Saharan dust drops rain chances, but daily downpours return this weekend
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- There's still a small chance for a strong thunderstorm Wednesday ahead of our next weather change. Rain chances drop to near zero by Thursday as Saharan dust returns to Southeast Texas, but those daily downpours are back by the weekend.
The radar should remain fairly quiet overnight as temperatures bottom out in the mid 70s. There could even be a touch of fog in some spots. It will be another hot and steamy afternoon with highs climbing into the mid 90s under a partly cloudy sky. The afternoon heat index will range between 100 to 108 degrees. With a little less moisture in the air, the rain chance is down to just 20% chance, but it's a small chance for a big storm. Any thunderstorm that develops could bring briefly heavy rainfall, wind gusts over 40 mph, small hail, and frequent lightning.
When does the Saharan haze impact us?
The next cloud of Saharan dust starts arriving Wednesday evening, peaks on Thursday, and lingers in lighter concentrations through the weekend. Another plume of Saharan dust could arrives by Monday, and this one could be of a thick enough concentration to reduce the air quality.
What is the weekend weather outlook?
We'll still have some Saharan haze around this weekend, but there's also a surge of Gulf moisture arriving to boost rain chances both Saturday and Sunday. We expect lows in the upper 70s, highs in the mid 90s, and a 40% chance of scattered thunderstorms each afternoon. Storm chances on Sunday could go even higher.
What are you tracking in the tropics?
For now it's all about the Saharan tracking through the main development region of the Atlantic basin. 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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