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Even sunflowers have been wilting under recent heat and lack of rain.

Welcome Back, Rain

By Jeff Balke

May 23, 2022

In the early morning hours Sunday, Houstonians were awakened to a strange noise: thunder. It's been a miserably warm and dry May, increasing drought conditions across Texas. While Sunday may not have completely made up for all that lack of rain, it was a start with more on the way...

No snow for Houston over the next couple days, but it will be cold.

Thursday Night Freeze Should Be Manageable for Houston

By Jeff Balke

Feb 3, 2022

It's been a downright gloomy and cold day in Houston with temperatures hovering mostly in the 30s and wind chills in the 20s. Fortunately, we have not had much in the way of precipitation. That could change during the early evening hours Thursday as a line of rain and sleet...

Ice already made its way to Austin Thursday morning.

Houston ISD and Other Area School Districts Continue to Wait and See About the Weather [UPDATED]

By Houston Press

Feb 3, 2022

Houston ISD just announced that while school is open today, it has canceled all afterschool activities because of the inclement weather. Later today HISD will announce whether there will be school on Friday. Other area school districts such as Conroe ISD seem to be following a similar pattern with school...

It's going to be cold in Houston, but not like THIS cold.

Texas Winter Freeze 2022: How Will It Affect Houston?

By Jeff Balke

Feb 2, 2022

PTSD from weather is real. In Texas, it seems to be a routine affliction with the fear of flooding, hurricanes and even severe drought embedded in the memories of all of us. Last year, we added freezing winter weather to that list of night terrors thanks to days of sub-freezing...

Terrifying decorations deserve cooler weather.

Finally Cold Fronts We Can Believe In

By Jeff Balke

Oct 26, 2021

October is great in Houston, but it's a tease. Cool fronts try to push through, but struggle to muster the oomph to make it. When one does, its effects are short lived and we go back to muggy, balmy weather before long. Then, a change happens. Some years, it happens...

Summer to Finally GTFO This Weekend, Experts Say

By Jef Rouner

Oct 13, 2021

Houstonians who longer wish to feel as if they are commuting to work through the armpit of a pitcher who is not doing well can rejoice as it appears that summer might finally be taking the hint and leaving this weekend. The impending death of the heat was announced by...

Are the extreme thunderstorms we're seeing due to pollution?

Is Houston’s Air Quality Triggering Crazy Thunderstorms?

By Dianna Wray

Oct 1, 2021

It’s not exactly a shock to most Houstonians to note that the Bayou City has a rep for notoriously less-than-ideal air quality and for towering thunderstorms that roll through town almost year-round. But scientists are now investigating whether these two things might actually be connected. In fact, a team of...

Cooler Weather Should Mean an End to Hurricane Season for Texas

By Jeff Balke

Sep 20, 2021

Some people love it when the holiday decorations hit stores and when houses are decked out for Halloween...in September. They crave pumpkin everything and stare at the weather forecast for any sign of the area's first cold front of the year. Good news, fall fans, you will get your wish...

Tropical Depression Nicholas has made its way to Louisiana.

Over 80,000 in the Houston Area Still Lack Electricity Post-Nicholas

By Schaefer Edwards

Sep 15, 2021

Nicholas may have weakened into a Tropical Depression and hightailed it out of Texas for Louisiana already, but for the tens of thousands of Houston area residents who still haven’t had their power restored, the storm's impact is still far from a memory. CenterPoint Energy reported that 83,878 of its...

Lots of fallen branches littered the streets of greater Houston Tuesday thanks to Nicholas.

Nicholas Exits Stage Right, But Plenty of Residents Remain Powerless

By Schaefer Edwards

Sep 14, 2021

Tropical Storm Nicholas continued its eastward path out of the Houston area throughout Tuesday, leaving most of inland Harris County relatively dry but still struggling with widespread power outages and scattered debris. While the more southeastern reaches of Harris County saw significant rain totals and a healthy storm surge early...

A downed stop sign on Washington Ave. showed how strong last night's winds were gusting.

