Houston residents may need to keep their umbrellas handy this weekend, as isolated showers are expected to start trickling in after 2 p.m. today, potentially escalating into more substantial storms on Saturday. According to the National Weather Service, the chance of precipitation today is sitting at a mild 20%, with patchy fog clearing out by 9 a.m. and a high of around 84 degrees.
The skies are set to turn grayer as the weekend progresses, many might feel the stifling blanket of cloud, clinging heavy over the city while the scattered showers and thunderstorms start to render the streets a canvas of rainfall and glistening cityscapes, the forecast predicts a 50% chance of precipitation with the possibility of higher amounts during thunderstorms. Saturday night could pack a punch with showers and potentially a thunderstorm, with heavy rainfall a real possibility, and the mercury dipping to around 60 degrees according to the same forecast.
On the severe weather front, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has raised a red flag over south-central and southeast Texas for Saturday—there's a "marginal risk of severe thunderstorms" capable of hurling strong wind gusts and hail. The SPC elaborates on the conditions, noting that surface heating is expected to stir up destabilization across the moist air during the day, with "MLCAPE peaking near 1200 J/kg, and that 0-6 km shear will be around 40 knots," establishing the stage for an isolated severe threat.
The tempestuous weather is forecasted to simmer down by Sunday, with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before the early part of the afternoon, and then the new week appears to herald a respite with mostly sunny skies on Monday and a high near 72 degrees, a welcome change for many who will have weathered the weekend's volatility. Nevertheless, vigilant Houstonians should remain wary of potential isolated flash flooding on Saturday during the stormy interludes, as posted by the National Weather Service Houston on X.
Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms are expected Saturday in association with a frontal boundary. Some of these storms could produce locally heavy rainfall and isolated flash flooding. Cooler temperatures and drier weather will arrive Sunday pic.twitter.com/2MfqSVDyeh
— NWS Houston (@NWSHouston) April 18, 2024
