Friday’s Forecast:
HOUSTON – The combination of hot temperatures, light winds and lots of sunshine creates the possibility of ozone forming Friday afternoon. And it is going to be HOT! Afternoon temperatures climb to the upper-90s in Houston with a heat index of 108° to a 110°. We’re not officially under a heat advisory, but be on the safe side and take caution in the hot, hot afternoon sun. Saturday will be similar but by Sunday some afternoon showers return.
Why are we hot?
A high pressure system is making us hot. Triple-digit feels like temperatures continue to climb this week as a heat dome traps warm air over our area. This heats up the Gulf of Mexico bringing us more heat and humidity along with a lack of rain and a lot of sunshine. As long as this dome is in place, we’ll see very little in the way of rain chances and feels like numbers that will climb into the triple digits each day.
Heat alerts are in place to our north and east. If we hit a heat index of 108° consistently we’ll go under a heat advisory too.
Tracking the tropics:
There is a 70% chance for development with a tropical wave in the Caribbean over the next 7 days. The cluster of thunderstorms by the Dominican Republic is getting better organized and moving west-northwest. After the storm passes Cuba and enter the Eastern Gulf, it will be in an area favorable for development. If this becomes a tropical storm it will be named Debby.
Where is this storm heading? Long story short: Florida.
Florida, SE Georgia and coastal South Carolina can expect to see heavy rainfall from this storm starting Sunday and lasting through Thursday of next week. Some models have widespread 6″+.
10-day Forecast:
We will be dry and hot as we enter August! Some rainfall is possible Sunday and Monday, but it’s only a limited chance. Most of the next 10 days will be dominated by heat and humidity. This is a much more typical summer pattern for us in Houston.