HOUSTON (KIAH) — Winter weather alerts are in effect through Friday morning as parts of Texas will see light accumulations of freezing rain, sleet and snow. The biggest impact will be in South Texas, including places like Corpus Christi and Brownsville, where a winter storm warning has been issued by the National Weather Service. Snow totals will remain below one inch, and ice may accumulate up to one tenth of an inch.
Farther north, a less concerning Winter Weather Advisory includes Austin and San Antonio. This is where very light accumulations may occur, including possible ice accumulations of just a few hundredths of an inch.
What about Houston? First, there are no advisories posted in Southeast Texas. However, some very minor sleet, freezing rain and/or flurries are possible Thursday night. A batch of moisture moves in from the west. I expect some cold light rain in the afternoon, with a changeover to a wintry mix west of Houston during the evening. As temps approach freezing late Thursday night, precipitation will simultaneously shift southward, which likely spares Houston from big road impacts.
Comparing two high-resolution models, we see that model #2 (HRRR model) wants to keep moisture lingering into Friday morning. I think this scenario is unlikely, but should at least be noted as a possibility.
Most likely, a light wintry mix will head south of Houston overnight. By Friday morning, the area of concern (which is still a low concern) is south of the I-10 corridor.
Once we get the precip out of the way, we’re dealing with dry and cold weather for Friday and the weekend. Note the coldest temperatures occur Saturday morning with a widespread freeze.