Look at the chart above…Dew Points in the mid 70’s.. temps in the mid to upper 90’s.. fells like temps in triple digits… It almost looks like the weather wants to jump into High Summer.
By strict definition “meteorological” summer runs from June through August, and “solstice” summer runs from June 21 through September 22 this year. For me, Houston’s summer typically runs from about mid-May through mid-October. Here are the four phases:
Early summer: When we first start to see 90-degree temperatures with some regularity, but some nights in the 60s are still possible, and there’s still the thinnest hope of a weak front
Mid summer: When highs run from 90 to 95 degrees, and nights are sultry, but you know it could still get worse
High summer: Somewhere between late July and early September there’s a period where temperatures reach the upper 90s to low 100s and you realize, “Ok, this really is the worst.”
Late summer: This is the period in September and early October when days grow shorter and we usually see the first front or two of the season. But most of the time it’s still hot.
When I read the above back at the start of May it made so much sense to my SE Texas brain. Then later it was the following quote from Space City Weather that finally brought summer in our area totally into focus… it only took most of 7 decades to penetrate.
Dewpoints in the mid-50s or below: The air is dry and comfortable
Dewpoints in the mid-60s: The air starts feels somewhat sticky during the day, and somewhat muggy in the evenings
Dewpoints in the mid-70s or higher: Oh my god I’m dying.
So that brings us to todays forecast from Space City…
Wednesday
Temperatures remained confined to the mid-90s on Monday and Tuesday in most of Houston, but today we’re going to begin taking another step up. The central and western parts of the metro area will see highs in the mid- to upper-90s, and combined with the high humidity, this will bring dangerous heat to the area. The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for the time period from 1 pm to 7 pm CT today for all but the eastern part of our region. Winds will generally be light, at 5 to 10 mph, with slightly higher gusts. Lows tonight will only drop to around 80 degrees.
So.. there you have it.. Summer is Here.. and the next four months or so will not be fun in any shape, form, or fashion. And speaking of fashion.. It’s shorts and tank top time.. shoes optional! Though to be quite honest.. That’s my default pretty much twelve months out of twelve. So y’all enjoy your summer,,, I’ll take mine one day at a time… Mostly indoors with a cool drink by my side,