First Alert Weather Extra

Isolated showers and thunderstorms will taper off through the rest of this evening leaving East Texas with mostly cloudy skies overnight. Temperatures by Friday morning will be in the low to middle 70s. There is a low chance for a stray shower or storm tomorrow, but most of us will stay dry. Temperatures Friday afternoon will be in the low to middle 90s. A significant warming trend will take place this weekend into next week as temperatures could be near or cross the 100-degree threshold by Tuesday. The forecast calls for dry conditions through this same time period. A weak front will move through the area midweek and will help usher in some changes. Highs will be a few degrees cooler, but still in the upper 90s through the end of next week. Low-end chances for rain will return to the forecast as well. While no notable impacts are currently expected for East Texas, the National Hurricane Center continues monitoring two areas in the Atlantic for potential tropical development. As this time, both areas have a low chance of formation.

 

Today in history... On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 blasted off from Cape Kennedy on the first manned mission to the surface of the moon. Also on July 16, 2005, Hurricane Emily peaked as a Category 5 in the Caribbean Sea. The storm was the first of four Category 5s in the Atlantic during the 2005 season, and stood the only Atlantic Category 5 during the month of July until 2024's Beryl. The daily weather history segments come to us courtesy of the Southeast Regional Climate Center.

 

Also on today's show, updates on continued severe weather across North America. Additionally, we have new outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center for August and this week's updated Drought Monitor. Lastly, the satellite imagery of the day (from the archive) showing puffy, cumulus clouds swirling around an area of high pressure along the U.S. Gulf Coast., courtesy of the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere.

 

Afternoon showers and thunderstorms will taper off this evening leaving us with mostly cloudy skies across East Texas tonight. More showers and thunderstorms are expected both Thursday and Friday, though the chances look to be lower through the end of the week compared to the start of this week. The weekend forecast continues to look mostly sunny and dry with highs in the middle to upper 90s. By the middle of next week, highs could once again approach the 100-degree threshold. There is no rain in the forecast for this weekend and the beginning of next week, though, low-end chances return to the forecast by next Thursday. While no notable impacts are currently expected for East Texas, the National Hurricane Center is now monitoring two areas in the Atlantic for potential tropical development. As this time, both areas have a low chance of formation.

 

Today in weather history... On July 15, 2003, Hurricane Claudette made landfall at Port O'Connor, Texas, as a Category 1. Storm surge along the Texas coast reached as high as 5.3 feet, rainfall totals peaked at 6.5 inches, and two tornadoes touched down. Claudette caused $180 million in damage. The daily weather history segments come to us courtesy of the Southeast Regional Climate Center.

 

This week's weather word is "sansar." (Also called sarsar, shamsir.) A sansar is an "icy wind of death”; a northwest wind of Iran." This definition comes from the American Meteorological Society's Glossary of Meteorology (2026). 

 

Other topics on today's show include updates on flooding, dangerous heat, and wildfires in other parts of the U.S., as well as the discovery of sugar molecules in outer space. Lastly, the satellite imagery of the day showing excessive rainfall from slow-moving storms in Texas and wildfire smoke over the northeastern U.S., courtesy of the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere.

 

We've seen less coverage of showers and thunderstorms through Tuesday, and chances for rain will remain low overnight tonight. Additional shower and thunderstorm development is expected by Wednesday afternoon as an upper-level system continues moving slowly to the west overhead. This system, which brought heavy rain and flooding to East Texas Monday, has led to heavy rain and flooding in Central and South Texas today. We'll talk about that in our block of the show covering national and international weather/science headlines. 

 

As the upper-level system moves west, high pressure will strengthen over East Texas bringing an end to our chances for rain by this weekend. Highs will climb back into the middle and upper 90s by early next week. The forecast calls for dry conditions through next Wednesday, then, low-end chances for rain are back in the forecast for late next week. Through this entire period, late next week, highs look to remain in the upper 90s under mostly sunny skies.

 

Other topics on today's show include the already mentioned flooding in other part of Texas, as well as summer heat and wildfires. We also have a new long-range tropical weather outlook to peek at today. Lastly, the satellite imagery of the day showing in Minnesota and Ontario, courtesy of the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere.

Showers and thunderstorms remain in the forecast for tomorrow and Wednesday, with chances decreasing into the second half of the week as high pressure rebuilds overhead. Today's rain will taper off into the evening before new development of showers and storms is expected early Tuesday morning. The chance for rain will increase into Tuesday afternoon and highs will only be in the 80s - well below normal for mid-July. Wednesday's forecast will be mostly the same, then by Thursday, highs are back into the 90s and chances for rain will drop to only 10-20%. The weekend forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and highs in the mid 90s, which would be back around normal for this time of year. Chances for rain are slim to none for next week as high pressure remains dominant.

