Originally published at: A weekend of 100s awaits the Houston area but a few folks may hit the rain jackpot – Space City Weather
In brief: Our second 100 degree day of summer was recorded yesterday, and several more may follow. Although records are safe, continued near 100 degree weather will be with us into next week. Perhaps a slight rain chance this weekend will boost your mood? We explain and have some energy saving tips from our partners at Reliant in today’s post!
Had enough yet? Look, it has not been awful by August standards as Eric has written this week. We’re certainly nowhere near records. And we hit 100 yesterday for only the second time this summer. 2026 is currently sitting outside the top 10 of hottest summers on record in Houston, which would be the first one to fall short since summer 2021. That said, we’re only about 0.2 degrees of average summer temperature away from breaking into it again, and there’s a chance the late August rally here will get us there. I guess the better question is not how much longer the heat will last but whether we’ll see any rain.
Today
I won’t give you false hope today. Expect sunshine and heat and highs around 100, give or take. There is a weak little boundary, however that’s going to try to approach the Houston area late this evening, likely sometime after 8 or 9 PM. There should be a broken line of scattered showers and storms with it as it approaches. Those may vanish on approach given the time of day — or they’ll try to hold together and bring the area a little relief.
Emphasis on “a little.” Whatever the case, as Andy Dufresne reminded us “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” Speaking of…
Weekend
Both Saturday and Sunday should be scorchers. Expect highs around 100 to 103 and a Super Mario 2 sun. But Saturday has a little interestingness to it, with a chance that a few isolated thunderstorms pop up across interior Texas and drift southward toward the area. I’m skeptical any of those will make it to Houston, but I suppose someone, particularly north of Houston could see a mercifully cooling downpour on Saturday afternoon or evening. Maybe even a few folks! Probably not Sunday though.
Next week
High pressure peaks over Texas this weekend and then begins a retreat back into the Desert Southwest next week. There usually is no on-off switch in Texas August though, and in this case, the high pressure system should remain close enough to keep us hot but maybe not to the levels we see this weekend. As Eric rightfully noted yesterday, there are (were?) some models trying to pull back a good bit on the heat toward the very end of the month, but it seems like those model runs may have been aberrations.
The region is fully highlighted in risk for “extreme heat” through the end of August, and although temps may “only” be upper-90s to near 100, the compounding effect of strong August heat can begin to wear on you after a while, so be sure to try to keep cool. And think about conserving energy where you are able. Which brings us to a word on that from our partners at Reliant.
A message from Reliant
We’re entering the stretch of summer where the forecast is often the same day after day: HOT. When temperatures are high, air conditioners have to work harder to keep homes cools. Reliant is helping Houstonians save money and cut back on energy use while still staying comfortable this summer with the following tips:
- Follow the “four-by-four” principle instead of turning off your HVAC system completely. Set your thermostat four degrees higher when you’re away from home for more than four hours to reduce electricity usage while staying efficient upon your return home.
- Leverage smart thermostats and smart home devices, which are powerful tools to manage energy usage while away and optimize schedules while home.
- Grill outdoors. Cooking indoors raises the heat, requiring the AC to use more electricity.
- Use heat-producing appliances like the dryer, dishwasher, or oven after sundown instead of during the hottest times of day.
- Avoid running your pool pump all day by using an automatic timer.
- Set your ceiling fan to rotate counterclockwise to create a wind chill effect. Also turn off fans when you leave the room.
- Close blinds and shades to prevent heat buildup and get the most out of the cool air coming from the AC.
More money-saving tips can be found here.
