Houston has its share of celebrities to get excited about when you see them around town doing normal people things. It might be Jose Altuve or Bun B that turns your head at a stoplight, but there is a certain Houston meteorologist who is gaining more and more well-deserved fame. Since the 2015 launch of his website and subsequent app and updates on social media, Eric Berger has become a household name. He is the man behind Space City Weather and I was lucky enough to sit down and have a talk about – you guessed it – the weather and what the future has in store for Harris County.
Eric Berger is a journalist and meteorologist who is the founder and senior editor of Space City Weather. With a formal education in astronomy, journalism, and meteorology, Berger built his career at the Houston Chronicle before ultimately creating Space City Weather.
Space City Weather is a go to website for Harris County residents. and the first sentence in their About Us section couldn't be more clear with their purpose, "This website is dedicated to covering Houston weather news and forecasting with accuracy and without hype."
Some of us are still reeling from Hurricane Beryl last year so we talked about what happened and then discussed some very practical preparation for this year's upcoming Hurricane Season (June 1st to November 30th).
Hurricane Beryl's Surprise Impact
When discussing Hurricane Beryl, Eric explained that it caught many Houstonians off guard for two key reasons. First, about five days before landfall, most models predicted it would hit Mexico or South Texas. Second, Beryl was actively strengthening as it made landfall, possibly even continuing to intensify after reaching shore.
"The difference with Beryl is it came in much further down the coast," Eric explained, "and so its strongest winds were over West Houston, downtown Houston, and the most populous parts of Houston. Areas west of I-45 had not seen winds like that in a long, long time, probably dating back to (Hurricane) Carla."
Ultimately, Hurricane Beryl caused extensive damage across Texas, with winds up to 97 mph. The storm left 2.7 million people without power in Houston, dropped over 13 inches of rain in some areas, and spawned 16 confirmed tornadoes across the state. The storm resulted in at least seven deaths from fallen trees, flooding, and other storm-related incidents.
But with every tragedy, there is a chance to learn
For personal hurricane preparation, Eric recommends knowing your specific vulnerabilities based on your location. "You've got to know your vulnerabilities and understand: Are there scenarios in which I would evacuate?" he advised. Have a clear plan for different scenarios, know where you would go, what you would take, and how you'll care for family members and pets. But he also cautions against obsessing over every tropical disturbance: "To live in Houston with a healthy mental state, you need to be prepared for hurricanes but not overly worried about them."
Climate Change's Impact on Houston
From sweltering summers to the ever-present threat of hurricanes, living in Houston means that we're no strangers to weather extremes. And it IS getting hotter! I wanted to know what Houston could expect in the years to come. Eric had some sobering thoughts on what we can expect.
According to Eric, we're experiencing a clear warming trend that will continue. "We've seen summers get longer, we've seen nights get warmer, and we've seen winters become shorter in their duration," he noted. One of the most noticeable changes is in Galveston, where nighttime temperatures often remain in the upper 70s or even 80 degrees due to the warming Gulf.
"The average date of the first 90° day in Houston now has migrated over the last 20 years three weeks earlier," Eric explained, meaning our air conditioning season is expanding. While we may not see more hurricanes in the future, the ones that do form are likely to become more intense, bringing greater potential for flooding, wind damage, and storm surges.
Even winter weather is being affected. Despite the overall warming trend, Eric explained the paradox of recent severe cold events like Winter Storm Uri and this year's hard freeze and snow. "As that circulation becomes a little less stable, you get outbreaks of colder air that come down," he said, referring to the polar vortex. While the average temperatures continue to rise, these periodic cold outbreaks are still possible.
The "Stay Informed" section of the library's Emergency Preparedness page recommends bookmarking websites like ReadyHarris.org and Ready.gov, which provide real-time alerts and preparedness information. Ready.gov is a national campaign aimed at empowering people to prepare for, respond to, and mitigate emergencies.
Know Your Flood Risk
Know Your Evacuation Zone & Route
Looking Ahead: Houston's Future Challenges
And finally – I asked what should we be thinking about for the future and he had some thoughts on the Ike Dike and how politics plays into our weather.
Eric expressed genuine concern about Houston's future viability as America's fourth-largest city if we don't address our climate vulnerabilities. "From a flooding standpoint, that is an existential risk for this area," he warned. With increasingly frequent heavy rain events causing significant disruptions, Eric believes we need smarter development with proper drainage systems.
Additionally, it's been two decades since Hurricane Ike ravaged the Texas coast, inspiring the Ike Dike—a proposed coastal barrier that would extend across Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula with floodgates to protect Galveston Bay and Houston from Gulf storm surges. The massive infrastructure project would dramatically enhance the existing Galveston Seawall and is designed to withstand a 10,000-year storm.
On the Ike Dike coastal barrier project, Eric was direct: "It's been almost two decades, so that needs to happen." He also emphasized the need for a comprehensive regional flood plan following Hurricane Harvey. "We just haven't seen that kind of comprehensive plan after Hurricane Harvey, and that's a little bit disturbing to me because Harvey was such a wake-up call for this region."
"I think that we're at the point now where we end up spending more after disasters to clean them up than we would be spending to be proactive about them," Eric noted about the political approach to climate adaptation in Texas.
As Eric puts it, if we want Houston to remain the vibrant city it is today, addressing our weather vulnerabilities should be a top priority. And on a lighter note, his final suggestion for making Houston more livable? "More bike trails."
Related Content
Hurricane Season in Texas officially starts June 1st and lasts until November 30th. Here are some books to help you feel secure, prepared, and ready.
Add a comment to: Interview with Space City Weather’s Eric Berger