HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Saharan haze and a heat ridge are building in later this week, but there’s still a small chance for showers and thunderstorms the next couple of days.
A pocket of moisture will blow in Tuesday bringing a few showers and an isolated thunderstorm to the area. Temperatures will warm into the low 90s, which is fairly typical for early June.
Tuesday night we’ll be monitoring a line of storms blowing this way from North Texas. While most evidence points to the line fizzling out overnight, if the line holds together, then we could have some wet streets for the Wednesday morning drive. On the other hand, if we don’t get any storms in the morning, the afternoon heat could bubble up a few showers and thunderstorms. For now we have Wednesday’s rain chance at 40%.
When does the Saharan haze impact us?
A light to moderate about of Saharan haze will blow overhead on Friday, linger through Saturday, and be gone by Sunday. Yes, it is Saharan haze season, which also means it is now hurricane season.
Now that we’re in the summer months, how soon could it hit 100 degrees in Houston?
It could happen as early as this Sunday. We currently have a high of 99 predicted for the day, which would tie the record from 1980. Houston normally doesn’t register the first high of 100 until the second half of July.
How long will that near-triple-digit heat last?
It looks short-lived at this time. We are expecting a major pattern change next week that will bring back a chance for daily downpours. If the rain is widespread enough, high temperatures may not make it out of the 80s.
What’s happening in the tropics?
At this time the Atlantic basin is filled with a Saharan dust cloud, limiting tropical development. There are signs that something may try to spin up over the Gulf late next week, but it’s too far out to get more specific than that. For a thorough update and in-depth video on what’s happening in the tropics, head to our tropical update page.
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