Despite the ongoing tropical activity in the Atlantic, the chances for slightly cooler temperatures and wet weather for the Greater Houston area are likely out of reach as rain chances remain low amid the continued dry conditions and heat.
Matt Lanza, a meteorologist with Space City Weather, said Tropical Storm Harold – which developed over Monday night – made landfall Tuesday morning. It brought showers that passed through quickly, primarily to the south of Houston, with more significant downpours further out near Victoria and the south side of Matagorda Bay.
Its heaviest impact was in South Texas, where heavy rain and gusts up to 40mph occurred. Further inland near downtown Houston, it remained dry with little to no relief – at most a couple of rain droplets from clouds hanging overhead.
Lanza said storms curb temperatures from rising and put some moisture into the air. Yet it looks as if the area is returning to “normal,” which is anything but that, with highs consecutively in the low-100s.
“We’re not really cashing up here at the end of summer and this (Tropical Storm Herald) didn’t do much to change up the status quo,” he said.
Also, fairly routine for the past couple of weeks is a lack of rain in the forecast, which is expected to persist. Chances for any relief this week only climb up to 20 percent but may increase slightly next week.
Lanza said that this is not the news residents are looking for as many counties – including the unincorporated parts of Harris County – are under burn bans lasting 90 days or until conditions are safe enough for the bans to be lifted.
The remainder of the week will be much like past weeks; hot, dry and sunny – with some moisture left in the air from Harold for areas closer to the coast. Temperatures rise toward the end of the week with highs in the 105-degree range.
Although this heat and drought seem never-ending, meteorologists expect the season’s first decent cold front in the next three to five weeks.
The weather inland might be staying relatively the same, but the tropics are heating up with the number of disturbances detected. Currently, no distinct threats to the Gulf of Mexico or Texas come from the Atlantic Ocean.
However, Lanza said he closely monitors the Texas coast as disturbances could emerge from Central America. There may be some potential activity within the region next week, but if it developed, it would likely go off to the east of us to Florida.
“It’s almost as if the ridge that’s been sitting over us, that’s been keeping us hot and dry all summer, is eating a little bit and having us stay that way and protecting us from tropical storms and hurricanes,” Lanza said.
Lanza said they are continuing to monitor any disturbances that arise, particularly because Tropical Storm Harold strengthened the last hour before making landfall, “I think that gives us a lot of people; we know the Gulf waters are warm – so that gives us a reason to babysit anything out there,” he said.
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
