20 hours Ago By KTRK
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston has nearly 5,700 miles of paved concrete surfaces, including highways, but did you know that one is somewhat of an invisible barrier when storms develop? This is why meteorologists, including ABC13, use I-10 as a point of reference in the forecasts when storms approach the Houston area. SEE ALSO: New 'heat-mapping' study shows large difference in temps among Houston and Harris Co. communities Houston Chronicle Meteorologist Justin Ballard stopped by ABC13's Weather Now to explain.
In short, storms do not experience or know the Houston highways or where they move. So, if the dark cloud cover stops shy of a bridge, it has more to do with proximity to the coast. CHECK 13 ALERT RADAR HERE Ballard credits this in his Chronicle article to the three microclimates under which Southeast Texas is divided.
They are the Gulf Coast Plains climate- a subtropical and humid marine prairies and marshes characterize it. The counties include Harris, Fort Bend, Liberty, Chambers, and Galveston. Then, there is the Piney Woods Climate, which includes Montgomery, Polk, San Jacinto, Walker, and Waller counties.
It is a subtropical humid region known for its mix of evergreens and forests. The last one is the Post Oak Savannah. This subtropical and subhumid region features wet summers and dry winters and is home to mixed prairie, savanna, and woodlands.
This climate makes up Austin to Burleson County and Westward to I-35 corridor..
