bit of hope for a change…while August weather is evenly hot!

  4. September is the worst. We’ve had to put up with June, July, and August, and by the end of August I’ve completely had it with the summer heat and humidity. September still provides NO relief even IF a so-called front makes it through this far south (unlike even places just north of the Red River). September fronts have no cooling punch behind them even if they make it this far south.

  5. August is definitely the worst. Very early mornings in September when I go for a run, the breeze feels slightly better. There is nothing good about running in August.

  6. September. Always September. That’s when it seems summer is at its most relentless. I expect it in August (like being cold in February in Pittsburgh). A new Texas resident asked me a few summers ago “when does it cool off” and I said “you’ll feel something around Halloween but for sure by Thanksgiving.”

    • Ha! That’s funny. My first Thanksgiving here in 2012 – 85 degrees and super humid. That said, I get where you’re coming from, although most Halloweens aren’t very fall-like either.

  7. August. There’s never a chance that it will be cooler. In September, there’s at least a flicker of hope. Which can be quantified as ‘whelk’s chance in a supernova,’ but it’s a non-zero number, at least.

  8. August is when people get the most angry. I learned when we moved here 10 years ago that mid-November is when the heat really breaks. I don’t get my hopes up till then.

    • Agreed. Morale is lowest in August. September brings school and football and new beginnings even if weather isn’t changed. But the weather is still not fall until November (I consider Fall when I can comfortably wear jeans again).

  9. August by far is the worst, no chance of relief. June and July are hot, but you’re in the swing of summer and vacations. August is back to school, which means traffic is back, also peak hurricane season for Texas starts. September at least had some faint hope of a cool front and everyone starts to get back to a work / school routine.

  10. For me it has been, and will always be August. That morning heat to me is synonyms with football two-a-days. I feel like in September, hope rings eternal.

    Though my wife and I were arguing the other day. She swears we ALWAYS get a cool snap in October and I argued that I can remember plenty of Halloweens that were in the 90’s.

  11. August is the longest … and therefore worst to me. By then it’s been at least two months of hot (three if you count May) and we are all ready for it to stop, except it’s August and you have to endure, plus you get hurricanes. September is also hot but you have it in your head that October is coming and you manage. Plus September is my birthday month and I can’t be hatin’ on my birthday month.

  12. August is the worst for me. By the end of september the lows are starting to get less opressive. Their is a light at the end of the tunnel. In August their is no end in sight.

  13. This happens every year. Something in the models overestimates the momentum of these fronts until the last minute.
    A front is coming!
    A front is coming!
    Gulf of Mexico: I don’t think so, pal.
    A front is not coming!

  14. It’s a close call. August is generally worse, however, September can be a CRUEL month – especially the last decade or so like someone already said. I can’t remember an early September real cool front since Ike came through in ’08.

    • I remember the front that came just days after Harvey was pretty nice. But for the most part, fronts in early September are a rare occasion to say the least.

  15. August. Because it is sandwiched between July and September! Hot before. Hot after. And the light at the end of the tunnel in August is a freight train of humidity, increased risk of hurricanes, and torrid heat named September. So…yeah…

    August!

  16. Personal mantra for living in Houston is to enjoy November thru beginning of May because…..August is comin’!

  17. Here’s another question – August in Houston or January in Chicago. Absent hurricanes, I’ll always take August in Houston as my poison.

    • Exactly! I grew up in southeast Wisconsin. I’ve lived through snow in late October through mid May. Below zero temps and below zero windchill. Give me heat and humidity all day.

  18. August…hands down….September is a month of hope and the possibility of some kind of cool weather happening…or just around the corner…..August is purgatory. I always wonder as I swat away my 2,283rd mosquito of the season….what were the settlers thinking that this seemed as good a place as any to place a town. God bless them and all they went through….but I digress…..August without question.

