Houston residents faced a barrage of hail on Saturday as a fast-moving storm hit the city just before an incoming cold front. Videos from Bellaire, a city within the Houston Metro area, showed hailstones roughly the size of nickels striking down ahead of cooler weather that's making its way in. According to KPRC 2, while the risk for severe weather was low, some of the stronger storms were capable of producing more small hail across the area.

Last-minute Christmas decorators were greeted by unexpected hailstones that disrupted the evening. The storms, moving west to east, peppered areas like Spring, West University, and northeast Houston with ice, as reported by Chron.com. Wind gusts accompanying the hail reached up to 30 mph, shaking the festive spirit somewhat. The National Weather Service had anticipated these conditions to persist till around 7:15 p.m. CT on Saturday.

The storm is a harbinger of the drastic change in weather Houstonians can expect. Temperatures climbed into the low 80s on Saturday, but they will plummet to the high 40s by Sunday morning and hover only in the mid-50s and 60s as the week unfolds. This marks a substantial shift from the heat of Saturday, with the colder spell poised to linger through at least Christmas.

Looking ahead, Houston is bracing for a wintry week. After the turbulent weather conditions, dry and cooler air will predominate, with the mercury staying on the lower side of the gauge. However, storm chances could creep back into the forecast by Thursday with the potential for morning showers, as noted by Chron.com.