June doing June things in Houston: Temperatures hotting up, haze on the horizon

In brief: Houston will see typical June weather this week before temperatures spike this weekend. Highs in the upper 90s will coincide with an influx of Saharan dust that will make for hazy skies and deep red sunsets. Some relief may arrive next week.

Tuesday

If you liked Monday’s weather, you’re in luck, because today will be similar. Much of the region will see temperatures of around 90 degrees, or slightly above this afternoon, with mostly sunny skies. Winds will generally be from the south at 10 mph, with gusts up to 20 mph. From late morning into the afternoon we may see a few showers streaming inland from the coast, but overall rain chances are probably only about 10 percent. Low temperatures tonight will only drop into the upper 70s for most locations.

Wednesday

A cold front will die north of the Houston area on Tuesday night, but it could perturb the atmosphere enough to generate some shower activity. Areas north of Houston (i.e. College Station) may see some showers and thunderstorms on Wednesday morning, with the broader Houston area seeing scattered activity during the daytime. Overall rain chances will be about 30 percent in the city, with mostly slight accumulations. Partly cloudy skies should help limit high temperatures in the lower 90s.

Thursday and Friday

These days will see a warming trend, with highs in the low- to mid-90s and mostly sunny skies. We cannot rule out a chance of rain, but it is likely on the order of 20 percent daily. We’ll continue to see southerly winds of around 10 mph, with higher gusts, and warm nights. Beginning on Thursday or Friday, and lasting into the weekend, we will see increasingly hazy skies due to the influx of Saharan dust. This is fairly typical for this time of year, and will reduce visibility while cranking up the vibrancy of sunsets.

Saturday and Sunday

Hazy and hot. Highs both days should be in the mid- to upper-90s for most locations, with the possibility of some inland areas hitting 100 degrees as high pressure builds over the area. There will be a slight chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms both days, but it likely is on the order of 10 percent. Nights will be sultry, with temperatures only dropping to about 80 degrees.

Next week

I am hopeful that high pressure will retreat some next week. This should allow temperatures to fall back into the lower- or mid-90s, and bring us a healthy chance of showers each day. This is nearly a week out, however, so no promises.