JANUARY 2018 - Seasonal WX Week/Pacific Front Saturday

[mcheer23]

GFS and CMC trended somewhat wetter. Still not any frozen precip in SE TX .....euro next

[DoctorMu]

Wholeheartedly agree with you Jason. I love my seasonal weather for hunting and the holiday season but after the turn of the New Year, you can have it. Come on Spring time and flip flop weather!

As long as it's not raining, I'm fine and don't mind being outside. Today wasn't bad at all. This has been a long break without the sun, though...which is kind of dreary. TBH, it's not very cold so far. The arctic air will be modified early in the new year. But the sun make an appearance. The worse days may be the 1st and 2nd because of the wind. If it's not going to snow I hope we can avoid persistent overrun. 36° and sunny >> cold, drizzly and 47°

I grew up in North Carolina and Illinois. The cold rain and ice along with persistent cloud cover was often more miserable than snow and sun own January outside Chicago. A month solid of steel gray skies from before Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve was soul testing.

Having said that, the models still have a wide variance with Canadian and Euro on the colder side and GFS less so. Prepare people, plants, and pets for a few 1 or 2 dog nights!

Persistent 100°F+ and humid with little rain in the summers in CLL make one crazy...like actually wishing for a tropical wave. Heat kills far more people every year than cold.

[Heat Miser]

As my buddy Cliff Clavin from cheers would say "Uhh, it's a well known fact depression increases in the winter."
I agree with Cliff. I have resided here my whole life and my body is more accustomed/acclimated to miserable heat than miserable cold and cloudy. I would much rather sweat than shiver.

[DoctorMu]

Not me! I’m in the process of expanding our business into Montana/Wyoming/Northern Idaho/Eastern Washington.

If all goes well, I plan to leave this area for Bozeman, MT next year. Of course, I’ll still post on here and give KHOU a far northern satellite data point .

I just can’t stand this humid/hot concrete swamp 9 months out of the year. Summer in Houston is downright depressing IMO.

Here here! It is horrible. I'm ok with heat June, July and August but then I'm over it.

A ≥ 70°F dewpoint in October or November just doesn't work for me. Regardless of where you live, you often have to pick your poison.

Once thing I could say about NC climate - in many years, Indian summer weather would stretch from September through November, just Chamber of Commerce stuff...and in the Spring, warm, sunny days while still cool at night, even to late May...

The water is alkaline in my area, so gardening is not for the weak of heart. I learned bitter lessons early in our life in Texas back in the early 90s - we tried to plant a gardenia and azaela - they were absolutely mauled by July 4!

[Heat Miser]

Just looking at that app gives me data to come to a conclusion even a novice can read. You have 51F in Liberal Kansas. 19F in North Platte Nebraska, 51 in Cheyenne Wyoming and 3F Rapid City South Dakota. You can see exactly where the cold air is and its direction of travel.

That 51F in Liberal Kansas is now 18F. -4 in North Platte Nebraska. -1 in Rapid City South Dakota.

[DoctorMu]

I pretty much enjoy variety in weather, with the notable exceptions of Cold rain and really Hot and humid

[srainhoutx]

HGX wants us to really express as strongly possible that folks prepare for an extended cold period where temperatures may be in the upper teens to low/mid 20's for lows and possibly barely making it above freezing on Tuesday for highs with cloud cover from a disturbance crossing the area. Of particular concern are those folks living in their homes that have not been fully repaired from Harvey where insulation and drywall have yet to be replaced exposing water pipes as well as space heaters.

We are looking at an extended period where wind chill valves or feels like temperatures will be in the single digits and lower teens at least through Tuesday afternoon.

