Houston local weather alert for March 7,2026: 2/5 severe weather threat while we keep an eye on the weekend rodeo crowd. – 2024: Hail hits Houston Rodeo. As we track a severe weather threat of a 2 out of 5 today with the chance for another round of rain and thunderstorms the next several days.
Severe weather Threat: 2 out of 5 — defined by the NWS as scattered severe storms possible, but short-lived or not widespread. Isolated intense storms are possible.
Timeline (can change, but here’s what we’re looking at this morning):
We’re tracking a warm and muggy day with morning lows in the 70s (for context, our average high around now should be 71-77°F, but today we’re pushing into the 80s). This as we track a cold front which is why we have a severe weather risk as he air masses clash.
3 PM: We’ll watch the line from Floresville, Bryan to 45 up to the north.
5 PM: Still watching the line as it moves between 45 and 69 to the north.
By midnight: We’ll track more scattered storms as we wake up on Sunday.
Now let’s get back to the original question. Will we have hail like we did in 2024?
But first let’s talk about the numbers - so you know why we’re keeping a close eye on the forecast:
According to Houstonia Magazine averages from recent years: weekend average 136,664; weekday average 103,114. Saturdays draw about 33% more people on average
By the Numbers- 199,220 on Saturday, March 22, 2025 — single-day total attendance record (since 2003). Other big days: 183,240 on Saturday, March 15, 2025. 173,202 on Sunday, March 16, 2025.
Meaning weekends—especially Saturdays with high-profile concerts like Dwight Yoakam tonight—draw about 33% more people on average.
Which is why we need to keep a close eye on radar to keep you safe!
Looking at Future cast designed to track the chance for rain and thunderstorms, you can see our weather team is keeping a close eye on radar from 5 pm to 11 pm for the rodeo. It’s been somewhat a mixed bag with FC - Some time showing rain and others not. Probably because we’re tracking isolated cells. So keep your weather app handy so we can send you alerts!
The following year after the hail at the rodeo added a severe weather outline in the commercial exhibitor handbook—if lightning is seen or thunder is heard, move indoors; sustained winds reach 25 mph, secure loose items; 35+ mph, move outdoor exhibits to a pre-designated interior location; and if a tornado warning is issued, go immediately to pre-designated tornado shelter (lowest floor, away from windows).If no shelter nearby, lie flat in a ditch or low-lying area and cover your head.
And in a KPRC article in 2025, they collect data from a variety of resources fed into their command center, which includes wind speeds, lightning strikes, radar, rain probabilities, and more. Even some rides have weather sensors on them that feed back live data to the ride operators!