Well that … was a warm Christmas. Although we didn’t quite reach the record set in 2015 (83 degrees), the official high temperature on Sunday was 80 degrees. That gives Houston back-to-back Christmas holidays of 80 degrees or higher. And we’re not going to cool down for a few days still, alas.

Monday

Lows this morning are starting off at around 70 degrees for most of Houston, which is more typical for September than December. And today is going to end up feeling a lot like Christmas Day, with partly to mostly cloudy skies, southerly winds (although not as gusty) and highs near 80 degrees. There will be the possibility of scattered showers again, but accumulations should be slight. Lows tonight will again fall to only around 70 degrees.

Tuesday and Wednesday

A weak cool front will approach the Houston area from the northeast but probably won’t make it all the way through. This could moderate temperatures slightly, however, pushing daytime highs “down” into the mid- to upper-70s, and overnight lows into the mid- to upper-60s. For most of Houston, however, the relief will be slight, as we continue our pattern of mostly gray days, with morning fog and a chance of scattered, daytime showers.

Thursday and Friday

A cold front will finally arrive on Thursday, ending the warmth and returning us to some semblance of normalcy. This should be a mostly dry front and limit highs on Thursday to the upper 60s as skies clear out during the afternoon. Lows Friday morning should fall into the lower 40s across the area, and Friday’s highs should remain at about 60 degrees under sunny skies.

New Years’ Weekend

And what of the holiday weekend? Well, the forecast isn’t great for outdoor revelry. A warm front will move back onshore by around Friday night, bringing a lot of moisture with it. This should set the stage for a pair of cloudy days with highs of around 70 degrees, and fairly decent rain chances.

A number of models are showing pretty healthy rain chances on the afternoon and evening of New Year’s Eve for Houston—not a total washout, but at least some nuisance showers. The same conditions are possible on New Year’s Day as well, with continuing gray skies and fairly high humidity levels. I do think we’ll fall into a somewhat cooler pattern a couple of days into the new year.

Posted at 8:30am CT on Monday by Eric