Power Outages From Nicholas Likely To Last As It's Still Too Windy For Crews To Start Work

By Schaefer Edwards

Sep 14, 2021

In brief remarks updating the public on Harris County’s response to Tropical Storm Nicholas, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Tuesday warned residents without power that they may not have their electricity restored any time soon, as CenterPoint crews will not be sent out into the field until the strong...

A lot of people without power this morning and probably more to come.

Hundreds of Thousands Without Power This Morning Thanks to Nicholas

By Margaret Downing

Sep 14, 2021

As Nicholas skipped around Monday night, it briefly settled into hurricane status before hitting the Gulf Coast and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of people in Houston and surrounding areas south and east of the city. As of 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, CenterPoint Energy was still reporting 413,179 customers...

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said she'd spoken twice with Gov. Greg Abbott Monday about Tropical Storm Nicholas.

Hidalgo Asks Harris County Residents To Stay Put Monday Night Due To Nicholas

By Schaefer Edwards

Sep 13, 2021

As the first bands of rain from the edges of Tropical Storm Nicholas continued to drop water across greater Houston, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo spoke Monday afternoon about the county’s response to the fast-approaching storm. “We could get 10 to 15 inches of rain over the next 24 hours...

Worst Rainfall from Nicholas Likely to Be South and East of Houston

By Jeff Balke

Sep 13, 2021

As of writing this, Tropical Storm Nicholas was nearing landfall north of Corpus Christi on a path north-northwest. Houston has already begun to feel the effects with rain and occasional downpours around the city. While the worst of it will come for the metro area tonight after midnight, it appears...

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner addressed Tropical Storm Nicholas Monday from Houston's emergency center.

Houston Area Leaders and Schools React As Tropical Storm Nicholas Zooms Toward Texas

By Schaefer Edwards

Sep 13, 2021

As Tropical Storm Nicholas barrels toward the Gulf Coast, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner gave a brief update on the city’s preparations for what’s expected to be a heavy rain event that could cause significant flash flooding in parts of the greater Houston area. Meanwhile, several local school districts responded quickly...

Nicholas expected to make landfall Monday night.

Tropical Storm Nicholas Picking Up Speed, Flooding Still Serious Threat

By Jeff Balke

Sep 13, 2021

Since last night, Tropical Storm Nicholas has organized just a bit around a center of circulation just a bit closer to the coastline than originally thought. But, despite its attempts to strengthen, the storm is clearly being inhibited by dry air and wind shear, a fight that will likely continue...

The forecast track of Tropical Storm Nicholas as it drags rain through Texas.

Tropical Storm Nicholas Will Be a Rainmaker: Four Thoughts

By Jeff Balke

Sep 13, 2021

On Sunday, Tropical Storm Nicholas formed in the southern Gulf of Mexico. To say forecasting Nicholas has been difficult is an understatement. Despite being a tropical storm, as of writing this, it looks more like a giant blob of rain, and it mostly is. The good news is that because...

Time to renew our catastrophic weather bond with Louisiana.

New Orleans: Houston is Here for You

By Jeff Balke

Aug 30, 2021

We saw the scenes of chaos after Hurricane Katrina. Shots from helicopters of people stranded on rooftops, the horrifying spectacle of the Superdome crowded with people, some dead, covered and left in wheelchairs. It was an unimaginable sight in America in 2005. Hours away in the middle of the night,...

Soon-to-be Hurricane Ida is heading for Louisiana this weekend.

Tropical Storm Ida on a B-Line for Louisiana

By Jeff Balke

Aug 27, 2021

The tropical depression we discussed yesterday is now Tropical Storm Ida churning away in the Caribbean on its way to the Gulf of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center now believes Ida will reach major hurricane strength (category 3 or higher) before making landfall somewhere along the Louisiana coastline Sunday evening...

Tropical Depression Takes Aim at Louisiana: 5 Questions Answered

By Jeff Balke

Aug 26, 2021

The tropical disturbance just south of Jamaica has strengthened into a tropical depression on Thursday morning (and could be a storm by Friday morning). The track that had shows a swath that included northern Mexico to central Louisiana (with the Houston area square in the middle) shifted significantly over the...

Weather

Hurricane Season is Back, and It Will Be a Busy One

Another Bout of Overnight Storms Before Nice Weather

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