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Cold front making Houston feel like winter already
By Eric Berger
December 10, 2008
The Houston Chronicle


Star of Hope Mission volunteer Johnnie Wiggins, left, and outreach coordinator Lee Morgan give a coat to John Goss on Tuesday anticipating very cold weather the next few days.		 Sweater weather it won't be. More like serious winter coat weather.

A strong cold front ushered in the Houston area's first prolonged taste of winter Tuesday night. Cloudy skies are expected to keep today's temperatures in the 40s, and push tonight's lows near freezing, according to the National Weather Service.

Houston got a brief taste of winter in the middle of last month when temperatures dipped below 40 on one night — to 36 on Nov. 16. But now much of the city appears likely to see overnight lows in the 30s for at least three nights, beginning this morning and continuing through Thursday night.

In addition to low temperatures, winds could gust near 30 mph today, creating wind chill temperatures tonight in the 20s.

For now, the Houston area is expected to be safe from the flurries of snow and sleet, which moved through North Texas Tuesday night, said meteorologist Paul Lewis.
"It depends on the moisture level as the storm moves out," he said. "I don't think it's going to happen."

Because of the strong front, Juan Alanis of the Salvation Army Greater Houston Area Command said the organization's Harbor Light Center, a men's shelter, expects a larger crowd than normal.

The facility has beds for 300, but expects 500 a night this week. The shelter has cots and blankets for when it exceeds its bed capacity, Alanis said. "We don't turn anyone away."

The winds should slacken by sunset today, but moderate northerly winds will probably keep nighttime temperatures down through Friday.

Daytime highs should begin climbing on Thursday, possibly approaching 60 degrees.

As the warming trend continues, likely returning daytime highs in the 70s by Sunday, forecasters said they do not expect another cold front until at least the middle of next week.

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