Does I-10 serve as a storm 'barrier'? ABC13 Weather Now speaks to expert on possibility
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Greater Houston and Harris County area make up nearly 5,700 miles of paved concrete surfaces, including highways, but did you know that one of those roads is somewhat of an invisible barrier when storms develop?
This is why meteorologists, including ABC13, use I-10 as a point of reference in the forecasts when storms approach the Houston area.
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Houston Chronicle Meteorologist Justin Ballard stopped by ABC13's Weather Now to explain.
Of course, storms do not know the Houston highways, flyovers or interstates we travel on the ground. Rather, meteorologists use the roads to give perspective and help people better understand where storms might set up. So, if the dark cloud cover stops shy of a bridge, it has more to do with proximity to the coast.
Ballard explains this in his Chronicle article on the three microclimates under which Southeast Texas is divided.
The Gulf Coast Plains climate area, a region characterized by subtropical and humid marine prairies and marshes, includes Harris, Fort Bend, Liberty, Chambers, and Galveston Counties.
Then, there is the Piney Woods Climate, which includes Montgomery, Polk, San Jacinto, Walker, and Waller counties. It is a subtropical humid region known for its mix of evergreens and forests.
The last one is the Post Oak Savannah. This subtropical and subhumid region features wet summers and dry winters and is home to mixed prairie, savanna, and woodlands. This climate makes up Austin to Burleson County and Westward to I-35 corridor.
