HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Our forecast is on repeat for Thursday. It will be another warm morning in the 80s with a hot afternoon in the 90s before you have a chance of getting a cooling downpour.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms should again develop as high temperatures peak in the mid-to-upper 90s, and some of those storms could slow down your commute. The threat of lightning could also change some after-school plans, too. Where it rains, temperatures will quickly cool down into the upper 70s and low 80s.
When does the tropical wave impact us?
Starting Friday we’ll have a stronger southeast breeze and increasing amounts of tropical moisture. Moisture levels will peak late Friday through Saturday, bringing us a 60% chance of showers and thunderstorms. These storms could bring heavy rain that leaves behind a quick inch or two of rainfall. Frequent lightning is likely, and tropical funnels are possible closer to the coast.
With this rainy pattern, how are we doing in terms of rainfall or drought conditions?
Drought conditions? None for us here in Southeast Texas! One thing to note about our daily downpours, though, is that they haven’t been equal in bringing rain to everyone. There are a few spots that are about 5 inches behind in rainfall that’s needed to saturate the soil, so if a hotter and drier pattern were to settle in over the next few weeks, then we might start to see more drought conditions locally. Also, we know the daily downpours have not reached everyone equally, so some lawns might be looking a little worse than others right now.
What’s happening in the tropics?
We are keeping a close eye on the tropical wave that’s expected to move through the western Gulf Thursday and Friday. Right now it has a low chance of development, but it will likely boost our rain chances late Friday and Saturday. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Erin continues churning through the central Atlantic and is predicted to become the first major hurricane of the season. For a thorough update and in-depth video on what’s happening in the tropics, head to our tropical update page.
This story comes from our news partner ABC13 Houston.