Storms rumble through Houston, dry air will follow

Good morning. As expected, a squall line a storms rumbled through Houston early Wednesday morning. Some bowing segments of the line brought damaging winds and frequent lightning, knocking power out to about 160,000 residences and businesses. But it’s not just Houston—this impressive line of storms stretches from west of Austin all the way to the east of New Orleans.

The worst of the storms for the Houston metro area is now rapidly moving toward the coast and offshore. This will set the stage for a few days of sedate, pleasant weather before we warm up over the weekend.

Wednesday

Temperatures this morning are in the mid-60s, and we probably will warm up into the low 80s this afternoon as skies begin to clear out. Although the heaviest rains are heading toward the exits, some light rains are possible through the mid-morning hours before drier air moves in behind the cold front. We’ll see gusty northerly winds this morning, but they should begin to ease back a little bit this afternoon. All of this will set the stage for a cool and clear night, with low temperatures likely dropping into the upper 50s for most of the region except the coast.

Thursday

The last day of April will be splendid—sunny, with light winds, dry air, and highs of around 80 degrees. There won’t be much more weather like this for awhile, so soak it up. Lows Thursday night will be a couple of degrees warmer than Wednesday night.

Friday

As winds turn to come from the south or southwest, a warming pattern will begin. However, humidity levels on Friday should still remain fairly low, as highs pop up into the mid-80s with sunny skies.

Saturday and Sunday

Almost summer-like weather arrives this weekend as high pressure builds over the area. Expect highs near 90 degrees on Saturday, and likely in the low 90s on Sunday, with partly to mostly sunny skies and light winds. Nighttime temperatures will only fall into the low 70s except for areas well north and west of Houston. Winds should be moderate.

Next week

Most of next week looks the same, to be honest. Expect warm to hot days in the upper 80s to low 90s, partly to mostly sunny skies, and warm nights. We won’t shake out of this pattern until Wednesday, at the earliest, and maybe not before the weekend. The rain you received this morning will be the last for at least a week.

Weather Wednesday

Houston has been social distancing for more than a month now, and the kids are bouncing off the walls. Matt and I can’t do anything about that (sorry, we’ve got littles of our own to wrangle) but we can provide a bit of weather information and entertainment for families.

With the help of Reliant, we’re going to do a weekly live video on Facebook where we discuss recent weather, upcoming weather, and more importantly take your questions—about forecasts, weather 101, or whatever you like. Beginning today, join us there at 2pm CT on Wednesdays, for 10-15 minutes of weather goodness. You can submit questions below, or during the live event itself.