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Tag: Space City Weather

  • Houston Residents May Dodge A Bullet With Tropical Storm Francine, For Now

    Houston Residents May Dodge A Bullet With Tropical Storm Francine, For Now

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    Local meteorologists are monitoring the Gulf Coast as Tropical Storm Francine develops. It is forecasted to move toward Texas’s neighbor to the east, Louisiana.

    Francine began as a tropical wave, entering the Gulf of Mexico on Friday as a cluster of undeveloped storms before organizing into the sixth named tropical storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season on Monday.

    According to Space City Weather, data from computer modeling indicates that the storm is projected to remain off the Texas coast, causing “modest to minimal” impacts on the Houston area.

    Forecasts showed that Francine shifted to the northeast on Monday, as meteorologists expect the brunt of the tropical storm to hit the Louisiana coast. It could cause serious damage if it develops into a Category 1 or 2 hurricane.

    The National Hurricane Center warned Louisiana residents that the storm could strengthen to become a hurricane by Wednesday. The National Weather Service placed the Louisiana coast under a hurricane and storm surge watch.

    Forecasts anticipate surges of four to seven feet or five to 10 feet. The storm surge watch includes areas east of High Island, Texas, to the Mississippi-Alabama coast.

    The tropical storm’s projected path could change; however, time is running out for this to occur. Houston residents will likely see elevated rain changes on Tuesday afternoon, night and into Wednesday — especially in locations south of I-10 — as a result of the storm.

    Eric Berger, a meteorologist with Space City Weather, wrote that he does not anticipate the potential for much or any flooding—with the possible exception of areas immediately along the Texas coast.

    Galveston Island could see tropical storm-force winds on Wednesday morning; however, Berger noted the chance of this is low. Houston is expected to get 15 to 20 mph winds that could gust upward of 30 mph but should not cause significant issues with electricity distribution.

    Any rainfall and tropical storm-related winds are forecasted to move out of the Houston area by Wednesday afternoon or evening.

    CenterPoint Energy raised some alarm bells over the weekend as the utility provider announced it was instituting preventative measures ahead of the storm. These efforts included stationing crews throughout the region, pre-storm vegetation management and securing additional resources.

    The company reminded its customers to stay alert to potential weather developments and make necessary safety precaution plans, particularly those requiring electricity to maintain “life-sustaining equipment.”

    Houston Mayor John Whitmire said on Sunday that city officials were prepositioning generators, deploying high-water rescue vehicles and increasing staffing levels across essential departments in the days ahead of the tropical storm. Whitmire added that Houston would be ready for “any scenario” that could result from Francine.

    On Sunday, Governor Greg Abbott ordered the Texas Division of Emergency Management to prepare for additional state emergency response sources. The agency issued an activation notice to the Texas Emergency Management Council agencies. 

    This story will be updated as needed.

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    Faith Bugenhagen

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  • Heat Stops Chance of Latest Tropical Activity From Heading To Houston, For Now

    Heat Stops Chance of Latest Tropical Activity From Heading To Houston, For Now

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    Houstonians may want to reconsider any complaints they have about the persistent heat. Houston area meteorologists say residents have it to thank for warding off possible tropical activity from entering the Texas Gulf Coast.

    Matt Lanza, a meteorologist with Space City Weather, said he recently joked with fellow meteorologist Eric Berger that August should bring “all the misery it could bring” to block any potential storm development.

    “It keeps us pretty safe from tropical stuff, and we do not want to deal with another hurricane here this year,” Lanza added. “You kind of root for [heat] this time of year.”

    This week is forecast to be the hottest week of the summer, with temperatures soaring to the triple digits by Wednesday. Highs on Monday and Tuesday are expected to remain in the upper 90s, between 98 and 99 degrees.

    Lanza said the high pressure sitting overhead from a heat dome, which is causing the warm weather, is keeping tropical activity away and is expected to continue to do so for at least the next week or two.

