Hot and mostly sunny, with a smattering of rain chances for awhile

In brief: Houston is fairly well locked into a summertime pattern for the foreseeable future, with high temperatures in the mid- to upper-90s. The only real question each day is the extent to which we see some afternoon showers and thunderstorms develop. Overall chances are low each day, in the 10 to 30 percent range, but that’s better than nothing. Wednesday afternoon may be interesting.

Tuesday

We have reached the point of summer in Houston where not much changes. High pressure has developed over much of the southern United States, and for us that means mostly sunny skies and hot temperatures. However, for much of the forecast period Houston will lie along the periphery of this high, so it means our rain chances each are not zero. (For example, as I write this, some spotty showers have developed near Lake Jackson in southern Brazoria County).

For today, we’ll see mostly sunny skies with highs in the mid-90s for much of Houston. Some inland areas will see upper 90s. Winds will be light, generally from the south at 5 to 10 mph. We’ll see some additional showers this afternoon, but overall chances are probably only 10 to 20 percent. Low temperatures tonight will drop to around 80 degrees.

Wednesday

This will be another hot and mostly sunny day. However, some of our model guidance indicates at a bit of a disturbance may work its way southward across the region, bringing a slightly better chance of showers and thunderstorms on Wednesday afternoon or evening. So let’s peg rain chances a little bit higher, perhaps 30 percent. We’ll see. Nights remain warm and sultry.

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday

Expect hot and mostly sunny weather, with highs in the mid- to upper-90s. Rain chances each day will be about 20 percent. Anything that develops is likely to do so during the afternoon hours, along the seabreeze. Skies may also appear hazy as we see an influx of Saharan dust—this would have the benefit of making for some nice sunsets.

Sunday and beyond

Rain chances improve a bit by Sunday and Monday, with perhaps a bit wider coverage of afternoon showers and thunderstorms. This is no guarantee, however, as high pressure is lurking. Mostly I just anticipate hot conditions, with highs in the upper-90s for much of the area away from the coast. July is going to do July things in Houston. My way too early forecast for the July Fourth holiday is hot and sunny, with partly clear skies for fireworks.