Ozone pollution watch continues over Houston

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Ozone pollution watch continues over Houston today. Ozone is a lung irritant that can trigger asthma attacks in sensitive individuals.

Temperatures peaked near 90 degrees on Thursday. Friday is looking like almost an exact carbon copy. Temperatures will start off in the upper 60s with some patches of fog, then abundant sunshine will warm temperatures into the low 90s. The key difference is instead of light and variable winds, we will have a slight breeze from the southwest in the morning and from the south in the afternoon. That alone should keep ozone levels from getting as bad as Thursday’s levels, but it could still be unhealthy for sensitive groups, especially those with heart and lung conditions like asthma.

What else is in the air?

High levels of mold, grass, and mosquitoes are present in Houston’s air. Lots of mosquitoes!

How does the weekend look?

We still predict another weak cool front will move in Saturday to bring our next chance for showers and storms, but it shouldn’t be as widespread as what we saw over Mother’s Day weekend. We now expect a 30% chance of additional showers on Sunday, which will help keep our highs closer to 80 than 90. If all goes according to plan, we should dry out Sunday night!

Could any of the storms Saturday turn severe?

It’s possible one or two storms developing Saturday could turn severe, but the chances for severe weather are low. That said, there will be enough storm fuel in the atmosphere to generate small hail, gusty winds over 40 mph, frequent lightning, and a quick inch or two of rain. Remember, it only takes 2″ of rain in one hour to generate street flooding in most of our neighborhoods.