    He noted that meteorologists will be watching a tropical wave moving into the Caribbean next week. However, Lanza said if the hot, dry pattern persists, it should drift south of the region without causing any issues.

    The National Hurricane Center forecasts that the wave has a roughly 30 percent chance of developing over the next week. Lanza added that it could cross the Yucatan Peninsula into Central America or Mexico.

    “If things change over Texas or if that high pressure weakens or shifts a little bit, that’s going to at least crack the door to something coming into the Gulf and toward Texas,” Lanza said. “That doesn’t guarantee that we’re going to see a tropical storm or hurricane, but it’s something that we would want to keep a close eye on if it comes a little further north of the Gulf.”

    The heat is also partially responsible for creating conditions to keep Hurricane Debby away from the Texas Gulf Coast. Debby started as a tropical storm and hit Florida’s coast on Monday morning as a Category 1 hurricane. It has since been downgraded back to a tropical storm.

    Lanza said Debby was tugged to the north by a low pressure system. Simultaneously, the high pressure system of the heat dome over the west slowed the storm down, not allowing it much wiggle room to move or exit.

    Meteorologists have warned residents in the states affected by Debby, including Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, that the projected rainfall totals could climb upward of 20 to 30 inches.

    Lanza described the high temperatures in the Houston area as usual for this time of year, noting that last summer was “far worse” overall, with multiple triple-digit days.

    So far, only one day of triple-digit heat has been recorded since June 1, which meteorologists consider the beginning of the summer season. Temperatures could climb between 102 and 106 degrees through Friday.

    According to Lanza, nighttime lows are unusually high this summer. Most nights remain in the 80s, indicating an increase in overnight temperatures for this time of year.

    Lanza noted that weather conditions will start to change in late August and September. Temperatures will get cooler, and the environment will be less stable. Tropical development could be imminent, with numerous candidates in the Atlantic.

    “We’re going to have something to watch at least at some point,” Lanza said. “I don’t know exactly when that is, but I would advise people to buckle up. It will be a bit of a bumpy ride for the next couple of months.

    The possibility of a Category 3 or 4 hurricane developing and subsequently hitting the region keeps Lanza up at night since Hurricane Beryl — a Category 1 storm — occurred over a month ago.

    “I think my whole calculus has changed after Beryl,” Lanza said. “We’re both more vulnerable to even modest hurricane winds, a Category 1 or 2, capable of doing extensive damage.

    “If we’re starting to get into August and September when we usually get our bigger storms, and there’s a category 3 or 4 out there, I’m going to be extremely unsettled about what the impacts could be for this area,” he added.

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    Faith Bugenhagen

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  • Alberto Is Officially A Tropical Storm, And He Is Bringing Wet Weather To The Houston Area

    Alberto Is Officially A Tropical Storm, And He Is Bringing Wet Weather To The Houston Area

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    Alberto officially reached tropical storm status late Wednesday morning as it advanced toward landfall in the Western Gulf of Mexico. . Rainfall, coastal flooding and wind picked up closer to the coast, and light showers trickled in areas further inland.

    The National Hurricane Center took to X to alert residents that Alberto is a large system and its effects would likely be felt far from the storm’s center to the coastal regions of Texas and northeastern Mexico.

    The center indicated that Alberto’s rainfall could cause considerable flash and urban flooding and new and renewed river flooding across this area and into South Texas.

    According to Eric Berger, a meteorologist with Space City Weather, there will not be a serious risk of flooding in the Houston metro area — unlike in areas south of the city, such as southern Brazoria County, Bay City and Matagorda Bay, where higher rainfall is expected.

    The region south of Houston is also at risk of higher tides and coastal flooding, with winds climbing up to 40 mph. In the city, winds are forecasted to peak Wednesday afternoon, potentially reaching 25 or 30 mph.

    Light rainfall, or what Berger refers to as “nuisance showers,” is expected to persist throughout Wednesday morning, with a potential for additional rain in the afternoon or evening.

    This story will be updated as needed.

