textproduct: Houston/Galveston

KEY MESSAGES

- Another round of widespread freezing temperatures tonight into Wednesday morning with portions of the Brazos Valley and the Piney Woods experiencing a hard freeze ( 24F).

- Monitoring the potential for freezing fog Wednesday night into Thursday morning for northern locations. - A gradual warming trend is expected through Thursday. However, a strong cold front pushes through late Thursday into early Friday with the potential for another round of hard freezes.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 1206 PM CST Tue Jan 27 2026

As you stepped outside this morning, you likely noticed frost on roofs and on the lawn...and then you saw it on your car too. That may have delayed you by a few minutes, so I'll go ahead and let you know now that we'll likely have a repeat of frost tonight into Wednesday morning as well. All locations will rise above freezing this afternoon with high temperatures ranging from the upper 30s to near 50F. I want to give a quick shout-out to Huntsville who finally reached above freezing (at 10AM this morning) for the first time since 11PM Saturday night...that's 59 consecutive hours of below freezing temperatures! I actually knocked down today's high temperatures a bit (especially for northern areas) as overcast upper level clouds work their way in. This is due to an embedded shortwave trough interacting with elevated upper level moisture.

Those upper level clouds move their way out late this evening making way for another night of clear skies and light winds, which means favorable conditions for radiational cooling. Another round of widespread freezing temperatures are expected tonight into Wednesday morning with a hard freeze ( 24F) for portions of the Brazos Valley/Piney Woods and a light freeze (27-32 degrees) elsewhere. Areas right along the coast will remain above freezing. Be sure to continue bundling up if you plan on being outdoors for an extended period of time overnight or in the morning hours (especially those waiting outdoors for buses). For those in the Brazos Valley and the Piney Woods, keep your pipes insulated as they could freeze and burst in hard freeze conditions if not properly protected.

This gradual "warming" trend continues through Thursday as we have high temperatures in the upper 40s to upper 50s on Wednesday and the 50s/60s on Thursday. Another freeze is expected on Wednesday night for most of the area, but it'll be a light freeze (27-32F). High resolution model guidance is in good agreement on patchy fog late Wednesday night into Thursday morning for locations along and north of I-10 as well, so we'll be monitoring the potential for freezing fog. On Thursday night, most of us (except some portions of the Brazos Valley and the Piney Woods) get a break from dropping below freezing with low temperatures mainly ranging from the low 30s to near 40F.

That break is short-lived though as another strong cold front pushes through late Thursday into early Friday. Onshore flow develops just ahead of this front, which is how most of the area will manage to top out near or above 60 degrees in the afternoon. A coastal trough develops out ahead of the front leading to a surge of moisture along the coast. As a result, rain chances will be highest near the coast both ahead of and along the frontal boundary itself as it pushes through.

Another round of freezing temperatures is likely in the wake of this front with the potential for hard freezes ( 24F). Yesterday, we took a look at probabilistic guidance, so let's get an update and see where we're at today. For Friday night, the potential for a hard freeze has slightly decreased to 50-80% for the Brazos Valley/Piney Woods and 20-40% elsewhere. For Saturday night, the probability has increased across the board. There is now a 80-90+% probability for a hard freeze for the Brazos Valley/Piney Woods and a 60-80% probability elsewhere. So you're telling me there's a chance...a pretty good chance at that! Don't put away your winter coats or the insulation for your pipes just yet!

Batiste

AVIATION

(00Z TAF Issuance) Issued at 527 PM CST Tue Jan 27 2026

VFR conditions are expected through the period with light winds. High clouds will shift eastward this evening, resulting in SKC after midnight.

JM

MARINE

Issued at 1206 PM CST Tue Jan 27 2026

Light winds and low seas will prevail throughout the remainder of the work week with northeasterly winds becoming northerly on Wednesday and southeasterly on Thursday. The main marine impact remains abnormally low water levels. During times of low tide, water levels are expected to decrease to as much as 1 to 1.5 feet below MLLW. The lowest of those values are expected to occur in the upper parts of the bays. Abnormally low water levels are anticipated to stick around through the end of the work week and may continue into the weekend behind the next cold front.

Rain chances return late Thursday into early Friday as a strong cold front pushes offshore. Hazardous winds and seas are expected in the wake of this front, so Small Craft Advisories are likely. Couldn't rule out gusts to gale force (up to 35 knots) over the open Gulf Friday into Saturday.

Batiste

PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS

College Station (CLL) 23 48 28 57 / 0 0 0 0 Houston (IAH) 30 56 32 63 / 0 0 0 0 Galveston (GLS) 42 55 46 62 / 0 0 0 10

HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

TX...None. GM...Low Water Advisory until 6 PM CST Thursday for GMZ330-335.