Frigid Canadian air set to hit Houston region

A powerful cold front is forecast to hit the Houston region sometime late Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016, or early Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016, dropping low temperatures to near Freezing. (National Weather Service) A powerful cold front is forecast to hit the Houston region sometime late Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016, or early Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016, dropping low temperatures to near Freezing. (National Weather Service) Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Frigid Canadian air set to hit Houston region 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

After days of rain, sunny skies and mild temperatures are expected Tuesday in the Houston region, but a chance of showers returns Wednesday as a powerful cold front is likely to race through the region, dropping the mercury to near freezing.

The Norther, packed with frigid air from Canada, is expected to hit sometime Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Forecasts said a 50 percent chance of showers may be possible Wednesday night as the Canadian blast approaches the region, and once the front settles into the area low temperatures could plunge to near freezing, especially in northern parts of Harris County. In some rural areas, forecasters said, the mercury may dip to or slightly below 32 degrees.

"It's going to give us quite a change in temperature," said Charles Roeseler, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

The front also will probably pack strong north winds between 15 mph and 25 mph.

On Tuesday, the high will reach about 70 degrees under mostly sunny skies. Patchy fog is likely until about 10 am. The low will be near 49.

Partly sunny skies are forecast for Wednesday when the high will likely be in the upper 60s and the low will be in the upper 40s.

On Thursday after the front sweeps into the region, the mercury will probably struggle to a high of about 50 degrees. The low is forecast to fall to about 34.

The cold is likely to linger Friday, when the high is expected to be about 48 degrees under sunny skies while the low dips to the upper 30s.

The weekend is forecast to be fairly mild. Temperatures each day will probably range from lows in the upper 50s to highs in the lower 60s to lower 70s. A 40 percent chance of rain is possible Sunday.