As far as any moisture is concerned, HGX has removed the mention of frozen precipitation for now, but there is still some concern that drizzle and light rain may fall behind the Arctic front Sunday night into Monday. The Tuesday disturbance doesn't appear to have enough moisture or saturation in the mid/upper levels to make it through the very dry lower levels. I did notice that some of the shorter range models are 'hinting' at sleet/snow possibilities across the Hill Country and possibly making into San Antonio and Austin, so we'll see if those trends continue today into tomorrow and mid day Monday where the even shorter range Rapid Refresh Models will be in range for any wintry mischief with the Tuesday disturbance. Today will be the best day to complete your preparations as I intend to do myself with the somewhat warmer temperatures (mid 50's to near 60F).

[txsnowmaker]

Channel 11 now has Houston at/below freezing from Monday evening through Wednesday morning, with a low of 19 Wednesday morning.

http://www.khou.com/mobile/10-day

[ticka1]

email from jeff lindner:

Arctic cold front to bring very cold temperatures and wind chills to the area for the next several days



Preparations for a Hard Freeze should be completed today or early Sunday.



Arctic front is currently surging through KS and will enter N TX later today and push off the upper TX coast on Sunday afternoon/evening. Ahead of the front warm air advection has increased temperatures and dewpoints to levels not experienced in over a week over the area. Nearshore waters have greatly cooled over the last week and as warmer 60 degree dewpoints move over the cooler nearshore waters sea fog is developing and spreading into the coastal locations. Additional a weak coastal low is currently lifting across the coastal waters resulting in spotty light rain showers. Drizzle, fog, and light rain will continue until the arctic front passes the area on Sunday.



Post frontal air mass looks to dry quicker than forecast a few days ago which will limit any potential for surface temperatures to fall below freezing while drizzle continues to fall. Hence not expecting any freezing drizzle on NYE night into NYD. Any freezing drizzle looks to remain west of the area toward the I-35 corridor.



Main impact of this arctic front will be wind chills and temperatures.



Temperatures will fall into the 30’s on NYE evening and likely near freezing N of HWY 105 by midnight and by NYD morning N of I-10. Winds of 20-30mph will accompany this cold air mass driving wind chills into the 10’s…possibly 1’s N of HWY 105. Highs on NYD will likely not make 40 at most locations and N of HWY 105 highs may only rise a few degrees above freezing. Hard freeze (2 hours at or below 25 degrees) looks likely for much of the area N of I-10 on Tuesday morning and possibly the entire area (except the immediate beaches) Wednesday morning. Could see low temperatures into the 10’s both Tues/Wed mornings N of HWY 105.



A wind chill advisory and hard freeze warning will likely be required for Monday and Tuesday.



Preparations:



Preparations for a damaging freeze should be completed today or early Sunday before the arrival of the arctic front.



1) Cover and protect any outside faucet connectors and any exposed pipes including sprinkler systems and their backflow preventer portion

2) Tender tropical vegetation will need to be covered and protected and ensure proper measures to keep coverings secured in strong winds.

3) Pets and livestock should be prepared for an extended period of sub-freezing temperatures. Some livestock water supply sources may freeze.

4) Ensure quality heating of homes especially those damaged by Hurricane Harvey which may still lack insulation or persons currently residing in temporary housing which may not have standard heating conditions.



Forecast Low Temperatures Monday AM:



N of HWY 105: 27-24 (wind chills: 9-13)

N of I-10: 27-30 (wind chills: 12-17)

N of coast: 33-36 (wind chills: 18-22)



Forecast Low Temperatures Tuesday AM:



N of HWY 105: 18-22

N of US 59: 20-25

N of coast: 24-29

Coast: 31-34



Jeff Lindner

[jasons2k]

Not me! I’m in the process of expanding our business into Montana/Wyoming/Northern Idaho/Eastern Washington.

If all goes well, I plan to leave this area for Bozeman, MT next year. Of course, I’ll still post on here and give KHOU a far northern satellite data point .

I just can’t stand this humid/hot concrete swamp 9 months out of the year. Summer in Houston is downright depressing IMO.

I'm glad you are making your dream come true - that's awesome! Please do keep posting for us and giving us a heads-up on the arctic blasts.

