As much as we’ve staved off Jack Frost this year, the next few days will bring a winter chill to Southeast Texas.
Of course, we’ll be forecasting about the approaching cold front today bringing a severe weather threat later this afternoon and evening. After that front passes, the cold dives in and any precipitation coming from the Southwest could bring winter woes. This is NOT a last February arctic outbreak! But any glazing can be dangerous and South Central Texas has issued a Winter Storm Watch from tomorrow morning to evening:
Recommended Videos
They are expecting “a light glaze and some minor snow accumulations on some bridges, overpasses, and elevated roadways.” Looking at two different models for Texas, you can see that there is a big difference in precipitation, so this watch is clearly banking on the HRRR (High Resolution Rapid Refresh) model.
Here in Southeast Texas we’re on guard for Thursday night into Friday morning as the precip “could interact with the near freezing temperatures and transition into a wintry mix of freezing rain, sleet and maybe even snow.” Drivers take note!
Here are three Futurecasts for tomorrow afternoon, evening and Friday morning and you can see that rain for Thursday is most likely for us with a better chance for light snow/sleet to our west. We could perhaps have some light wintry mix overnight into Friday in Houston:
Watch the wind chills!
More than any glazing or dusting, the cold temperatures combined with 10-15 mph winds will bring Friday morning wind chills to the teens and 20s!
Look for wind chills in the mid-20s on Saturday morning! Clearly, the next few days are no picnic. We’ll continue to keep you informed on air and on line! Here is my full 10-day forecast. Don’t put the jackets away!
Stay warm and protect those pets, people and plants!
Frank
