Mix of sun and showers in Houston this weekend

A non-tropical storm in the Gulf could produce rain on Sunday. But there will be some sunshine on Saturday!

There's a lot of moisture gathering just off our coastline. The heavy showers, shown to the left on our enhanced tropical satellite, are congregating along the "August Cool Front" that moved through Houston on Tuesday. The front stalled offshore. A small area of low pressure is developing along that boundary will help lift it back to the north over the weekend.

There's a lot of uncertainty in the forecast. 
A slight change in the position of the front can have a big affect on our weather.  That's why the day-to-day forecast has been changing so much this past week.

Right now it looks like humidity will return to Houston on Saturday along with some fair-weather cumulus clouds.  We still have a slight chance of rain in the forecast, but most areas away from the coast will probably stay dry. 

With the front a little farther north, clouds will be thicker on Sunday and showers are possible across southeast Texas.  Temperatures will be a little lower because of the clouds and rain. But it will be muggy again.

Tropics are very active.
Out in the open water of the Atlantic Ocean, Hurricane Danielle and Tropical Storm Earl are stirring up the fish.  Danielle will turn to the north and pass near Bermuda on Saturday.  Earl is tracking a little farther south but it's still days away from getting close to populated areas.

And then there's another vigorous tropical wave developing just east of Earl. There's a high chance that storm could develop into a tropical cyclone over the weekend, named Fiona.  It's also forecast to stay over the open water, away from populated area.

You can track all the storms in the tropics using our free online Interactive Hurricane Tracking Map. Check the latest position, the forecast tracks and hurricane models.

Wind damage across the Houston area

Strong thunderstorms moving across southeast Texas produced wind damage in many neighborhoods Monday afternoon and evening. At one point almost 100,000 people in the Houston area were without power, according to CenterPoint Energy.

Many of our viewers sent in photos of the wind damage. Allesia Tharp shot the photo to the right of a trampoline wrapped around a power pole. You can see all of the photos and submit your own on our website.

Most of the damage was from straight-line thunderstorm winds. There were no reports of tornadoes. There was a lot of thunder and lightning during the thunderstorms and small hail fell with the heavy rain.

A few more thundershowers could show up on MegaDoppler 13 Tuesday afternoon when the atmosphere heats up again. And some of the storms could be strong if they develop in your neighborhood.

Relief from the heat is coming by the end of the week. An "August Cool Front" will lower the humidity and the temperatures a few degrees, making it much more comfortable.

Heat Advisory in effect this weekend

Temperatures will hit a high near 100° both Saturday and Sunday and the high humidity will push the heat index up to 105-110°.  That's high enough to keep the Heat Advisory in effect for a couple of more days...at least.

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, this month is already on target to be the hottest August on record. It could also end up being the hottest month ever! 

The average temperature so far this month is 88.3°.  That's the average of the high temps and the low temperatures.  That's five degrees warmer than normal and hotter than any other month on record!  The previous record was set in August 1962.

August on track to be one of the warmest on record

The average temperature so far this month is 88.3° which is 4.4° warmer than normal. That's warmer than it's ever been during the month of August according to records maintained by the National Weather Service.

High temperatures have been 95° or hotter every day this month and we've hit 100° twice. And we're not cooling off at night. Low temperatures have yet to drop below 76°.

Our forecast calls for more steam heat this week. The high heat is only part of the problem. The excessive humidity will make it feel like 103-108°.  Unfortunately, long range forecast models suggest temperatures will be hotter than normal for the rest of the month.

Steam heat this weekend, but relief is coming!

Temperatures will be 3-5° hotter than normal this weekend. That doesn't sound like much until you consider our normal highs are in the mid 90s. 

Add the humidity and it gets dangerous.  The heat index will hit 103-108° both Saturday and Sunday afternoon. The National Weather Service has issued another Heat Advisory for the Houston-Galveston area. If you'll be spending a lot of time outdoors, watch for signs of heat exhaustion or sunstroke: heavy sweating, rapid heartbeat and nausea.

Temperatures heat up quickly
The ABC 13 Weather TempTrack shows a plot of the temperatures and heat index from Friday.  We started off warm, in the upper 70s. It was already over 90° by lunchtime with a heat index of 100°.  Temperatures topped out in the upper 90s mid-afternoon and the heat index didn't drop below 100° until later in the evening. Expect similar temperatures this weekend.

Relief could rain down next week
The remnants of tropical depression #5 could come back to life when the low pressure moves back over the Gulf of Mexico on Monday. If the storm tracks far enough to the south, over deep warm water, the storm could re-develop into a tropical cyclone. 

Either way, it should bring us some rain by the middle of the week and the thicker clouds will keep our temperatures down.  Highs might only be in the upper 80s or low 90s on Wednesday.  That would be "cooler" than normal!