I suppose we all have a unique perspective on the cold. I was born in Tampa, lived there and Savannah before moving to Texas - to Plano. Got used to the Texas summers real fast. As I've gotten older, I don't like the extreme heat either. I'm not bothered by the humidity as much. I'd much rather be here, or Miami, than say, Wichita Falls or the DFW Metroplex. I can't stand the 100+ days any more, but I'll take 94 and soupy humidity any day. That's one reason why we came down here from Dallas - to have get away from those 100+ summers, and also the colder winters up there.

I do enjoy the cold weather, but like all things, there is a limit. If I lived in a place like Colorado, Montana, etc., you bet I'd make the best of it. It's part of the lifestyle. There's snow!! There are things to do, like skiing. And the dry cold out west actually feels refreshing, and it's sunny a lot too. Some day, I'd like a second home up in the mountains.

I went to college up in Lubbock. Compared to Houston, it gets pretty darn cold up there. It didn't bother me that much, except when the wind was blowing over 40mph from the north. We got snow every year, and that was pretty cool. Since it was so dry, at least the afternoons usually got up into the 50's - that may sound cold but in the dry air up there with the sun out, you could be comfortable in short sleeves. We just layered every day and peeled them off...and we were used to it. No biggie.

The cold here in Houston, at least for extended periods like this, is typically dreary, gray, and snowless. It's fun for awhile and sets the mood for the holidays, but after that, there's just nothing to do. It feels out of place. I guess if you're a gamer type it's OK, but I pretty much live outdoors when I'm not in the office. So for me, this time of year just gets boring and almost depressing. And the extreme cold...again with no snow or mountains to ski on, what good is it here? It just causes issues for homeowners and gardeners like me.

If I could move tomorrow it would be to SW Florida, Siesta Key, where the winters are just cool enough to be pleasant for a few months of the year.

Anyway, looks like you are getting your wish for cold weather. I hope you enjoy Montana

[ticka1]

i love the changes in the weather. Hate the heat - love cool amd cold! Love the snow - its a novelty. I have two plants that need protecting so its not a major pain and chore to preapre for below freezing. I would rather have snowstorms - then hurricanes anytime! Or be married and my hubby opens the door and knows what the weather is doing! Happy new uear everyone! Another year coming to an end! 2017 was the super bowl - the eclipse - massive flooding from harvey - astros winning world series - december snow nad closing the year and moving to 2018 with very cold temps!

[snowman65]

What is the confidence level of having zero precipitation all through next week?

[MontgomeryCoWx]

Not me! I’m in the process of expanding our business into Montana/Wyoming/Northern Idaho/Eastern Washington.

If all goes well, I plan to leave this area for Bozeman, MT next year. Of course, I’ll still post on here and give KHOU a far northern satellite data point .

I just can’t stand this humid/hot concrete swamp 9 months out of the year. Summer in Houston is downright depressing IMO.

I'm glad you are making your dream come true - that's awesome! Please do keep posting for us and giving us a heads-up on the arctic blasts.

I suppose we all have a unique perspective on the cold. I was born in Tampa, lived there and Savannah before moving to Texas - to Plano. Got used to the Texas summers real fast. As I've gotten older, I don't like the extreme heat either. I'm not bothered by the humidity as much. I'd much rather be here, or Miami, than say, Wichita Falls or the DFW Metroplex. I can't stand the 100+ days any more, but I'll take 94 and soupy humidity any day. That's one reason why we came down here from Dallas - to have get away from those 100+ summers, and also the colder winters up there.

I do enjoy the cold weather, but like all things, there is a limit. If I lived in a place like Colorado, Montana, etc., you bet I'd make the best of it. It's part of the lifestyle. There's snow!! There are things to do, like skiing. And the dry cold out west actually feels refreshing, and it's sunny a lot too. Some day, I'd like a second home up in the mountains.

