Smoky haze lingers over Houston, but stormy front this weekend should wash it away
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A smoky haze from Mexico and Central America remains over Houston, and it will likely linger around until a stormy cool front arrives this weekend.
Because of the smoky haze in the sky, high temperatures again were held to the low 80s on Wednesday. We think the haze will thin a touch on Thursday allowing more sunshine to warm highs into the mid 80s. This will come after another June-like morning with lows near record warm levels in the low 70s.
How will this smoke impact my health?
Levels of particulate matter from the smoke will push air quality into the "moderate" range, which means most people won't notice a difference. Keep in mind most of the smoke particles are elevated thousands of feet above the ground, which impacts the way the air looks more than the air quality. If you are sensitive to these fine particles, have asthma, or have a lung or heart condition, you might consider limiting your outdoor exposure until we get a decent rain to clean out the atmosphere.
When is our next best chance to wash the haze away?
That will have to wait until this weekend, specifically Saturday night when a stormy cool front arrives and pushes the rain chance up to 70%.
Could the storms this weekend turn severe?
We cannot rule out severe weather at this time, but it's too early to make a call on that. Because the storms are expected to arrive early Sunday morning during a more stable time of the day, the threat for severe weather should be minimized. The rain will be heavy in some of the storms, and that could lead to minor street flooding.
How cool will it get behind this front?
After the front's passage, highs will drop into the 70s with lows in the 50s for a couple of days. More importantly, the front should push the smoke away. There will also be a significant break in the humidity, and there aren't many of those humidity breaks left before the real summer heat and humidity arrive.
HOUSTON RADAR MAPS:
Montgomery/Walker/San Jacinto/Polk/Grimes Counties
Fort Bend/Wharton/Colorado Counties
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