Houston faces a narrow window for severe weather this afternoon

Hi everyone. I hope everyone is enjoying this gray and windy day. We’ve seen scattered showers and a few thunderstorms through the morning and early afternoon hours, but nothing too serious.

Our main focus of concern is the development of storms this afternoon along a warm front draped just to the west of Houston. Additional daytime heating, and the approach of a cold front from the northwest, should create a line of storms that will move rapidly from west to east across the area. The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for the entire metro area due to the potential for some supercells to develop.

This line of storms should reach areas such as Katy and The Woodlands around 3 to 4 pm CT, pushing into central Houston including downtown and Sugar Land between 4 and 6 pm, and reach the coast shortly after sunset. As the front passes we’re going to see strong, and potentially damaging winds. There is the possibility for a tornado or two to develop, and also perhaps some hail.

I want to be clear: The overall conditions in the atmosphere are not super-supportive for severe weather. But the potential ingredients are there for some severe thunderstorms to come together, albeit briefly, this afternoon. Please be weather-aware if you are out and about. Some additional light to moderate rain will be possible tonight after the front passes. It will be a windy and chilly night, with temperatures quickly dropping into the 40s after midnight.