Houston could see first heat wave of summer this week with potential highs in the 90s

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Houston could experience the first heat wave of the season, with temperatures reaching the 90s later this week.

With the summer heat finally here, ABC13 meteorologist Elyse Smith compares this incoming heat to normal temperatures for this time of year.

The weather Southeast Texas experienced in June was very different from last year. It’s the story of two Junes.

By mid-June 2023, temperatures soared. Houston experienced three straight 100-degree days in early summer, with 13 additional days where temperatures were above 95 degrees.

On top of that, the ground began to dry out toward the end of the month, as Houston only received 3.24 inches of rain in June 2023, and much of that rain fell in the first half of the month. That’s a little more than half the monthly average of 6 inches.

Thanks to the active weather pattern bringing several rainy and stormy weather systems to Southeast Texas, this June has been a different story.

So far, there has only been one day where temperatures have exceeded 95 degrees, and that was June 6.

Additionally, Houston experienced twice as much precipitation as all of last June combined and the month isn’t even over yet. As of June 24, 7.79 inches of rain had fallen at Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Considering the heat that will descend on Houston later this week, we are prepared to handle these hot afternoons better since we took it easier this summer than last summer. In other words, we have a better opportunity to acclimatize to the heat.

New this summer, there’s a tool from the National Weather Service to tell us when the heat is expected to be higher than we usually see. This is in addition to heat advisories and excessive heat warnings that will be issued if necessary.

This is a heat hazard map and a helpful way to show when heat is putting our health at risk, especially in Southeast Texas. What is essential is that it takes into account our heat benchmark.

For example, a 95 degree day with a temperature near 108 degrees is hot, but it doesn’t reach that extreme category for Houston. But if you were to compare New York City with the same conditions, it probably would, because it would be more extreme heat for them. A reminder that the baseline or baseline for heat in Houston is a little higher than in other parts of the country.

This week may also be the first time we receive back-to-back heat advisories issued day after day, where the cumulative effects of daily heat could put you at risk. Be sure to drink plenty of water and take breaks to cool off in the air conditioning throughout the day.

Of course, the data that gets the attention is the warm afternoon temperatures, but it’s also important to highlight how much Houston’s summers are collectively warming up over time. ABC13 partners with Climate Central and found that since 1970, the average summer temperature in Houston has been nearly 5 degrees warmer than we experienced decades ago. This includes nighttime minimum temperatures or the temperature at sunrise.

Meteorologist Elyse Smith covered this topic extensively last summer, because it’s not normal to have low temperatures near 80 degrees for consecutive days or even weeks. This is important because your body is not able to cool down or reset itself for the next day without air conditioning.

Houston’s overnight lows warm up faster than our afternoon highs. These warmer nights are a sign of how our climate is changing and our summers are getting completely warmer here in Southeast Texas.

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