The weather in Houston is still mild. But it’s not too early to prepare for severe weather season, meteorologist says

As the US northeast endures a winter storm and California’s atmospheric river braces for flooding, it’s been mostly quiet and slightly cooler here in Houston this week.

So far so good, Jeffrey Evans says now is the time to discuss plans for severe weather. Evans is a meteorologist in charge of the Houston/Galveston National Weather Service.

“This is just a good time of year to assess the situation and figure out where you will go if a tornado warning is issued in your area,” he said. He also said that now is the time to look at potential damage around the house. “Look at the trees around the house. Is now the right time to prune trees that might fall?

Evans said as the inevitable heat wave of Houston approaches the area, there are some things to keep in mind. Most importantly, staying in the climate is dangerous to health.

“In fact, people are honest with themselves and understand that the heat is dangerous to health,” he said. “We live in a hot, humid climate, we’re used to it, but you still have people who can go too far with yard work.”

He said it’s also good to check on people in bad weather, especially the elderly or people who may not have air conditioning, which they may turn on frequently. Heat-related infant mortality is still a problem in Texas, he said.

“Check the back seat,” Evans said. “Leaving kids in cars from time to time in Texas, we’re still dealing with some of those deaths that are very, very preventable.”

Triple-digit days were common last summer, and Evans said it’s possible it could be the same this year.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if there are higher than normal forecasts for June/July/August.”

With all eyes on other parts of the country as they deal with severe weather, Evans said there is a lot of terminology that can leave those unfamiliar with it scratching their heads. For example, Nor’Easter.

“Northeast…mostly winter storms in the northeast. They are called northeasterly because these lows really embalm, really deepen, really intensify as they cross the Atlantic, and that brings a lot of northeasterly winds into New England and those areas, a lot of heavy snow and rain.”

California is dealing with an “atmospheric river”. According to Evans, this is a constant flow of moisture coming along with the weather system.

“Traditionally, the term is used for Pacific systems,” Evans said. “So these lows that are coming into California are connecting with a long, deep patch of moisture and really hitting them hard.”