After several days of overcast skies, sunny weather has finally made a comeback in the Houston region. However, locals should hold off on storing their cold-weather gear, as another cold front is expected to sweep through the area this weekend and bring a fresh round of lower temperatures.
Following an early Sunday winter storm, readings rose above freezing by Tuesday. Houston TranStar reports that most icy spots on roads throughout the greater Houston area have now thawed. Still, the National Weather Service cautions that a light freeze could occur Tuesday night, before temperatures climb back to the mid-50s on Wednesday.
Milder weather should persist for a short time, with highs in the lower 60s on Thursday. Forecasters note that this warmer spell will be brief, since the next cold front is approaching quickly. Cameron Batiste, lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service Houston/Galveston office, indicated that this system is unlikely to produce any wintry precipitation, offering some relief for the area.
Temperatures in Houston are projected to drop rapidly by Friday evening, falling from daytime highs in the low 50s to below freezing overnight. The coldest conditions are anticipated Saturday night, when lows could reach the mid-20s.
Meteorologists are advising people to keep insulation on exposed pipes for now, since a hard freeze is still possible in portions of the Houston metropolitan area late Saturday night.
Although Houston will enjoy a temporary warmup, other regions of Texas are still dealing with harsh winter weather. A cold weather advisory remains in effect through Wednesday morning in Central Texas, including Waco. In North Texas, snow and ice continue to linger, especially around the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
According to preliminary National Weather Service data, Dallas-Fort Worth Airport recorded almost two and a half inches of snow over the weekend, while some areas of East Texas saw up to a quarter inch of ice, underscoring the broad effects of the recent winter weather across the state.
