First of two fronts this week arrives later today, thunderstorms possible

Good morning. Houston faces a round of scattered storms later today as a weak front moves into, and through the region. Another front arrives later on Friday to set the stage for a great spring weekend. As a reminder, we’ll be producing our second Weather Wednesday video tomorrow at 2pm CT, over on our Facebook page. More than 12,000 people watched the first video, so we’re gratified by your interest. Please submit any questions you have below.

Tuesday

After Houston hit 91 degrees on Monday, the region will see another warm and humid day with highs in the upper-80s. However, a few more clouds today should help moderate highs just a bit. A front will approach, and move through Houston later today and tonight. I’d like to say we have confidence in rainfall amounts, but we don’t. Chances are probably a little better south of Interstate 10—about 50 percent—than further inland. Models are hinting at a band of rain showers that produces 1 inch or more of rainfall, with possibly some hail and damaging winds, but this activity probably will not be too widespread. The best chance of storms likely will occur between the evening hours Tuesday and sunrise on Wednesday.

Wednesday

After sunrise, skies should begin to clear on Wednesday, and we should see a mostly sunny afternoon with highs in the mid-80s. Wednesday evening looks spectacular, with drier air filtering in. Lows Wednesday night will probably drop to around 60 north of Houston, with warmer weather along the coast.

Thursday

Another pleasant, sunny day, with highs in the 80s. As winds turn to come from the south, moisture levels will pick up. The effect of this will be increasing clouds Thursday night with muggier air, and lows in the low 70s.

Friday

The weather again turns more dynamic on Friday as a fairly broad—and for May, strong—cold front approaches the region. The day should be mostly cloudy, with highs in the 80s, as the front nears Houston later during the day. Timing is still not quite nailed down for the front’s passage, but it seems likely that the region will see a decent chance of showers and thunderstorms from Friday afternoon through Saturday morning. Most parts of the region should pick up 0.5 to 1.0 inch of rainfall, but I’m not overly confident in rainfall totals yet.

Saturday

Drier and cooler air begins to work its way into Houston on Saturday, but some clouds may well remain. Depending on the extent of clouds on Saturday, highs may only reach the low 70s. (If clouds exit sooner, we’ll be warmer). Low temperatures Saturday night will probably drop into the 50s for most areas as skies begin to clear.

Sunday

Sunshine should definitely return in force for its namesake day, with dry air and highs of around 80 degrees. This looks like an absolutely spectacular day—the likes of which we’re very unlikely to repeat until late September at the earliest. So get out there and enjoy it.