SE TX/SW LA weather: Much cooler and WET after Tuesday

[Extremeweatherguy]

The winds have really calmed down out there tonight (much more so than expected). Due to this, temperatures are falling FAST! Hooks airport is already down to 53˚, Conroe is at 51˚ and my thermometer reads 54˚. For some reason though, IAH has a major warm bias this evening and is sitting at 62˚ (almost 10˚ warmer than surrounding locations...which is a bit fishy IMO). Due to this change, the NWS has gone ahead and lowered my forecast low to 47˚, but considering we are already in the lower 50s, I think that may be a bit too high still. With dewpoints in the upper 30s to lower 40s, I am expecting overnight lows in the 41-46˚ range at my location with slightly warmer readings likely at the warm-biased IAH.

update (8:22pm): My temperatures continue to fall like crazy. I am now down to 52.9˚.

[vbhoutex]

The winds have really calmed down out there tonight (much more so than expected). Due to this, temperatures are falling FAST! Hooks airport is already down to 53˚, Conroe is at 51˚ and my thermometer reads 54˚. For some reason though, IAH has a major warm bias this evening and is sitting at 62˚ (almost 10˚ warmer than surrounding locations...which is a bit fishy IMO). Due to this change, the NWS has gone ahead and lowered my forecast low to 47˚, but considering we are already in the lower 50s, I think that may be a bit too high still. With dewpoints in the upper 30s to lower 40s, I am expecting overnight lows in the 41-46˚ range at my location with slightly warmer readings likely at the warm-biased IAH.

update (8:22pm): My temperatures continue to fall like crazy. I am now down to 52.9˚.

Definitely a possibility, but I have also seen it do this and go to bed and wake up and it has warmed back up 5 or 6 degrees or more(not that I am expecting this though). Currently still 58.1º here in Spring Branch.

[Extremeweatherguy]

The very latest from the NWS...

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
831 PM CDT TUE OCT 23 2007

.DISCUSSION...
A GREAT FALL EVENING ACROSS THE CWA. SUBSIDENCE AROUND PERIPHERY
OF UPPER LOW RESULTING IN CLOUDLESS SKIES. WINDS DECOUPLING ACROSS
AREA WITH SPEEDS MOSTLY IN THE 5 TO 10 KNOT RANGE NOW EXCEPT
ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST. WITH WINDS LOWERING AND DEWPOINTS STILL
IN THE 30S THINK TEMPS MIGHT GET A LITTLE COOLER THAN CURRENTLY
FORECAST. HAVE LOWERED MINS BY A FEW DEGREES AREAWIDE. FOR MARINE
AREAS...HAVE EXTENDED SCA FOR THE NEARSHORE WATERS UNTIL MIDNIGHT
WITH WINDS STILL 20 TO 25 KNOTS. NO OTHER SIGNIFICANT CHANGES.

The new forecast low for my area: 45˚

[Extremeweatherguy]

10pm temperatures...

Conroe - 47˚
Hooks - 50˚
IAH - 54˚
Hobby - 61˚
Galveston - 61˚

My thermometer (as of 10:10pm) - 48.5˚

[Extremeweatherguy]

6am temperatures...

Conroe - 43˚
Hooks - 46˚
IAH - 50˚ (warm bias! )
Hobby - 50˚
Galveston - 55˚

My thermometer - 43˚

BTW, here is a good link where you will find many more temperature reports: http://www.wunderground.com/stationmaps ... &wmo=99999

[Diva]

We had a football game to attend last night in Lumberton, Texas, and it was FINALLY feeling like football weather!! It was in the 50's at gametime. Nice!

[PTrackerLA]

42 officially last night here, didn't quite it expect it to get that cold.

[Extremeweatherguy]

Last night's lows around the Houston area...

IAH - 49˚
Hooks - 44˚
Hobby - 49˚
Conroe - 43˚
Sugar Land - 45˚
Galveston - 54˚

My thermometer - 43˚

[Opal storm]

IAH - 50˚ (warm bias! )

lol, and your not being cold bias?