 

Today in weather history... On July 13, 2019, Hurricane Barry made landfall on Marsh Island, Louisiana as a Category 1. The storm, which had its roots as a storm system in the Plains more than a week earlier, caused $600 million in damage (mainly from significant flooding). Two people were killed. The daily weather history segments come to us courtesy of the Southeast Regional Climate Center.

 

Other topics on today's show include a story on a goat that assisted firefighters in Colorado and our weekly Forecast Accuracy Report for the week of July 6. Lastly, the satellite imagery of the day showing noctilucent clouds shimmer high above the Arctic, courtesy of the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere.

After another hot and mostly sunny afternoon, changes are set to begin arriving for East Texas over the weekend. We'll have another hot day tomorrow, Saturday, with highs in the middle to upper 90s under partly cloudy skies. There is low (20%) chance for rain on Saturday. The chance for showers and thunderstorms will increase on Sunday ahead of a "backdoor" cold front expected on Monday. There is a high (70%) chance for showers and thunderstorms on Monday, and highs are expected to only be in the upper 80s and low 90s. Tuesday's forecast is mostly the same, though there will be a lower chance for rain as the upper-level disturbance responsible for the July weather relief moves west. As we discussed yesterday on the show, a "backdoor" cold front, and thus the parent pressure system, is one that moves into the area from the northeast rather than the typical northwest for East Texas. By the middle of next week, high pressure will rebuild overhead, bringing an end to the chances for rain as temperatures climb back into the upper 90s.

 

Today in weather history... On July 10, 1913, the temperature at Greenland Ranch in Death Valley, California reached 134°F. While some uncertainty exists about its validity, this measurement is recognized by the World Meteorological Organization as the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth. The daily weather history segments come to us courtesy of the Southeast Regional Climate Center.

 

Also on today's show, we're getting an update on a non-weather-related story about whales, as well as details on wildfires overseas. Lastly, the satellite imagery of the day showing a time-lapse of wildfires in the western U.S., courtesy of the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere.

Temperatures will continue to climb into the middle and upper 90s through Friday and Saturday before cooler weather arrives early next week. Skies will trend mostly sunny to partly cloudy for the next two days, with only low-end chances for rain in the forecast. Showers and thunderstorms will become likely across East Texas once again early next week as an area of low pressure moves over the area from the northeast. We'll see a drop in temperatures with what we call a "backdoor" cold front that will be associated with the area of low pressure. Chances for rain will decrease into the end of next week as temperatures climb back into the middle and upper 90s. A few other items to note... There were no local changes to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Regarding El Niño, NOAA is saying "El Niño continues and will strengthen through the end of the year, with a 97% chance it will persist through early spring 2027." Related to that, Colorado State has once again lowered their forecast for activity in the Atlantic for this year's hurricane season.

 

Today in weather history... On July 9, 1979, the system that would become Hurricane Bob organized into a tropical depression in the (then) Gulf of Mexico. Bob was the first tropical cyclone to be given a masculine name in the Atlantic basin. On the 11th, the storm struck Louisiana as a Category 1. The daily weather history segments come to us courtesy of the Southeast Regional Climate Center.

 

This week's weather word is "simoom." A simoom is "a strong, dry, dust-laden desert wind that blows in the Sahara, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, and the desert of Arabia." This definition comes from the American Meteorological Society's Glossary of Meteorology (2026).

 

Also on today's show, an update on extreme heat, flooding, and wildfires across the U.S. Lastly, the satellite imagery of the day showing clouds developing over the Amazon and a plume of Saharan Dust moving over the Atlantic Ocean, courtesy of the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere.

After a period of rainy days across East Texas, the forecast calls for mostly dry conditions for the next few days. There will be very limited chances for rain in the forecast through the rest of the work week, before higher chances for showers and thunderstorms return by early next week. For the foreseeable future, high temperatures will remain in the 90s, with morning lows in the 70s. Generally speaking, temperatures will run near to above normal. The Climate Prediction Center's outlooks through the middle of July place East Texas under an area trending warmer and wetter than normal. Both the short and long-range tropical weather outlooks remain quiet for the Atlantic.

 

Today in weather history... On July 8, 2024, Tropical Storm Beryl briefly strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane with 80 mph winds as it made landfall along the Southeast Texas coast near Matagorda Bay during the early morning hours of July 8th, and tracked north-northeast across East Texas and into Southwest Arkansas during the afternoon and evening hours. While Beryl weakened into a tropical storm over portions of Deep East Texas by mid-afternoon, very strong wind shear and helicity existed near and east of the center, contributing to the largest tornado outbreak in NWS Shreveport history, as well as with any landfalling tropical system. A total of 43 tornadoes were confirmed through NWS surveys across East Texas, North Louisiana, and Southwest Arkansas, before Beryl weakened into a depression by late afternoon over East Texas. As a part of this outbreak, fifteen tornadoes touched down across portions of East Texas. Today's weather history segment comes from the National Weather Service Shreveport and NOAA's Storm Events Database.