I went to college up in Lubbock. Compared to Houston, it gets pretty darn cold up there. It didn't bother me that much, except when the wind was blowing over 40mph from the north. We got snow every year, and that was pretty cool. Since it was so dry, at least the afternoons usually got up into the 50's - that may sound cold but in the dry air up there with the sun out, you could be comfortable in short sleeves. We just layered every day and peeled them off...and we were used to it. No biggie.

The cold here in Houston, at least for extended periods like this, is typically dreary, gray, and snowless. It's fun for awhile and sets the mood for the holidays, but after that, there's just nothing to do. It feels out of place. I guess if you're a gamer type it's OK, but I pretty much live outdoors when I'm not in the office. So for me, this time of year just gets boring and almost depressing. And the extreme cold...again with no snow or mountains to ski on, what good is it here? It just causes issues for homeowners and gardeners like me.

If I could move tomorrow it would be to SW Florida, Siesta Key, where the winters are just cool enough to be pleasant for a few months of the year.

Anyway, looks like you are getting your wish for cold weather. I hope you enjoy Montana

Thanks jasons! I grew up in NE Texas and went to undergrad in College Station so all I really knew was Texas seasons. I ended up in grad school at Ohio State. During that time I traveled through the NE, upper Midwest and The eastern 2/3 of Canada. I really enjoyed this time of year but I fell in love with the Summers up there and the fact that I could go for a 10 mile run and not risk a heat stroke.

I enjoy beach vacations but there is just something breath taking about the mountains and higher terrains. I’ll always be thankful for the opportunities HOUSTON afforded me in my 20s and early 30s. There’s not a better place for finding a career and for foodies . I’ll also miss being 55 miles from Kyle Field and being able to drive there very easily.

If I wanted to get lost in a tropical paradise, Belize is a good bet!

[WeatherDuck]

The temperature has begun to drop here.

Has gone from 58 to 55 in the last half hour.

[christinac2016]

I have been anxiously reading. We got a note from our apartment to prepare. Pets aren't a problem since I have indoor cats. Although I think this cold weather has freaked them out a little. Thanks to Heat Miser I downloaded the My Radar app. Very interesting to see the temps. Looks like it's headed straight towards us. Guess I will be making nice with my treadmill. My mother is already dancing in the streets. Me, I'll snuggle inside and watch movies.

[DoctorMu]

Prepare for some cold nights, folks.

Cold temps during the day will be partially mitigate by an appearance of that bright yellow orb. I hardly remember what it looks like!

I'd gladly trade a little cold for finally getting rid of this solid cloud bank by Monday. At least it's stopped drizzling! I'll be outside.

Cover or wrap exposed pipes. If you're really worried, you can let a spigot drip. Cover exposed plants. Spraying water on tender plants that can't be covered could reduce frostbite. The idea is that ice acts like insulation, and in freezing takes energy, slowing the reduction in temperature on the limbs. The dew point may be too low and wind too high for that strategy to be super effective.

TXDOT has already placed brine on the roadways - we just took a trip back and forth to Houston yesterday, and you can see it on the roads and bridges.

If you're outside just remember to layer, like an onion. Let the car run or idle a minute before driving. Replace that de-bugging windshield fluid with something designed to freeze far below 32°F (on my list for today!).

[DoctorMu]

The temperature has begun to drop here.

Has gone from 58 to 55 in the last half hour.

The cold air is definitely running down the spine of the Rockies.

[srainhoutx]

Arctic Boundary has crossed the Red River and is pushing S toward the I-20 Corridor of N Central Texas at this hour. Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls now reporting Freezing Drizzle. FWD will be issuing Winter Weather Advisories shortly for the NW and N Central Counties excluding Tarrant and Dallas Counties at this time. They are mentioning that the WWA will likely be extended S and E as the evening wears on and freezing temperatures expand across North Texas.

[SKIDOG46]

models are all over the place. i know one thing piney woods isn't going to stop this cold front.

[Cromagnum]

After all the hoopla it better get cold. I've spent the last two days putting fresh mulch on plants, covering young ones up, and wrapping pipes.