Summer heat remains with rain chances creeping up in July

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Our steamy summer weather continues this week and for the long holiday weekend. Rain chances will continue to climb with Thursday being the wettest day.

It's been another hot afternoon Wednesday with temperatures in the mid 90s and a heat index around 105 degrees in Houston. There were even a couple of showers that formed though most of Southeast Texas remains dry and will be dry tonight. Temperatures will fall into the mid 70s by Thursday morning.

What's the latest on rain chances this week?

Thursday a slight increase in moisture levels will help bring a 40% chance for scattered showers and storms. That's a little more than what we've seen so far this week with those isolated pop ups. Storms Thursday should be moving fast enough so flooding won't be an issue, but there will be some big puddles around. Friday's rain chance remains locked in at 30% and stays there through the weekend and following week.

What is the outlook for the long holiday weekend?

The three-day weekend is looking fairly typical to that of summer days. This includes mornings starting in the mid-upper 70s, highs in the low-mid 90s and a 30% chance of a shower or storm popping up, mainly in the afternoon. The heat index Saturday will also make it feel like 105 to 110 outside during the afternoon. In this type of pattern where the storm chance is driven by the heat of the day, we are usually rain-free for the evening, so we expect firework shows will be a go!

What are you tracking in the tropics?

In the Atlantic, the region off the east coast of the Carolinas no longer has a chance for development. In the Pacific, tropical storm Douglas has formed. Visit our Tropical Update page for a more in-depth tropical weather discussion and forecast.

13 ALERT RADAR MAPS:
Southeast Texas
Houston
Harris County
Galveston County
Montgomery/Walker/San Jacinto/Polk/Grimes Counties
Fort Bend/Wharton/Colorado Counties
Brazoria/Matagorda Counties

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