Houston residents should prepare for a significant shift in weather as the weekend nears, with forecasts predicting the coldest temperatures of the season so far. According to National Weather Service, the city will experience widespread dense fog this morning, with clouds clearing later in the day and highs nearing 70 degrees. However, conditions will sharply turn by Saturday, with a 90 percent chance of rain and the potential for thunderstorms.
Friday will bring a 40 percent chance of showers and patchy fog, with a high near 66 degrees. But it is the impending arctic front that has prompted a Winter Storm Watch for Saturday. The front is set to bring drastically colder air, causing temperatures to plummet dramatically from the 70s on Friday to the lower-40s by Sunday. "Confidence is high that we will see a strong arctic front this weekend," reported Click2Houston, with "the coldest air mass so far this winter."
Saturday night may bring showers and a chance of thunderstorms after midnight, with a low near 28 degrees. Sunday could see freezing rain before noon, with a high of only 33 degrees.
Wind chills in Houston are expected to drop into the teens, making it feel even colder. The timing of freezing temperatures coinciding with precipitation is still uncertain, but forecast maps highlight the potential for freezing rain in pink. "The freezing air, less than 32°, and precipitation have to match up," Click2Houston cautions; otherwise, residents will likely see only cold rain.
By Monday, a reprieve seems to be on the horizon with a sunny sky and a high near 39, according to the National Weather Service. While Tuesday will warm to near 51, and Wednesday to near 58, the nights leading up to midweek will remind of the weekend's bitter cold, with lows in the 20s and lower 40s.