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    Faith Bugenhagen

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  • Houston Residents Tackle Damage Caused By Thursday Night’s Severe Storms

    Houston Residents Tackle Damage Caused By Thursday Night’s Severe Storms

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    Many Houston area residents are having a rude awakening Friday morning after a line of strong storms settled into the region Thursday evening. The storms brought heavy rainfall, destructive straight-line winds and several possible tornadoes.

    According to Space City Weather, these severe conditions — which began at about 6:30 p.m. — caused significant damage, including reports of downed power lines and traffic lights, fallen trees and debris, broken fences, gas leaks and shattered windows in buildings throughout downtown.

    Houston Mayor John Whitmire gave a brief press conference Thursday night after the strong storms moved out of the Houston area. Whitmire confirmed that at least four people had died as a result of the inclement weather.

    Whitmire compared the high winds, reaching up to 100 mph, brought in by the storms to those that occurred during Hurricane Ike, which hit Houston in 2008.

    click to enlarge

    This trampoline became a victim of the straight-line winds.

    Photo by Jeff Balke

    Roughly one million Harris County residents were without power Thursday evening, and about 750,000 of these customers remained without power on Friday morning. Whitmire said that, given the widespread nature of these outages, it could take up to 48 hours to fully restore power throughout Houston.

    CenterPoint Energy posted updates on X, requesting that customers keep the call line open for emergencies and otherwise track the status of any weather-related outages online.

    Most nearby school districts, including Houston ISD, Katy ISD, Cy-Fair ISD, and Spring Branch ISD canceled Friday’s school day. The University of Houston Downtown also told students and faculty to stay home on Friday.

    According to a press release, all classes and campus activities — both in-person and online — were temporarily suspended. Only essential workers were asked to report to work on Friday to begin cleaning up any damage to the campus.

    The university expected to return to normal operations on Saturday, May 18, but recommended that students, staff and faculty monitor any updates. The school districts closed on Friday and announced that they would be opened back up by Monday, May 20.

    Houston METRO took to X to warn those who had to go to work on Friday that the system’s HOV and HOT lanes would be closed, park-and-ride bus services would not be available and shuttle services would be available to riders taking rail lines with debris on the tracks.

    Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo wrote in a statement Thursday night that the county’s precincts, engineering department and Houston personnel would work overnight to clear debris from the roadways.

    Hidalgo added that the extent of the damage caused by the storms would become clearer as cleanup efforts continued.

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    Thursday’s rainfall caused high water to collect in some areas.

    Photo by Eric Turnquist

    More rainfall is expected Friday morning and afternoon in the region, particularly between I-10 and the coastline. However, the worst inclement weather has passed, according to meteorologists. Several indicated that Thursday night’s storms brought some of the worst conditions they’ve seen in years to Houston.

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    Faith Bugenhagen

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  • Strong Storms Bring Heavy Rainfall and Potential For Severe Weather

    Strong Storms Bring Heavy Rainfall and Potential For Severe Weather

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    Drivers on Thursday could expect a bit of deja vu from last week courtesy of two lines of potentially strong thunderstorms coming into and around the Houston area.

    According to Space City Weather, the first round settled into the region Thursday morning, with the strongest storms expected to occur between the morning hours and about 2 p.m. Areas along and south of Interstate 10 are forecasted to experience the largest threat of severe weather.

    Those out and about should be ready to navigate heavy rainfall, hail and potentially damaging winds. A slight reprieve from these soggy, stormy conditions is expected in the afternoon and early evening hours, but this break is temporary as the second line of storms could start around midnight.

    However, unlike the storms early Thursday, these are expected to bring the worst conditions north of Interstate 10.

    Most of the Houston area could pick up between one to three inches of rain on Thursday, with the chances of street flooding being low but possible in low-lying areas. Once the early morning showers blow through the region, continued wet weather is not forecasted for Friday or throughout the weekend.

    This story will be updated as needed.

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    Faith Bugenhagen

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