Houston weather: Freezing cold, frigid Monday; more cold this weekend?

HOUSTON - Monday morning is frigid temperatures in the 20s and wind chills in the low teens. As we move into the afternoon, we'll get some partial sun and cold with highs close to 40.

Extreme cold still gripping Texas

Houston and all of Texas remain in the grips of a very cold Arctic air mass today. Morning temperatures were solidly below freezing, with wind chills in the teens.

A few lingering icy patches remain a concern, especially across northern and western counties, but they are not a widespread problem. While sunshine should help most areas climb above freezing later today, the cold remains a threat to people, pets, plants and pipes tonight as lows will plunge to the 20s again.

Rest of this week: More comfortable afternoons

A gradual warming trend is expected to unfold through Thursday, but this is not a quick warmup. Afternoon temperatures slowly recover into the 40s and lower 50s, while overnight lows remain a concern. Another hard freeze will occur tonight, followed by lighter but still widespread freezes Tuesday and Wednesday nights with lows closer to 32.

Watching another shot of cold this weekend

Looking ahead to late week, the pattern remains wintry with another strong cold front is expected to move through on Friday, bringing a chance of rain and setting the stage for another round of cold air by the weekend. Forecast confidence on exact temperatures is still low, but the latest models indicate sub-freezing temperatures again.

So far, it looks like showers on Friday will move out before cold air moves it, so no ice is looking likely just yet, but it's something to monitor closely throughout the week.