HOUSTON – We’ll see a break in the heavy rain until late Friday but more scattered downpours will fire up causing some headaches for our 4th of July plans.

This Afternoon:

Rain chances are around 40% Friday afternoon as the leading edge of a front sags into the region. It is the start of a quiet rain next several days.

This rainy trend will put a crimp into the outdoor fourth of July weekend plans. A front will sag to the south and stall, creating higher than normal rain chances all next weekend. While this won’t be a wash out, it’s a good idea to develop some back up plans for the 4th of July weekend as we will be dealing with some downpours for both days.

10 Day Forecast:

The pattern of wetter, cooler weather in the region will hold through the July 4th holiday weekend and appears that we’ll hang on to the stormy and unsettled forecast for much of next week as well.

Tracking the Tropics:

The main area of interest is Hurricane Elsa which gained CAT 1 strength this morning and has continued its fast forward speed of 29mph. That will work to inhibit intensity a bit as it moves into the Caribbean Sea. even with that, the storm has been increasing in strength. Latest forecast calls for the storm to stay at CAT 1 strength as it heads toward Cuba Sunday. Elsa is forecast to cross the Florida Keys and move up the west coast of Florida starting Monday.

Have a safe week!