HOUSTON – 2024 went down as the hottest year on record for Houston. So far, January is looking much cooler! We do expect this month to be chilly.
January brings new resolutions, sweaters and boots, and strong cold fronts! Here’s what we typically see this month.
Temperature changes:
Temperatures are supposed to be chilly this month, but did you know we expect them to increase slightly through the month? Our average high increases to 65° by the end of January. By the end of the month, our average low temperature is still in the mid-40s.
Remember we are never perfectly average. Last month we were above average (by quite a bit!). We also have reached the 80s several times in January, so that’s never out of the question.
Daylight changes:
The winter solstice was Dec. 21, which means every day since has been just a slight bit longer than the previous!
We see around 10 hours of sunlight to start the month. Although it is subtle we gain nearly a minute of sunlight a day resulting in an extra 30 minutes by Feb. 1! This is most noticeable in our sunsets. By the end of the month our sunset is nearly in the 6 p.m. hour.
Look up in January:
Get your wishes ready, the first meteor shower of the year peaks on Friday night! It’s called the Quadrantid meteor shower, and at its peak, you can see up to 120 meteor per hour. We are forecasting clear skies for SE Texas, which means you could get to see some shooting stars! If you want to see the meteor shower, you should move away from the bright lights of the city and stay out long enough to let your eyes adjust to the darkness.
Our moon phase on Friday is a waxing crescent. This means it’s less than 20% illuminated which is ideal for trying to view a meteor shower.
The full moon this month falls on Jan. 13. This is called the “wolf moon.” It’s called the wolf moon because this is the time of year that wolves are most likely to howl. This full moon is also sometimes called the old moon or the ice moon.
Here at KPRC 2, we hope you have a wonderful January! If you see any neat clouds this month, we’d love to see it! Send in your photos to Click2Pins!
