Cold front to bring back winter's chill

Wednesday, December 18, 2024 4:00PM
Cold front moving in to bring chance of rain and storms with it
We're timing out the best chance for rain and storms ahead of a cold front arriving Wednesday afternoon.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- There are areas of dense fog, scattered showers and storms ahead of a cold front Wednesday afternoon.



Why is it so foggy and when will it go away?


We've got very moist air sitting over somewhat cool Gulf waters at this time. That will allow sea fog to develop and move inland, and it will be dense in spots. It'll be widespread again Wednesday morning when even more moisture makes it inland. Watch out for visibility readings to drop below 1/4 of a mile at times. Give yourself extra time to get to work or school. Keep those headlights on low beam and keep a careful eye out for pedestrians, especially in neighborhoods and school zones. The fog will completely leave us after the cold front arrives Wednesday.



What are rain chances looking like when the cold front arrives?


Because the main jet stream storm track is across the northern part of the country, this cold front will only bring a thin line of showers and thunderstorms. We've got your chance of rain at 40%. If you do get rain, don't expect much more than 1 or 2 tenths of an inch.



How cold will it get behind Wednesday's cold front?


We are expecting seasonal temperatures with highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s. Saturday morning looks to be our coldest with the possibility of upper 30s outside of Houston and lower 40s in town.



What's the outlook for Christmas Day?


It's looking more likely that it'll be a mild Christmas here in Southeast Texas. At this time we anticipate morning lows in the 50s and daytime highs in the 70s with a partly cloudy sky bringing only a 20% chance for showers. The mild weather very well may continue all the way until the New Year.



When could we get our first freeze in Houston?


We see no signs of freezing temperatures over the next 10 days in Southeast Texas. 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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