Severe T-Storm Watch north of Houston until midnight
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is now in effect north of Houston until midnight, and it includes the following counties in the ABC13 viewing region:
Grimes, Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity, and Walker
As we head through the evening, severe storms will continue to move this way from the Hill Country. Some of those storms could eventually impact our northern counties with very large hail up to the size of baseballs and damaging wind gusts up to 80 mph. The worst of the storms will be north of the I-10 corridor, especially from Brenham and College Station east to Huntsville and Lake Livingston.
Our cap is not as strong in areas north and west of Houston, which means the threat of scattered severe storms will be slightly higher in those areas. We expect the line of storms to weaken as they approach Houston between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. There's about a 30% to 40% chance the storms will survive their trek into Houston. If they do, at least quarter-size hail and 60 mph wind gusts will be possible.
Whether or not it rains, the smoky haze from Mexico and Central America will continue to reduce the air quality.
Are there any more cool fronts coming ahead of summer?
We have a weak one penciled in for Friday! You can expect a delightful drop in the humidity for Friday and most of Saturday. Highs will still warm into the 80s, but morning lows will be closer to seasonal averages in the mid-60s. Unfortunately, the drier air won't stick around for the entire weekend, and by Saturday evening, rain could be returning to Southeast Texas.
Is Mother's Day going to be a washout?
It's possible, but confidence in the details remains low at this time. The weather pattern will feature a slow-moving upper air storm interacting with a warm front moving in from the Gulf of Mexico, so there is the potential for both heavy rainfall and severe weather. If you have any outdoor plans for Mother's Day, you might want to draw up a plan B just in case while we sort out the details.
13 ALERT RADAR MAPS:
Montgomery/Walker/San Jacinto/Polk/Grimes Counties
Fort Bend/Wharton/Colorado Counties
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