If it feels like it’s been raining nonstop this week, you’re not wrong.
It’s been pouring down across southeast Texas, with more than two inches of rain falling in parts of Houston. Down south in Brazoria County, some spots have picked up as much as six inches!
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So what’s behind this stretch of wet weather?
It all comes down to what meteorologists call an upper-level disturbance, or more specifically, something known as a short wave.
Think of it like a ripple of energy moving through the atmosphere. As it passes over, it lifts and cools the air up high. When that happens in a humid environment like ours, it’s a perfect recipe for thunderstorms to form.
But that’s not all.
Closer to the ground, a stalled-out boundary, a stationary weather front, has been hanging around the region.
On top of that, there have been small waves of low pressure moving along it, adding extra fuel to the fire and sparking more storm activity.
So between the energy in the upper atmosphere and the unstable conditions near the surface, it’s been the perfect setup for downpours.
The good news? These kinds of patterns don’t last forever. We’ll be keeping an eye out for when some drier weather finally returns.
