Houston weather: Storms, widespread rain possible for Friday

HOUSTON - More storms and widespread rain will be possible through Friday while the weekend is looking to be hotter. 

Watch for storms, more widespread rain through Friday

Our overall weather pattern is unchanged compared to the last few days, so expect more rounds of mostly afternoon and evening storms to move in from the north through Friday. A few could be on the heavy side, so 2" of rain is possible and, if it falls quickly enough, could cause some brief street flooding. Otherwise, look for hot and humid weather.

Weekend likely to be drier, hotter

Models are mixed on when higher pressure will build in, but it looks like through the day on Saturday, we should turn toward a sunnier pattern with far fewer storms. Look for upper 90s this weekend with some lingering storms possible on Saturday. The heat index could reach 105.

Hurricane Erin, three tropical waves in the Atlantic

The season's first hurricane, Erin, reached major status this week, but it is now a large category 2 with maximum winds close to 100 mph. It is well offshore of North Carolina and Virginia and will not make a direct impact. 

We're watching three other tropical waves in the Atlantic. One has a high chance of becoming a tropical storm near the Leeward Islands, but is not expected to come anywhere near us. A second wave, Invest 99L, much farther away in the eastern Atlantic could develop next week, so we'll watch it longer term. A third in the Central Atlantic has a low chance for development over the next few days as it moves east, away from the U.S. 

But for now, we're in good shape along the Texas Gulf Coast.