 

Also on today's show, we'll look at developing pyrocumulus clouds from both the surface and in our satellite imagery of the day, courtesy of the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere.

 

As we approach the 4th of July holiday weekend, above normal summer heat and daily chances for rain will continue for East Texas. High temperatures for Friday through the weekend will be in the 90s, with a heat index in the upper 90s and triple digits. Isolated afternoon showers and thunderstorms will be possible each day into early next week, though Sunday through Tuesday, the chance for rain will be slightly higher. Severe weather is not currently in the forecast; however, wind gusts in the 30 to 40 mph range will be possible. It is also important to remember that lightning alone is dangerous. Remember, when thunder roars, go indoors. By the middle of next week, temperatures climb into the upper 90s and the chances for rain will taper off for a few days as high pressure strengthens overhead. 

 

Today in weather history... On this day in 1843, During a thunderstorm in Charleston, SC, a two-foot-long alligator reportedly fell with the rain. The creature was apparently unharmed, aside from having a look of "wonder and bewilderment." It is possible that a nearby waterspout sucked the gator up. The daily weather history segments come to us courtesy of the Southeast Regional Climate Center.

 

Drought Monitor Update... There were no significant changes for East Texas in this week's update to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

 

Also on today's show, we have an update on continued severe weather and a heat wave across the country, including New York City hitting 100° this afternoon. Finally, today's satellite imagery of the day showing wildfires continuing to burn in the west, courtesy of the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere.

 

A warmer than normal first week of July is upon us as high temperatures continue to climb into the mid and upper 90s each afternoon. The normal high temperature for early July is 93°, and we're forecasting highs warmer than that through the end of next week. A "normal" temperature, by the way, is based on a 30 year average that is updated every 10 years. Our current "normal" temperatures are based on the averages from 1991 through 2020. As for the rain in the forecast, low-end chances will remain in the forecast each afternoon through the 4th of July. These showers and thunderstorms will be diurnal, meaning they develop during the afternoon and die off during the evenings. Severe weather is unlikely, though thunderstorms this time of year can develop quickly, and wind gusts in the 30 to 40 mph range will be possible. Also, remember that lightning is deadly; so, when thunder roars, go indoors. The chance for rain will be higher on Sunday, July 5, and Monday, July 6. For those traveling on Sunday, showers and thunderstorms could create some disruptions. Into next week, the forecast is mostly the same; hot each afternoon with low chances for rain and otherwise mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies.

 

Today in weather history... On this day in 2024, Hurricane Beryl battered the Windward Islands. The storm made landfall on Carriacou, Grenada, where it was estimated that up to 99% of structures were damaged or destroyed. Late in the evening, Beryl intensified to the Atlantic's earliest Category 5. The daily weather history segments come to us courtesy of the Southeast Regional Climate Center.

 

Today's Wednesday Weather Word is "inverna." An inverna is a southeast wind of Lake Maggiore, Italy. This definition comes from the American Meteorological Society's Glossary of Meteorology.

 

Also on today's show, we have an update on continued severe weather across the country. Finally, today's satellite imagery of the day showing thunderstorm outflows over the Great Lakes, courtesy of the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere.

A low chance for rain returns to our East Texas forecast tomorrow, and low-end chances will remain through the weekend and next week. The forecast is mostly unchanged from yesterday, only minor adjustments to daily highs/lows and some changes to rain chances as well. For the foreseeable future, high temperatures will be in the mid to upper 90s with a heat index in the triple digits. Afternoon showers and isolated thunderstorms will be possible each day, but Sunday, July 5, and Monday, July 6, stand out as days with a higher chance. Severe weather is not in our forecast; however, it is not uncommon this time of year for thunderstorms to produce winds in the 30-40 mpg range and occasionally some hail. Overnight lows look to remain in the upper 70s and low 80s through the 7 to 10 day forecast. While the rest of the week doesn't look to be as windy as yesterday or the weekend, wind gusts each afternoon will be in the 10 to 15 mph range, and that may increase next week.

 

Today in weather history... On this day in 2024... Just two days after becoming a tropical depression, Hurricane Beryl rapidly intensified to Category 4 intensity. The storm beat out 2005's Dennis as the earliest Category 4 hurricane in a season in the Atlantic Ocean. The daily weather history segments come to us courtesy of the Southeast Regional Climate Center.

 

Other topics in today's First Alert Weather Extra include an updated long-range tropical weather outlook, the July climate outlook, and an update on severe weather across other parts of the U.S. We'll close the show with today's satellite imagery of the day showing the sunrise over smokey skies from western wildfires, courtesy of the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere.