Houston to see unusually warm spring, NOAA meteorologists say
Houstonians who prefer cold weather may want to savor the crisp morning air on Monday, because there probably won’t be many other opportunities to do so.
Monday marks the beginning of spring, which begins when the sun crosses the equator moving north at 4:24 p.m., in a phenomenon known as the vernal equinox. Although temperatures are forecast to only peak in the 60s on Monday, Houston is expected to warm up over the next several days, with temperatures rising into the 70s and 80s throughout the remainder of the week, the National Weather Service said.
Warm weather portends a spring that will likely be warmer than usual in Houston and most of Texas, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. And we all know how hot the summer after that can be.
Normal temperatures in April usually hover between about 60 and 80 degrees and climb to about 70 and 90 degrees in May, according to National Weather Service climate records. When summer kicks off in late June, normal temperatures usually hover in the 70s to 90s.
There’s at least a 50 percent chance that Houston will see warmer-than-normal temperatures between April and June, NOAA said.
Climate change also means potentially worse droughts and floods in different parts of Texas. While drought conditions in most of west and central Texas, the Panhandle and the Rio Grande Valley are expected to continue or worsen, parts of north and east Texas are at lower risk of flooding in the coming months.
“Climate change is driving both wet and dry extremes, as illustrated by NOAA observations and data that inform this seasonal outlook,” NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said.
Houston, which is not at risk of drought this spring, is right on the edge of an area expected to be at risk of flooding, though rain is expected to fall at normal rates over the course of the season, forecast maps show .
