Houston heat index to approach 105 as power restoration continues

How are you, Houston?

It’s been a tough 48 hours, with many of us without power for about as many hours, after Beryl tore through Greater Houston. The heat in Southeast Texas has us all a little on edge, as many deal with daunting repairs, rotting food in warm refrigerators, and sore arms from pounding fans.

Let’s collectively take a deep breath, exhale and analyze the forecast: Wednesday will be another hot day.

The high temperatures forecast for Wednesday are not expected to break records. They are not even expected to tie records. A high of 33 to 35 degrees forecast would be just an average July day in Houston.

But with more than a million customers without power, it could be a dangerous day. Heat index values, which are approximations of air temperature based on humidity, will reach a high of 100 to 105 degrees across much of Southeast Texas.

The National Weather Service office in Houston and Galveston has already issued a heat advisory for Wednesday to raise awareness of the need to exercise caution in heat.

This July in Houston, daily high temperatures will typically reach 33 to 34 degrees over the weekend. Additional heat alert days are expected as many people suffer in the heat without power.

If you’re lucky enough to have air conditioning, consider inviting friends or family who don’t yet have electricity to come over and cool off. Sharing is caring, especially in July when air conditioning is a “hot commodity.”

This week’s heat could be accompanied by a few scattered showers or thunderstorms.

Thursday’s storm risk is slightly higher as a moisture-rich air mass is drawn into the region from the Gulf of Mexico. For Houston, the chance of rain will peak at 30 to 50 percent on Thursday, with slightly higher rain potential toward the coast.

The resulting showers won’t be enough to significantly slow power restoration efforts or recovery tasks after Beryl, but they may be enough to take the edge off the heat a bit. Consider it a welcome relief if it happens to be in your neighborhood.

More storms could still hit on Friday and Saturday.

An influx of moisture is expected later this week and into the weekend.

Rainfall chances will be 40 to 60 percent in the Houston metro area through Saturday. Showers could result in quick drops of 1 to 2.5 cm, with locally heavier amounts from more severe thunderstorms. Scattered thunderstorms will help keep temperatures in check for the most part, with daytime highs in the 32 to 34 degrees range, which is fairly typical for this time of year.

If your weekend plans involve continuing the post-Beryl cleanup process, just know that you may need to move inside quickly if you hear thunder and thunderstorms move overhead.