[Extremeweatherguy]

IAH - 50˚ (warm bias! )

lol, and your not being cold bias?

No. The airport closest to me registered a low of 44˚ and I hit 43˚...barely a difference. IAH, however, hit 49˚ for an overnight low, which happened to be much warmer than many of the surrounding personal station and airport reports. It probably was a correct observation, but all the warm concrete associated with a large airport (and built up land around the area) likely had a key role in keeping the temperature so high there. It is really not surprising though. IAH always seems to wind up at least a few degrees warmer than surrounding areas on radiational cooling nights.

[vbhoutex]

IAH - 50˚ (warm bias! )

lol, and your not being cold bias?

No. The airport closest to me registered a low of 44˚ and I hit 43˚...barely a difference. IAH, however, hit 49˚ for an overnight low, which happened to be much warmer than many of the surrounding personal station and airport reports. It probably was a correct observation, but all the warm concrete associated with a large airport likely had a key role in keeping the temperature so high there. It is really not surprising though. IAH always seems to wind up at least a few degrees warmer than surrounding areas on radiational cooling nights.

Used to be that IAH was always the coldest reading in town during cold spells.

[Extremeweatherguy]

NWS just updated the lows for tonight and it looks like this...

Conroe and areas well north of Houston = Upper 30s

Northern Harris county = 39-42˚

Downtown Houston = Low to mid 40s

Southern Harris county = Mid 40s

Coastal areas = Upper 40s to lower 50s

**updated at 9pm**

[Extremeweatherguy]

It is already down to 49.4˚ here on my thermometer. And the airports are getting pretty chilly too (including IAH...which is surprising given it's recent history of warmer readings on radiational cooling nights).

Here is a look at the 9pm area round up:

IAH - 52˚
Hooks - 49˚
Conroe - 47˚
Hobby - 55˚
Sugar Land - 51˚
Galveston - 63˚

[Extremeweatherguy]

6am temperatures...

IAH - 44˚
Hooks - 40˚
Conroe - 37˚
Hobby - 48˚
Sugar Land - 44˚
Galveston - 57˚

My thermometer - 40.1˚

Brrr!

[Yankeegirl]

I am up early today and i have a chilly temp of 43.2 here on the west side... Coldest night/morning of the year since last winter?! I think I am going to warm up the car before I leave this morning... and i still haven't broken down and turned on the heater!!!

[Extremeweatherguy]

In the last 20 minutes my temperature has fallen to 39.6˚. If I can manage to scrape off another 0.2˚, then I will officially have my first low in the 30s!

[Yankeegirl]

All i know is that i am cold... and if i didnt have to go to stupid work i would be curled up in bed....

[Johnny]

Conroe reported 37 this morning? It's 8 in the morning and I'm sitting at 36.1 degrees right now. At 6:45 I had a reading of 35.3!!! I've been away from the pc and the news in general so I was shocked to see it go that low this morning.

[jasons2k]

There was frost on the rooftops this morning in my neighborhood. I didn't check the thermometer this morning but it was probably very close to the reading at IAH....I'll post it later....and no the airport does not have a "warm bias", especially not when compared to most of Harris County.

Just to put this to rest, here is an aerial shot of the airport & surrounding area with the IAH station marked with a red X. Note all the green, trees, & undeveloped land in the surrounding area. There is even more green space located to the NE of the airport, or upstream during most cold mornings. Also note the station location is quite a ways from the terminal area.



Now here is a shot of SW Houston by my office. Note the continuous spanse of concrete; overall the shot has a Gray hue to it. Aside from Memorial park, there is no significant "green space". This is why inside the Beltway it is typically WARMER than IAH:

[vbhoutex]

The weatherbug sites nearest my house registered 40º and 42º so I guess it got down to the low 40's in my area. My home thermometer is too close to the house to give a "true" reading(ie I need to get a weather station, etc.). I believe it was reading 46º this am. Sure am glad fall is here!!!