As January begins, Galveston County experiences cooler weather and increased rain chances, with a pattern shift promising chilly temperatures through mid-month.
Early Tuesday morning, a weak cold front moved across Galveston County. It brought cool weather just in time for New Year's Eve and Day. The temperatures will stay close to or a little above normal, but as January goes on, the weather will become cooler and wetter.
As a surface low and trough form along the Texas coast, the chance of rain will rise Wednesday night into Thursday morning. On Friday and Saturday, the sun should come out for a short time again. On Sunday, it might rain again as a warm front moves northeast across the region.
This is the beginning of a more considerable pattern shift. Next week, a second push of Canadian air is predicted. On Tuesday, it might get down to the upper 30s in northwest Galveston County and the low 40s along the coast. This trend toward cooler weather is expected to last until the middle of January.
But the Polar Jet Stream and Polar Vortex are still north of the U.S., which makes it less likely that there will be a hard freeze in the next few weeks.
The fourth warmest December on record in Galveston County is expected to be in 2024. This continues a seven-year trend of December being milder than usual. Even though it will be cooler in January, people can expect a usual chill that isn't as harsh as the Arctic cold.
Have a great start to January, and don't forget your umbrellas in case it rains during the week!
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