  19. Complainers! I don’t know what the official weather analysis has been, but overall this has been an incredibly nice summer. It was pretty rough for a few weeks in August without rain, and right after the hurricane passed, but now that the wet weather has come back we’re getting nice cool afternoons again. Have you already forgotten June and July? How many days this summer did you walk out and say “wow it’s pretty nice today”? Be honest about it, there were a bunch.
    Where have all the Houstonians gone! This is us!!

    • I’m not a Houstonian – far from it. Grew up in middle Europe where weather is as mellow as it comes. But I agree with you. It’s been a nice summer – I enjoyed it for the most of it… it was hot and humid, yes, but it wasn’t as overbearing as some other years.

      But I hate September – for the hurricane season aspect of it…

  20. September gets our hopes up only to crush our dreams! Whereas August is the devil we know. Still, September is closer to November, so that’s always a positive. To summarize, they both suck, but September sucks a little less.

  21. September is worse. I am still programmed to expect cooler temperatures once we get to and past Labor day. It gets depressing when that does not happen.

  22. My brother in SLC area…… 90+ mph winds overnight; product of a high in WY (ahead of the cold front) and a low in UT. Similar to Santa Ana winds in S. California. High 90’s yesterday in SLC. Supposed to be in the 50’s today and snow in mountains and down on the lowser benches in the valley.

    My brother in Evergreen CO area. 98 in Denver yesterday. Supposed to be 58 today. Looking to get snow in Evergreen , with low below freezing tonight and high in the 40’s.

    I was salivating at this cold air getting down to us….. But no dice I guess.

  23. Sorry, Matt, Eric is right and August is clearly worse. Based on the “September Promise” theory, we could state that October is the worst month. It’s still hot and terrible even though it nominally carries the promise of a delightfully crisp weather.

  24. August and September are closely tied for the worst months imo. I think in terms of temperatures, August is technically the worst with daytime highs pretty much constantly in the upper 90’s pushing 100. At least the highs nudge into the lower to mid 90’s in September. However, September by far is the most aggravating time of the year because you know fall is around the corner and you just want at least some hint of it… Unfortunately summer takes its precious time to loosen it’s unrelenting grip down here.

    Just really hoping we don’t have a repeat of last year and we end up having to wait until October for our first front. September 2019 was probably the worst September ever in my 22 years living here. Ugh.

  25. August is brutal, but I know its tricks and I can get through it. September, however, is the summer level’s final boss; my hit points are lowest, my last save point is months ago, and my character’s strongest magic is weakest against it… so it’s when either summer finally breaks, or I do.

  26. Please explain the cooler temps & the lower humidity! Inside the Loop, it was 73 degrees in the morning on Sunday. A plot of the local weather station (WeatherUnderground) shows morning temperatures (finally) below 80 degrees beginning Sunday. Tracking my energy usage, I am below 40 kWh, whereas last week I was above 50 (less a/c usage). It is certainly cooler – and a little less humid – than it was. We hit 100 degrees last Wednesday.

  27. As someone who migrated here from the cold snows of the midwest, (more than 50 years ago) I have to say, as long as there is NO snow to shovel, no ice to make me fall on my butt, and and as long as there are swimming pools, beaches and WATER in which to play, I’m a happy camper. Although, I admit, August is brutal…. but, it makes up for it in December and January when I’m wearing shorts and tees!!

  28. I’m for Team August. In fact in our family we say laughingly Houston has 2 seasons – Summer and August. Often the sun in August I hibernate, Don’t think even the free lunch just standing out in front of glass building and have the sun reflect of the building and the concrete.
    AS to heat and lack of winter – I hated the black ice when driving. Only once did I have a terrifying experience of actually getting stuck in the ruts of another car going down a steep mountain road. In the year or so we lived in Munich which has snow off and on from October through April, you are required to shovel snow off your sidewalk by 8 am no matter how deep. I agree with Susan ice is tough.

  29. Originally being from New Jersey, I think September is the worst month because it should feel like fall but it doesn’t :/

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