textproduct: Houston/Galveston

KEY MESSAGES

- Strong winds and dry conditions will result in elevated to near critical fire weather conditions through Monday.

- Onshore flow returns on Tuesday, warming conditions through Thursday ahead of another cold front around early Friday.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 1221 AM CST Sun Feb 22 2026

Today will start off with breezy winds, which should slowly to ease down throughout the day as surface high pressure fills in over the state. Highs are currently anticipated to top out in the 60s during the daytime, dropping overnight to the 30s/upper 40s early Monday morning. Afternoon RH should drop to around 20-30% across most of the area during the afternoon, and some isolated spots could drop into the the teens. Surface winds should also be around 10-15 mph with some higher gusts, though again this should be on a downward trend in the afternoon. Overall areas across SE Texas should experience elevated to near critical fire weather conditions today and Monday as well. Winds should generally be lighter on Monday, under 10 mph, though RH values are anticipated to fall to 15-20% inland during the afternoon.

High pressure should move off to the SE CONUS on Tuesday, allowing onshore flow to return. This will usher in a gradual warming period through mid week as highs climb to the 70s/80s with morning lows in the 50s/60s. Another cold front will push through the area some time Thursday night/Friday morning, bringing a very brief cooldown through late Friday night. Onshore flow is poised to rapidly return late Friday night into Saturday.

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AVIATION

(12Z TAF Issuance) Issued at 528 AM CST Sun Feb 22 2026

Outside of a few scraps of 250 cirrus, SKC throughout. The only real forecast issue is timing for gusty north winds gradually diminishing late this afternoon/early this evening.

There is one related safety note though, primarily for awareness of GA pilots. While the stronger surface winds largely preclude the need for explicitly including LLWS in the TAFs, there may be transient stretches if/when those winds go into a relative lull where there could be some noticeable low level wind shear. For more information, see the AIRMET in effect for the region this morning.

MARINE

Issued at 1221 AM CST Sun Feb 22 2026

Strong northerly winds of 25-30 knots with higher gusts should continue this morning. Gale conditions are expected across the Gulf waters and Matagorda bay. Seas will reach 6-10 feet with negative tide levels in the bays to as low as -0.5 ft MLLW at low tide. Gale Warning and Small Craft Advisory remain in effect through later this morning, though additional Small Craft Advisories will likely be needed behind it. Winds as seas should decrease throughout the daytime and overnight into Monday. Onshore flow will resume by early Tuesday with onshore flow strengthening. Caution flags and additional Small Craft Advisories may be needed Tuesday night through Wednesday.

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PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS

College Station (CLL) 62 35 63 37 / 0 0 0 0 Houston (IAH) 63 41 64 40 / 0 0 0 0 Galveston (GLS) 63 47 60 52 / 0 0 0 0

HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

TX...None. GM...Gale Warning until noon CST today for GMZ330-350-355-370-375.

Small Craft Advisory until noon CST today for GMZ335.