FXUS64 KHGX 300018 AFDHGX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Houston/Galveston TX 618 PM CST Thu Jan 29 2026 ...New AVIATION... .KEY MESSAGES... - Cold front pushes through this evening, but Arctic air really doesn't filter in until Friday night. - Cold Weather Advisory in effect for all locations minus the barrier islands overnight Friday into Saturday morning. Will likely - Hard freezes for northern parts of the area Friday night & most of the region Saturday night. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 1239 PM CST Thu Jan 29 2026 The cold front is set to arrive to the Brazos Valley this evening, move through the Houston Metro around 9 PM, and be offshore around midnight. Cold, Arctic air will funnel into SE Texas Friday, bringing temperatures down into the 40s to mid 50s. The effects of the Arctic air will be more prominent during the overnight hours Friday into Saturday morning as areas north of I-10 drop into the 20s (with some locations in the Piney Woods and Brazos Valley entering hard freeze territory). Elsewhere, temperatures will be in the upper 20s to low 30s. Wind chill values will bottom out in the teens for the northern half of the region while areas south of the I-10 corridor will see wind chills drop into the low to mid 20s. Most of the area, with the exception of the barrier islands, will reach into the advisory criteria; therefore, a Cold Weather Advisory will be in effect early Saturday morning through 10 AM. Cold air will continue Saturday with highs in the upper 30s to mid 40s across the area. Saturday night into Sunday is projected to be the coldest night of the weekend as temperatures dive into the teens across portions of the Piney Woods and Brazos Valley and into the low to mid 20s elsewhere. Wind Chill values will drop into the teens to low 20s north of I-10 and into the 20s for south of I-10. A Cold Weather Advisory will likely be needed for Saturday night into Sunday morning as well, and with temperatures dropping that low, expect most of the area north of I-10 to experience a hard freeze as well. High pressure will move off to the east on Sunday, reintroducing the warming trend that will continue into early next week. Onshore flow will bring moisture back into the area just in time for another front later in the forecast period. Bailey && .AVIATION... (00Z TAF Issuance) Issued at 525 PM CST Thu Jan 29 2026 The main aviation concern will be a wind shift and increasing gusts due to the passage of a dry cold front. The front will move across the terminals this evening, bringing NW winds around 10 to 15 knots with higher gusts at times. Gusts will continue through Friday afternoon, before gradually weakening from northwest to southeast by the afternoon. With surface winds increasing this evening into Friday, LLWS should not reach thresholds. However, keep in mind that there is a possibility of a window of LLWS with gusts around 30 knots at 12-2kft, especially around IAH terminal. JM && .MARINE... Issued at 1239 PM CST Thu Jan 29 2026 Light winds and low seas will prevail through the day. The next cold front will push off the coast late this evening followed by moderate north winds and building seas. With a reinforcing shot of cold, Arctic air anticipated Friday night, winds and seas should further increase into Saturday, then gradually decrease Sunday. A Small Craft Advisory is in effect for the bays from 2 AM through noon Friday and for the Gulf Waters from 2 AM Friday through 2 PM Saturday. On the bays, already low astronomical tides will produce some negative water levels this week, even more so Friday night into the weekend with stronger north winds in place. Low Water Advisories are already in place. Bailey && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... College Station (CLL) 33 52 26 39 / 0 0 0 0 Houston (IAH) 38 54 32 43 / 0 0 0 0 Galveston (GLS) 43 54 36 45 / 0 0 0 0 && .HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...Cold Weather Advisory from 3 AM to 10 AM CST Saturday for TXZ163- 164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-235>238-300-313-335>338. GM...Low Water Advisory until midnight CST Saturday night for GMZ330- 335. Small Craft Advisory from 2 AM to noon CST Friday for GMZ330-335. Small Craft Advisory from 2 AM Friday to 2 PM CST Saturday for GMZ350-355-370-375. && $$ DISCUSSION...Bailey AVIATION...JM MARINE...Bailey