by srainhoutx » Tue Dec 27, 2016 10:14 am
Tuesday morning briefing from Jeff:
As if 2015 was not hot enough in late December….2016 will not be outdone.
High temperature records are falling almost daily at the local climate sites with IAH having reached 84 yesterday making it the second hottest December temperature ever in the City of Houston. Warm and very muggy conditions will continue today and Wednesday before a cold front moves into the area on Thursday. Until Thursday dewpoints running 68-73 over the lower 60 degree water temperatures will continue to promote a dense sea fog bank along the coast. Sea fog has been very thick overnight with visibilities running 1/8 to ¼ of a mile at most coastal sites into the Houston Ship Channel. Will see very slow visibility improvements today along the coast with light winds and some locations may remain socked in all day. Visibilities will crater again this evening as sea fog spreads back inland. Will continue to deal with sea fog until the front passes off the coast on Thursday.
SW winds ahead of the approaching front on Wednesday will likely result in another day of record warmth with surface highs pushing toward the lower 80’s. Cold front will move across the area on Thursday morning with falling temperatures in the 60’s and possibly into the upper 50’s on Thursday. Cold Friday with lows into the 40’s and highs in the 50’s.
An upper level storm system currently off the S CA coast will begin to move toward TX this weekend. Clouds will rapidly increase late Friday while warm air advection regime allows a warm front to move northward and into SE TX on Saturday. Expect sloppy conditions with fog, drizzle, light rain and showers for much of the weekend as a warm muggy air mass returns to the region to end 2016. 2017 looks to begin as much of 2016 has been…warm!
While it has been warm locally, it has been very warm in the northern Arctic regions. Temperatures over the last few days have risen to nearly 50 degrees above normal with the actual surface temperature nearing 32 which is extremely rare for this time of year. Arctic sea ice continues its decline at a time of year where sea ice expansion would be expected.
Carla/Alicia/Jerry(In The Eye)/Michelle/Charley/Ivan/Dennis/Katrina/Rita/Wilma/Humberto/Ike/Harvey
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