Houstonians, brace yourselves for a slight change in the weather as a new cold front pushes through this weekend, potentially bringing some much-needed rain to the region. According to the National Weather Service, today there's a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms cropping up post 2 p.m., with temperatures peaking near 72 under partly sunny skies. The evening sees the likelihood of precipitation, drop to 20%, making room for clearer night skies and a cooler 53 degrees low.
While on Saturday, Houston had a 30% chance of rain amid partly sunny conditions, the cold front came trailing a gift of rainfall. With east winds nudging the mercury from the lower 50s at dawn to about 73 degrees in the early afternoon, these figures dance just shy of the typical high for this date. However, forecast models suggest that this front will not be exacerbating anxieties with severe weather or flooding risks, depositing less than an inch of precipitation, the Houston Chronicle reports.
As we sail into Sunday, the skies brighten up ushering in cooler air, "dry and only modestly cooler variety," as meteorologist Sean Luchs puts it, setting Houston on a path to warm back into the comfortable clasp of the 70s and lower 80s next week. This comes as a reprieve after a spring that ran warmer than usual and a summer bearing above-average nighttime temperatures, culminating in an average temperature for Houston of 75.1 degrees for 2025 thus far—a notable 2.2 degrees above normal, as per the Houston Chronicle.
Contributing to the bigger picture, Houston has tallied approximately 33 inches of rain since January 1, falling short of the normal annual measure. This deficit reveals itself despite the beneficial showers that are meant to alleviate the persistent drought conditions in the area, as well as the "fire weather conditions" plaguing Southeast Texas over the past week with low humidity and gusty winds. After the front sweeps through this weekend, "drier air mass is expected in the wake of the front Sunday into early next week," and Houstonians are advised to respect ongoing burn bans and exercise caution, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Looking ahead, the forecast by the National Weather Service paints a bright and sunny picture starting Tuesday, with temperatures pegging exactly at the climate-normal high of 76 degrees. As we drift further into the week, clearer skies promise to hold steady, offering hope for a gentle, sunny reprieve from the pressing drought conditions monitored closely by the U.S. Drought Monitor—a light at the end of a dry and parched tunnel.
