HOUSTON — A nationwide heatwave will cease-and-desist early next week as a rare July cool front makes its way through the country and towards the gulf coast. This front will likely bring city-wide eye rolls and a healthy chance of rain by Tuesday.
If you're looking for truly cooler air, this will be one big, out-of-this-world tease. It's Houston in the middle of July. To expect anything other than spontaneous combustion upon walking outside is silly.
Nonetheless, the front will arrive in north Texas by Monday and slip into our region on Tuesday. What makes this front especially rare is the fact that it may end up in the Gulf -- a tough feat for any cold front this far south in the dead of summer.
With the front will come a good chance of showers and thunderstorms that may foil any outdoor plans Tuesday afternoon.
Once the front moves through, slightly drier air may help to combat the 'air you can wear' humidity and perhaps make for more comfortable morning low temperatures; being closer to 70 than 80.
First Real Front
So when can we expect our first real cold front? Depending on the parameter you use, the first notable change towards cooler temperatures arrives around September 20th, give or take.
That late September front is usually the death knell for the Texas hurricane season. Not to say that we can't get hit after that date (Houston got hit by category 1 hurricane Jerry in mid October, 1989!) but by this time, the fronts arrive on the regular and sweep any tropical minnis to the east.
The first day our average high temperature drops below 90 degrees is September 19th. By that measure, we have 62 days left of 90s as of this entry. However, any long time Houstonian knows we can have 90s well into the first part of October.
Our first 50s usually arrive by September 29th but have happened as early as late August.
Either way, we still have at least another 8-10 weeks of sizzling temperatures before Mother Nature finally puts an end to the stifling heat.
Hang in there, gang. We're more than half way through.
