Houston’s humidity this week will feel like a hot 105 to 110 degrees

Ahead of the work week, the weather in Houston seems to have returned to its typical summer form: hot as a grill and humid as a sauna.

The good news is that the latest tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico moved across the eastern coast of Mexico on Sunday, likely breaking up hundreds of miles from southeast Texas.

The bad news, however, is that Houston still faces the threat of rising summer heat, compounded by high humidity, making even afternoon highs of 95 degrees seem at least 10 degrees cooler. hot.

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As of Sunday afternoon, the center of a tropical disturbance in the western Gulf of Mexico was about 20 miles southeast of La Pesca, Mexico, a coastal town about 150 miles south of the Rio Grande . Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said “disorganized showers and thunderstorms continue” with the broad area of ​​low atmospheric pressure. But the chances of the system becoming a tropical cyclone were 20% and falling.

Closer to home, we instead have an area of ​​high pressure in the mid-to-upper levels of the atmosphere that will promote summer heat and limit rain chances in Southeast Texas, the National Weather Service said Sunday in a forecast bulletin.

Temperatures in Houston on Monday will start at a balmy 78 degrees at dawn before rising above 90 by 11 a.m. and peaking at 96 in the afternoon. The weather will only drop back into the 80s after sunset.

A moisture-rich tropical air mass coming from the coast will cause humidity levels to rise. An indicator of high humidity is the dew point temperature, or the cooling point when the air is 100% saturated with water vapor. The air becomes noticeably sticky and heavy when dew points are above 65 degrees. This week, dew points will remain between 73 and 77 degrees.

Although the humid air allows for a lingering but slim 20% chance of rain, it will also amplify Houston’s heat. Paired with a dew point of 74 degrees, this afternoon of 96 will have a heat index value (or “feels like” temperature) of 107 degrees.

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Typically, the National Weather Service in Houston would issue a heat advisory, a public alert for dangerous heat levels, if heat index values ​​reached 108 degrees or higher. Although such readings could be widespread enough to warrant a heat advisory Monday, forecasters said “the heat risk through early next week will be moderate (level 3 of 5) for most people participating in quiet, low-impact outdoor activities.”

“However, those participating in strenuous outdoor activities may experience major heat stress (level 4 out of 5), warns the weather service. “If you plan to spend time outdoors, remember to drink plenty of fluids, wear light clothing, and avoid strenuous outdoor activities during the hottest hours of the day.”

Houston’s forecast for Tuesday matches Monday with a 20% chance of rain after 1 p.m. on an otherwise sunny day. Like Monday, a particularly high dew point of 76 degrees, signaling high humidity levels, will be coupled with an afternoon high of 95 degrees. But that temperature will be 14 degrees warmer and closer to 109 degrees.

“There won’t be much change in trend over the next weekend, so you know what that means: hot and humid weather continues,” weather service meteorologist Jimmy Fowler wrote in his forecast Sunday. long term. “A ridge of high pressure aloft and moist southerly flow at the surface will help keep high temperatures in the mid to upper 90s all week for most locations inland, and between the 80s and 90s along the immediate coast.”

It will be difficult to get nighttime relief from the heat, as “overnight lows will be in the mid to upper 70s for inland locations, and in the 70s and 80s along the coast,” Fowler said.

“Taking into account humidity during the day, maximum heat index values ​​will be between 105 and 110 all week, so heat advisories will likely be necessary,” he added.

Fowler, however, found an oasis of hope for relief from the heat in this bleak long-term forecast.

“The only break in the heat will be the daily chance of showers and thunderstorms induced by the sea breeze and daytime heating each afternoon,” he said. “Wherever these storms arise, they will likely help lower temperatures by at least a few degrees. »

Due to the amount of water vapor in the air, “a rapid downpour accompanied by these storms cannot be ruled out either.”