Houston woke up soggy on Wednesday. As of 5:35 a.m. CDT on July 15, light rain was falling around the city and the temperature at Hobby (KHOU) was about 79°F. Early Wednesday radar picked up a strong thunderstorm over southwestern Clear Lake moving north, prompting a Special Weather Statement that flagged wind gusts up to 40 mph, enough to knock down tree limbs and toss around unsecured outdoor items. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected through the day, with a high near 86°F and brief heavy downpours that could trigger localized street flooding in low-lying or recently saturated spots.
Storm Timing And Impacts
Showers and thunderstorms are expected to spread across most of the metro from mid-morning into the afternoon, with the most widespread activity late morning into early afternoon. The NWS Houston/Galveston puts today’s rain chance near 60%, with new rainfall amounts of roughly a quarter to a half inch in stronger cells and isolated higher totals possible. The beefier storms may bring gusts of 25–45 mph, frequent lightning, and sudden heavy rain that can quickly cut visibility and send water rushing into streets and drainage ditches.
Commute And Travel
Drivers should plan for pockets of heavy rain and brief visibility drops on the roads, especially where storms roll over the beltways, so it is smart to leave a little extra time for short delays. Gusty winds and low ceilings could briefly disrupt operations at Hobby and Intercontinental airports, and boating on Galveston Bay may get choppy near thunderstorm cells. If you see standing water covering a roadway, turn around; even shallow moving water can stall a vehicle.
Late-Week Outlook
Higher pressure is expected to build over the region late this week, nudging most of the active weather to the west and trimming rain chances on Thursday and into the weekend. Highs are forecast to climb back toward the low to mid 90s by Friday, with mainly isolated afternoon storms returning instead of the more widespread activity in the middle of the week. It is still worth checking short-term updates before outdoor plans, since summer storms around here have a habit of popping up faster than you can fire up the grill.
What You Should Do
If you are outdoors, move inside when you hear thunder and avoid sheltering under trees during gusty winds. Secure patio furniture and other loose items, and do not drive through flooded streets; head for higher ground if you encounter standing water. Keep phone alerts turned on and take a quick look at radar before heading out for evening plans.
Details above are drawn from NWS Houston/Galveston products. For background on the pattern, see our July 8 coverage, triple-digit heat collides with pop-up storms.
