"It seems like years since it's been here." - Here Comes the Sun, the Beatles
George Harrison may have been singing metaphorically and, in his case, about an end to winter, but in Houston, Texas, it's all about cooler weather, not warmer. "It's been a long, hot, lonely summer" is probably what he would have sung had he been forced to endure the brutal, humidity and hurricane scares of the Texas Gulf Coast. But, just as Gladys Knight realized "Midnight Train to Georgia" sounded far more romantic than the song's original title, "Midnight Train to Houston" (true story), a song about the winter ice breaking is probably more appropriate for music than summer sweat receding, so we'll let it slide.
Regardless, for those of us who have been dealing with a very late arrival of autumn, smiles are certainly returning to the faces of Houstonians as the area's first cool front came rolling through on Wednesday. Granted, temperatures didn't plummet into the 40s or anything, but drier air and overnight lows in the 60s after a sticky and tropical first couple weeks of October is a welcome sight with more to come.
One quick note about dangerous Hurricane Michael which, as we are writing this, is coming ashore along the coast of the Florida panhandle packing incredible 155 mph winds and a massive storm surge. This is the most powerful hurricane to hit the upper Florida coastline in recorded history and it's a doozy. Our thoughts are with the folks in the path of this deadly storm.
Back in Houston, the arrival of the cool front on Wednesday began to suck moisture out of the region. With drier and cooler temps in its wake, we can expect highs in the lower 80s through Saturday and lows in the lower and mid 60s. It's going to be a glorious couple days in Houston.
By Sunday, on the doorstep of another, stronger front, moisture levels will tick up slightly as will temperatures, which could reach the mid 80s with overnight lows near 70s. Sunday night, we could see a couple inches of rain as the front moves through. That will be followed by a rather chilly "first week" of fall. Highs the first half of next week might not make it out of the 60s.
But, more on that Monday. For now, we should all enjoy the incredible autumn weather we've been waiting for for so long. Because here comes the fall, and I say, it's alright.