The strong cold front
will reach Walker County by noon and be near or off the coast by
sunset.?There will
be
a?chance?for?isolated?strong?to?severe??
thunderstorms?out?ahead?of?and?along?the?cold?front?capable?of?
producing?strong?wind?gusts?or?a?brief?tornado.
The
arriving polar air will result in a dramatic temperature change.? Cold
weather will be around much of this week.? In addition, a low pressure
disturbance will move through the area during midweek and bring
precipitation to southeast Texas.? While we are most likely to see
only rain from the disturbance, forecasters at the NWS Houston-Galveston
office note there is a "non-zero" chance for a wintry mix in the northern
counties including Walker.
Otherwise, low temperatures this week will fall
generally into the 20s and one or more nights with a hard freeze are
likely.? The official forecast for Walker County follows:
Today:?
Showers?and?thunderstorms,?mainly?before?1pm.?Temperature?rising?to?near?71?by?noon,?then?falling?to?around?53?during?the?remainder?of?the?day.?Breezy,?with?a?south?wind?15?to?20?mph?becoming?northwest?in?the?afternoon.?Winds?could?gust?as?high?as?25?mph.?Chance?of?precipitation?is?80%.?New?rainfall?amounts?between?a?tenth?and?quarter?of?an?inch,?except?higher?amounts?possible?in?thunderstorms.
Tonight:
Mostly?clear,?with?a?low?around?26.?Wind?chill?values?between?15?and?20.?Northwest?wind?around?15?mph,?with?gusts?as?high?as?25?mph.
Monday:
Sunny,?with?a?high?near?43.?Wind?chill?values?between?15?and?25.?North?wind?10?to?15?mph,?with?gusts?as?high?as?20?mph.
Monday?Night:
Mostly?clear,?with?a?low?around?23.?North?wind?5?to?10?mph.
Tuesday:
Sunny,?with?a?high?near?47.?North?wind?5?to?10?mph.
Tuesday?Night:
Partly?cloudy,?with?a?low?around?26.
Wednesday:
Mostly?cloudy,?with?a?high?near?40.
Wednesday?Night:
A?slight?chance?of?rain,?snow,?freezing?rain,?and?sleet?after?midnight.?Mostly?cloudy,?with?a?low?around?30.?Chance?of?precipitation?is?20%.
Thursday:
A?chance?of?rain,?snow,?freezing?rain,?and?sleet?before?noon,?then?rain?showers?likely.?Cloudy,?with?a?high?near?39.?Chance?of?precipitation?is?60%.
Thursday?Night:
Showers?likely.?Cloudy,?with?a?low?around?32.?Chance?of?precipitation?is?70%.
Friday:
A?30?percent?chance?of?showers.?Mostly?cloudy,?with?a?high?near?43.
Friday?Night:
Mostly?cloudy,?with?a?low?around?29.
Saturday:
Mostly?sunny,?with?a?high?near?51.
NWS has decided to use new
advisory language this year.? The revised definitions
follow:
-?Freeze?Warning:?Unlike?previous?years,?the?Hard?Freeze?and
??Freeze?Warnings?have?been?combined?into?one?Freeze?Warning
??product.?We?still?will?generally?only?issue?a?Freeze?Warning
??once?per?county?each?winter?for?when?temperatures?are??32F?for
??at?least?2?consecutive?hours.?We?have?already?issue?a?Freeze
??Warning?for?Montgomery?County?northwards?this?season.?However,
??we?will?issue?a?Freeze?Warning?again?for?when?Hard?Freezing
??conditions?(when?temperatures?fall?to??24F?for?at?least?2
??consecutive?hours)?are?expected.?Freeze?Warnings?for?Hard
??Freezing?conditions?will?be?issued?as?many?times?as?needed
??through?the?winter?season.
-?Cold?Weather?Advisory:?This?replaces?the?old?Wind?Chill
??Advisory,?and?will?be?issued?when?temperatures?or?wind?chills
??fall?are??25F?for?Harris?County?and?counties?southwards,?and
??20F?northwards?to?Houston?County.?(see
??www.weather.gov/hgx/WWA_criteria?for?a?visual?representation?of
??the?criteria)
-?Extreme?Cold?Watch?or?Warning:?These?replace?the?old?Wind?Chill
??Watch?or?Warning?products,?and?will?be?issued?when?temperatures
??or?wind?chills??15F?for?Harris?County?and?counties?southwards,
??and??10F?northwards?to?Houston?County.?(see
??www.weather.gov/hgx/WWA_criteria?for?a?visual?representation?of
??the?criteria)
