669 FXUS64 KHGX 081855 AFDHGXArea Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Houston/Galveston TX 155 PM CDT Wed Oct 8 2025
...New DISCUSSION, MARINE, FIRE WEATHER...
.KEY MESSAGES... Issued at 141 PM CDT Wed Oct 8 2025
- Hot weather continues this afternoon, though expect broadly cooler conditions Thursday through early next week.
- Small Craft Advisory in effect beginning early Thursday morning for Gulf waters. Caution Flags likely in the bays. Potential for some minor coastal flooding beginning Thursday evening.
- Increased fire weather danger over the next few days, especially on Friday due to dry fuels, lower RH and increasing wind speeds.
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.DISCUSSION... Issued at 141 PM CDT Wed Oct 8 2025
Still anticipating hot conditions this afternoon with slight chances for showers/storms near the coastline from the sea breeze. Highs are still expected to reach the upper 80s/mid 90s, close to records in a few spots. Generally quiet weather expected overnight with maybe some isolated patchy fog along the coastal plains near Angleton.
A surface high over the Great Lakes is expected to expand south as it pushes eastward. This should push a diffuse backdoor boundary into SE Texas on Thursday, shifting winds northeasterly and funneling drier air into the region. Early morning lows should feel noticeably cooler on Friday/this weekend, reaching the 50s/60s inland and lower 70s along the coast. Highs will only see a slight decrease on Thursday/Friday, generally in the upper 80s to lower 90s. This is partially due a midlevel high over TX/Mexico, which is progged to strengthen slightly to 593 dam. As a result, midlevel heights over SE Texas are forecasted to exceed the 90th percentile (NAEFS), thus mitigating the effects of advection from northeasterly flow. Drier air filling in aloft with subsidence from the ridge should help suppress rain chances on Friday through early next week.
Onshore winds are forecasted to return sometime on Saturday, allowing moisture to rebuild Sunday into next week. The midlevel ridge aloft is poised to weaken slightly, briefly being flattened by a passing shortwave moving through the Great Basin. Even though SE winds will have returned by this point, high temperatures should remains around the same (upper 80s/lower 90s). The mid/upper level highs should shift eastward into the northwestern Gulf coast next week. The midlevel high strengthens to 593 dam again by Tuesday, with NAEFS midlevel heights exceeding the 99th/99.5th percentile over SE Texas. By this point, we should start to see a slight warm up with respect to highs, though rain chances should remain slim to none.
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.AVIATION... (12Z TAF Issuance) Issued at 621 AM CDT Wed Oct 8 2025
VFR everywhere but LBX, which has seen VSBY drop to as low as 3/4SM this morning. This is the topline for its TAF, and also have a brief MVFR TEMPO for CXO in case of a sunrise surprise. However, by 15Z we should be VFR for all sites with another day of NE-E winds.
I do expect a little more wind today as a weak front approaches the region, with peaks this afternoon up around 10 kts. The inherited PROB30s from HOU/SGR coastward may, very strictly speaking, be a touch aggressive. But I do think they`re useful in highlighting where the best potential for afternoon showers will be and will keep them even if a "true" PoP is maybe closer to 20 or so? While winds will slack off this evening, they may stay up enough to stave off fog at most places, and so have only a light mention at LBX.
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.MARINE... Issued at 141 PM CDT Wed Oct 8 2025
Low pressure in the Bay of Campeche and surface high pressure intruding from the north will tighten the pressure gradient over the Gulf waters. This should bring ENE-E winds of 15-25 knots with seas of 4-7ft. Caution flags will likely be needed in the bays with Small Craft Advisories in effect for the Gulf waters early Thursday through Friday afternoon. This conditions will also bring an increased risk of rip current across Gulf facing beaches during this period.
As mentioned previously, the easterly fetch and moon phase should push water levels/tides higher than normal. PETSS guidance shows levels peaking near 3.6ft MLLW around high tide tonight and 3.6- 4.0ft MLLW each evening Thursday through Saturday. Coastal flood issues in our area typically begin around 3.7ft for the lower spots, becoming more prominent at 4.0ft and above. As mentioned before, residents on the Bolivar Peninsula should be on the lookout for a potential coastal flood advisory should the forecast remain unchanged.
Conditions should improve this weekend as the pressure gradient weakens.
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.FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 141 PM CDT Wed Oct 8 2025
Active burn bans in SE Texas: Houston, Madison, Trinity, Walker, Polk, San Jacinto, Colorado, and Wharton counties.
Still anticipating winds in the range of 10-20 mph over the next few days. Relative humidity should be around 30-50% inland today through Thursday, but should fall to 25-40% on Friday and Saturday as drier air fills in behind a weak boundary (lowest on Friday). 10hr Fuels are forecasted to fall below the 10th percentile across region by Friday, with the Texas A&M Forest Service forecasting a moderate- high fire danger rating each day. Broadly these conditions are not quite at the level of Red Flag Criteria, though it will result in increased fire danger. Caution should be exercised when working with open flames or operating equipment that can cause sparks, especially in drier locations.
Some forecast models have suggested the potential for RH values near 20% or lower for Friday afternoon. This make allow for fires to spark even quicker, though again this is not certain at this time. Stay tuned for additional forecast updates.
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.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... College Station (CLL) 68 92 61 89 / 0 0 0 0 Houston (IAH) 72 91 67 89 / 10 0 0 0 Galveston (GLS) 76 88 73 86 / 10 10 0 0
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.HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...None. GM...Small Craft Advisory from 3 AM Thursday to 10 AM CDT Friday for GMZ350-355-370-375.
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DISCUSSION...03 AVIATION...Luchs MARINE...03
NWS HGX Office Area Forecast Discussion