Hold on Houston, we’re almost through with the hard freezes

Summary: Houston faces one more very cold night before we break the back of this Arctic outbreak. Then we’ll warm up for a few days before another front arrives with some slightly less cold air to keep us on the chilly side for the weekend.

Much of the region has warmed above freezing temperatures this afternoon—if only just. Temperatures will peak over the next hour or so before they start dropping by around 4 pm CT. After that we’ll fall quickly this evening as the Sun sets and we see ideal conditions for radiational cooling. Much of the region is likely to be in hard freeze territory, which is to say temperatures below 25 degrees, by midnight. And then, we’re not going to drop much further. I think most of Houston will fall to about the same level they reached on Monday night, basically 17 to 23 degrees across most of our region. The immediate coast, including Galveston, will likely see another light freeze tonight.

The good news—and there is some—is that with light winds we’re not going to see quite the same chill tonight. But it will still be very cold by Houston standards. We’ll also warm up much more quickly on Wednesday than today, with the region rising above freezing by 10 am or so in the morning as the Sun comes up. Highs tomorrow are likely going toward the mid- to upper-40s. So not warm, but warm enough after what we’ve experienced.

Overnight lows on Thursday night look fine, in the 40s.

The vast majority of our area roads are looking good, so there are few concerns there. The electricity grid is in good shape as well. So let’s get through this night and then take a breath before the next front on Thursday night. That will probably bring a light freeze back to Houston by Saturday morning.

With this Arctic air heading to the exits after tonight, we’ll resume our once-a-day posting schedule on Wednesday morning. Thank you, as always, for reading and sharing our work.