HOUSTON – If it seems like this Arctic pattern looks familiar to the middle and end of January, you would be right!
Open your memory bank to last year in 2024 for MLK Day, we also saw temperatures plunge to icy levels leading to the delaying of the Houston MLK parade.
What about this year?
Right on cue, we could be seeing another significant shot of Arctic air invading Southeast Texas starting on Sunday, but really feeling the brunt of it by Monday through Wednesday.
If you remember early last week, we had the cold air moving into the state, but the worst of it stayed north up around Dallas, where some areas saw a mix of ice and snow, especially north of DFW.
While we had plenty of rain, it was JUST rain as our temps were sitting in the upper 30s, well above freezing. This batch of cold air may be in place in time for another storm system to move in from the Gulf, which could spell some icy trouble for some areas by Tuesday/Wednesday.
Let’s talk about what we know and what we don’t for next week:
WHAT WE KNOW:
Another plunge of Arctic air will move in with a cold front that arrives Saturday night.
That means, we’re looking at a cold, dry and windy start for the Chevron Houston Marathon.
This is where the difference is from last week. We will see the Arctic air spill into the region all day on Monday through midweek. Now, here’s where it gets complicated. Both long-range models, the American and European, show a coastal system scraping up our coastline sometime Monday/Tuesday bringing a surge of warmer, Gulf moisture into that very cold environment.
The American Model:
This shows a scenario where most of Houston will see a wintry mix of sleet and likely some snow, enough to cause plenty of icy roads. Not a good sign. Where the freezing line is will be a big player on what type of precipitation we see.
The European Model:
The European is a little more aggressive (and colder) with the wintry stuff. This scenario shows more snow than wintry mix or ice but that would also have enormous impacts IF this holds.
Either of these scenarios are possible as temps will likely be in the mid to low 20s for most of the morning hours starting Monday morning through Wednesday morning. More than enough to keep the ground frozen and icy!
WHAT WE DON’T KNOW:
These are just initial scenarios that WILL change over the next few days so any discussion about who will see snow/sleet/freezing rain is futile at this point. But, the likelihood of seeing some type of wintry scenario is becoming more likely.
Best advice a week out is to get some preparations in place for your plants (bring them in) and a dry, warm place for outdoor pets. The Stormtracker 2 Weather Team will continue to track changes as they come in and pass them along on all our platforms! Stay tuned!
