Houston Gets A Late Start On The Cold Season
There may be Christmas decorations everywhere, but it has been more shorts and flip-flops weather for most Houstonians in recent weeks. Unseasonably warm conditions have brought record temperatures. Last weekend, both Bush Intercontinental and Hobby Airports recorded record highs in the mid 80s. KTRH Senior Weather Channel Meteorologist Mark Thibodeau has a good explanation for that. "We've actually had high pressure parked over the southeastern U.S., and that allows a warm, humid east and southeast wind to move up into Houston." In fact, he explains there's an even larger high-pressure mass to the north that's shielding us from much of the cold air. "Think of it as a big blocker on a (football team), that just won't allow any players (the cold air being the players) to move down into the Houston area."
Nevertheless, there is some jacket weather on the way for the Bayou City. "Yes, it might get a little colder towards Christmas," says Thibodeau. "I don't think it's gonna get bitter cold, the way it looks." The first big cold front of the season is expected to move into the Houston area late Sunday night or early Monday morning, dropping high temperatures into the 50s and lows down into the 30s. The National Weather Service expects that system to linger for several days.
The official start of winter is still two weeks away, but Thibodeau and the Weather Channel predict this will be a slightly warmer-than-normal winter season. "There will be some cold weather, but overall above average temperatures, and as far as rainfall, equal chances for above or below normal precipitation here in Houston," he says. In addition to being warmer than normal, the past few months have also seen a return to semi-drought conditions for the Houston area. Both September and November were among the driest months on record for the state of Texas.
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