Patchy dense fog this morning, major cool down next week

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Our foggy, humid, and warm weather is going nowhere until a strong cold front arrives next week.

Dense fog could slow you down this morning, with a Dense Fog Advisory issues for most locations south of I-10 through 10AM. Patches of dense fog will be possible well north of Houston, but the most widespread fog will be found in our coastal counties and east of Houston toward Beaumont and Louisiana.

A heat ridge parked over the Gulf of Mexico will keep our highs and lows running about 20 degrees above average, challenging record highs all the way into the weekend. Houston’s average high for this time of year is 67 and the average low is 47. Instead of hitting near the averages, Friday’s low will only drop into the upper 60s with the high again above 80 degrees. Isolated rain showers are possible off and on throughout the day. Your chance of getting rain is only 20%.

How long will the sea fog stick around?

Sea fog will continue to be an issue off and on through Tuesday of next week. A weak cool front will try to push into Southeast Texas Saturday night, which should push the sea fog back into the Gulf briefly on Sunday. Otherwise, we’ll have to wait until a stronger cold front arrives late Tuesday to push the fog away. Until then, the density of the sea fog will depend on how strong the winds blow. Winds below 10 mph will support dense fog while winds above that will improve the visibility.

What can we expect for our weekend weather?

It will be unseasonably warm and humid again on Saturday with another round of morning fog. A few showers are possible during the day ahead of a weak front that will bring the chance for a round of thunderstorms Saturday night. Some showers could linger into Sunday morning. There won’t be much of a temperature drop behind the storms, so expect lows in 60s and highs in the 70s.

How cold will it get behind the stronger cold front next week?

The cold front arriving next Tuesday night has the potential to drop highs into the 50s and with lows in the 30s. It will mark a pattern change that could bring chilly weather all the way to Christmas Day.