A chilly rain Friday, arctic front possible next week

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A cold front blowing through Houston overnight will drop the temperatures and the humidity, but a more powerful cold front next week could bring us the coldest air of the winter.

Moisture levels will quickly increase Friday morning as an upper-air disturbance blows in behind the front. This will bring extensive clouds and a 40% chance of showers and even isolated thunderstorms. Temperatures will hover in the upper 40s and lower 50s for most of the day, briefly getting into the mid 50s late in the day. The rain should clear out by Friday evening. Winds will blow from the northeast at 10-20 mph, adding an extra chill to the air.

What can we expect for the weekend?

The weekend should be mostly dry with lots of clouds Saturday but lots of sunshine Sunday. Temperatures will be seasonal Saturday with lows in the 40s and highs in the 60s. Houston will get grazed by a front Saturday night, dropping lows to near 40 Sunday morning. You can expect highs in the low 60s for Super Bowl Sunday.

Is it true that an arctic cold front could reach us next week?

We expect another cold front to reach us next Tuesday, and yes, it is looking more likely that artic air will blow in behind it. If the arctic high pressure does move straight south down the Plains, our coldest weather would likely occur right around Valentine’s Day weekend. We are forecasting highs in the 40s Thursday through Valentine’s Day with at least two mornings with below freezing temperatures. A hard freeze is possible but not in our forecast at this time. A hard freeze occurs when temperatures reach 24 degrees or colder for at least two hours, putting pipes in jeopardy of freezing up and even bursting. If you are a gardener, hold off on putting any plants into the ground, and if you’ve already planted cold sensitive plants, be prepared to protect them next week.

Does this mean we could get snow?

It is possible that moisture and cold air aloft could overlap at just the right time to bring wintry precipitation to Southeast Texas, but at this time the chance of that occurring is less than 20%. In other words, don’t get your hopes up just yet. Freezing rain, ice, and snow are all possible types of wintry precipitation we could experience, but again, the chances are low this many days out. If our confidence grows in the intensity of the cold air overlapping with moisture, these chances could go up, so stay tuned!