Discussion
There is still some chance for colder air masses to visit Texas. But rest assured, time for extended wintry weather in Texas is running low.
The outlook for Houston starts out in the cool-to-chilly spectrum, then veers into "very cold" territory to start the weekend. Canadian air in our midst may allow readings to reach the 30s (F) by Thursday morning. But daytime highs (thank our lower latitude and increasing sun angle) should mostly stay in the 60s under fair or partly cloudy skies.
Friday provides an opportunity for winter to seize the advantage one more time. A cold front will barrel through Texas in the morning, and a push of Arctic air will rush southward, eventually reaching central Mexico and Cuba. I would not rule out a rain shower early Friday morning, but atmospheric profiles seem dry enough for Houston to stay mostly fair through Saturday. Even with abundant sunshine, some portions of East Texas may not go above 50 deg F in daytime. The nocturnal freeze line is forecast to push all the way to a Lubbock to Victoria line on Saturday morning, with early Sunday still in the 30s in many communities above Interstate 10.
That said, the holiday weekend will certainly close on a warmer note with ample hints of springtime. Lacking any high-latitude blocking, the progressive upper level wind pattern will allow the active storm sequence stretching from northern Asia into the Gulf of Alaska to move through the U.S. over the last two weeks of February and the first seven days or so of March. Colder air will stay across the Intermountain Region, the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes, New England and much of Canada. The rest of the nation could be best termed "changeable to warmer" with a probable track of lowest pressure from Colorado....Missouri....Ohio....eastern Quebec. I can easily see locations in the Midwest getting some heavy duty snows, while Texas and other parts of Dixie are visited by severe weather and heavy rainfall. The drought situation continues to ease in our part of the world, and I suspect rainfall potential will be fairly high with thunderstorms for the Houston metro through mid-April.
After that point the searing heat may return....
Useful Links
Pacific locked in 'La Nada' limbo
Joint Polar Satellite System(JPSS)
Current Operational SST Anomaly Charts
The Forecast
Wednesday: Mostly sunny and cool. Highs 60 Madisonville to 64 Alvin
Wednesday Night: Clear and chilly. Lows 35 Huntsville to 39 Manvel
Thursday: Partly sunny and mild. Highs 64 Richards to 68 Arcola
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy. Becoming breezy late. Lows 40 Bentwater to 44 Missouri City
Friday: Sunny, breezy and cooler. Highs 55 Panorama Village to 59 Sugar Land
Holiday Weekend Outlook
Saturday: Sunny and unseasonably cold. High 52, Low 30
Sunday: Sunshine giving way to increasing cloudiness. Becoming windy and milder after a cold start. High 62, Low 33
Monday, President's Day: Mostly cloudy, windy and mild with showers and thunderstorms. High 74, Low 51
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