Houston Forecast: Steam Heat All Weekend

The Heat Index will hit 105-108° both Saturday and Sunday.  That's calculated based on the air temperature which is measured in the shade.  If you're in direct sunlight, it will feel another 10-15° hotter than that.

A Heat Advisory was issued for the area on Wednesday after the Heat Index hit 108°. According to National Weather Service procedures, once issued the Heat Advisory must not be cancelled until the peak Heat Index drops below 105°. Based on our forecast, that's not going to happen for several days.

The heat and humidity are uncomfortable and can be dangerous if you spend a lot of time outdoors. Watch for signs of heat exhaustion: heavy sweating, rapid heartbeat and nausea.

Heat Advisory: now it's officially hot!

We hit the magic number on Tuesday: the Heat Index was 108° at Bush Intercontinental Airport. That's how high it must be before the National Weather Service issues a Heat Advisory for this area.

Temperatures are only running 3-4° higher than normal. It truly is the humidity that makes the difference.  Lower dew points earlier in the week, kept the Heat Index between 100-105°. But the humidity is climbing, pushing the beloved "feels like" temperatures even higher.  And with no major change in the weather pattern coming, I expect the Heat Advisory will continue thru the weekend.

Get a drink...of water!
The National Weather Service reminds us that we can lose up to a gallon of water per hour from sweating. Alcohol and soda pop can actually increase the amount of sweating, putting you at risk of heat exhaustion and sunstroke.  To beat the heat and stay out of the emergency room, drink plenty of water.  Fitness experts say if you wait till you're thirsty, you're waiting too long.

How hot is it?
Check the temperature in your neighborhood using our free online Interactive Weather Map.

July 2010 was one of the wettest on record

More a foot of rain fell at Bush Intercontinental Airport during the month of July.  That's about four times more than normal!  Over five inches fell in one storm, on July 2. The moisture from that storm was pushed into Texas by Tropical Storm Alex. A week later, we got another two inches.  Two weeks later, another two inches fell. With several smaller storms in between, it all adds up.

 

With 12.92" of rain, July 2010 was the fourth wettest on record.

Not every neighborhood was as wet.  Four inches of rain fell in Galveston during the month of July. It's a third of what fell in Houston, but it's still a couple of inches more than normal.  In June, over nine inches of rain fell in College Station.  But only an inch of rain fell in Aggieland during the month of July.

 

Over six inches of rain fell in Conroe and Tomball.  Pearland was also wet last month with over a foot of rain.  But the wettest spot in the area was Sugar Land; over fifteen inches of rain fall across northeast Fort Bend county in July.

 

Here are some specific July rainfall amounts reported by the National Weather Service:

• Bush Intercontinental Airport:  12.92"
• Hobby Airport:  12.77"
• Galveston:  4.76"
• Angleton:  9.85"
• Brenham:  1.35"
• College Station: 1.23"
• Conroe:  6.12"
• Huntsville:  4.30"
• Palacios: 12.44"
• Pearland:  13.94"
• Sugar Land:  15.67"
• Tomball:   6.98"
• Wharton:  7.85"

Photo submitted to ABC 13 by Lori Garcia.

More heavy downpours ahead this week

Tropical moisture will continue to produce scattered, heavy thundershowers across southeast Texas over the next few days.

Our exclusive FutureTrack forecast model shows pockets of heavy rain developing Monday afternoon all across the area.  Expect more downpours to develop on Tuesday and Wednesday. The storms will start showing up on MegaDoppler 13 as the atmosphere warms during the afternoon. Most of the rain should dry up an hour or two after sunset.

Some of the moisture is drifting eastward from Tropical Storm Bonnie, which dissipated late Saturday night just off the coast of Louisiana. Additional moisture is coming from another tropical wave cross the Gulf of Mexico.

The upper levels of the atmosphere will begin to dry out during the second half of the week. That will reduce the chance of rain, but allow temperatures to reach the mid to upper 90s again.

Mosquitoes love these tropical downpours

I can't walk through my yard without getting eaten up by mosquitoes. The wet weather this summer is providing plenty of safe haven for these blood-thirsty pests. In my own yard, I found flower pots full of water, wet mulch, soggy grass.  Just when it starts to dry out, another downpour moves in and soaks everything again. I can almost hear the mosquitoes cheering between rumbles of thunder.

The high pressure which brought us a few dry days last week, has shifted to the west. This is allowing a wetter weather pattern to develop again. That means more rain and at times very heavy rain the next couple of days.  The showers will tend to be scattered around the area. So you might hear the thunder but stay dry, while a few blocks away the street could be full of water.

Harris County Mosquito Control (who knew there was such a thing!) is out spraying in neighborhoods where mosquitoes have tested positive for West Nile virus.

You can help too. As long as there's rain in the forecast, plan to take a walk around your own yard every few days to dump out any standing water. Just use plenty of bug spray before you step outside.