As temperatures rise this week, so do Houston's rain chances

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- It wont be as chilly tonight with a warmer weather pattern taking over for the holiday week. As temperatures increase this week, so do rain and storm chances for Southeast Texas.

Temperatures Sunday might will only fall to near 50 degrees which is over 10 degrees warmer than where we started Sunday morning. A few clouds will move in Monday morning and we'll keep a mostly sunny to partly cloudy sky throughout the day as high temperatures climb into the low 70s Monday afternoon.

What's the overall outlook for the holiday week?

It will be a warm Christmas in Southeast Texas. Monday temperatures will top off at 70 degrees, likely the first of several days in a row where temperatures will reach the 70s in the afternoon. This includes Christas Eve, Christmas Day, and the day after Christmas too (if not all the way through Ne Yar's Eve!). This warmup comes with an increase in rain chances though with several weather systems moving in and out of the region the week of Christmas. Mainly, showers and possibly some storms could move through Southeast Texas Tuesday evening, Thursday evening and Saturday at this time.

Should I be concerned about any storms impacting holiday travel?

Right now we're monitoring the potential for two weather systems to bring rain to Texas around Christmas Day, including us here in Houston. The first develops early in the week and could bring scattered showers and a storm or two Christmas Eve. Depending on the strength and timing of this first system, a few storms could be on the stronger side with the best chance of that happening north of the city of Houston, closer to College Station. The main threats with the strongest storms would be small hail and gusty winds late Tuesday evening. This system fizzle out Christmas Day, so we cant rule out a few showers early Wednesday morning. The rest of the Christmas Day should be cloudy and mild. Then the second weather system quickly develops by Thursday, where another batch of showers and storms could impact travel plans across Texas the day after Christmas into Friday too. Another chance for strong to severe storms is there as well Thursday night.

When could we get our first freeze in Houston?

We see no signs of freezing temperatures in southeast Texas over the next 10 days. Long-range projections indicate we'll have to wait until the first half of January for a decent chance of a freeze in Houston. On average, Houston's first freeze occurs during the second week of December.

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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