Hurricane season: High-pressure system making Houston hot also keeping big storms away

As we approach peak hurricane season, an expert says the summer-long heatwave might protect the Houston region.

Hurricane season in Houston usually spans from June to the end of September. One of the reasons Houston hasn’t seen much activity, despite being two months in, is the unrelenting hot weather due to the high-pressure system.

“[High] pressure has been pretty much anchored over Texas in some capacity since June…it basically shields us from stuff in the gulf while it’s here,” said Matt Lanza, Space City Weather. “The heat has really been painful this summer, but it’s also kind of kept the door closed on any tropical activity over Texas,” Lanza said.

The high-pressure system brings dry air and clockwise winds, which would weaken any potential hurricane and push it away from Houston.

Lanza said the high pressure will likely dissipate a little around mid-August and Houston could see some rain before the end of the season.

“[There] are some hints that are starting to show up now in some of our longer-range modeling … [that suggest] by the time we get past August 15 or so, the high pressure that we’ve had all summer we finally start to let go a little bit. [At] the same time, we’re gonna get moisture from a couple of tropical waves that move into the Gulf,” Lanza said.

If a large storm ends up forming over Houston, it’s still up in the air as to whether the dry conditions would help cope with heavy rains. The dry soil and bayous would be able to handle some extra water. But too much falling too quickly in a tropical storm or hurricane could just run off the dry, hard soil.

But overall, Lanza thinks the high-pressure system will likely keep any big tropical activity away.

“We’re looking at things very cautiously optimistic kind of going through the middle of August,” Lanza said. “But, you know, you always have to be prepared just in case it doesn’t.”