Stalled front brings more fog and dreary weather Friday

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A dreary weather pattern will persist for days, bringing more sea fog and light showers to Southeast Texas. Some of that sea fog will spread inland overnight, so you might want to pad in some extra time for the morning drive.

A front is stalled northwest of Houston, and that will keep temperatures in most Houston-area neighborhoods steady in the mid 60s through the night. North of the front temperatures will drop into the 50s. We expect the front to stay northwest of Houston again on Friday, and with a little sunshine breaking through the clouds, temperatures will climb toward 80 in the afternoon. If the front manages to slip into the city, then highs will be closer to 70.

Why is the sea fog not going away?
Last week’s severe cold snap cooled off the shelf water temperatures into the 50s, which is anywhere from 10-20 degrees below normal. When humid Gulf air blows over the top of these chilled waters, the moisture condenses out of the air to form the fog. The colder the water, the dense the fog gets and the longer it lingers. The sea fog is likely to linger all the way through the weekend as it will take some time for the cold shelf waters to warm up and stop making the fog. The only other way it can move out is if a front can blow in and push the moisture back out into the Gulf. The earliest that could happen is Monday.

When will see abundant sunshine again?
This dreary pattern will persist through the weekend, but some sunshine could break through the clouds both Friday and Saturday afternoons. Abundant sunshine isn’t likely to return until Wednesday of next week when a stronger cold front is expected to push the clouds out into the Gulf and blow in drier air.

How is the weekend shaping up?
We expect mild, humid air for the weekend. That means you can expect lows in the 60s and highs near 80 with lots of clouds and, yes, more sea fog. A few showers are also possible both days ahead of another front arriving Monday.

How cold will it get behind the next cold front?
Monday’s cold front is a weak one, and it will only drop lows into the 50s. The stronger cold front arriving Wednesday is expected to bring back lows in the 40s. There are currently no freezes in our forecast over the next 10 days.