Weather in Houston?

[Tya1987]

I come from a cold climate in WI, so take that for what its worth, however I have found the climate to be quite pleasing, as many have mentioned the summers are HOT, but like with most climates there are seasons that are rough. For example in Wisconsin is was cold from pretty much end of October through April/May, that is 6 months of cold where you are trapped indoors. I have found here in Houston I can comfortably be outside for 8-9 months out of the year. My wife and I truly enjoy it, and I am not from a warm climate so it was totally different from what I was accustomed to. As long as you have realistic expectations it won't be that bad, just know what you are getting into and be careful who you listen to, some folks will make this sound like hell on earth, and that is just a flat out lie.

[Yn0hTnA]

Originally Posted by War Beagle

People here start to say that autumn is in the air when it routinely stops hitting the 90s. That's usually late September or early October.

We have a good 4 months here that are legitimately hot. There are another 3 months that are warm-to-hot, but not oppressive. One thing to note about the summer is that there is very little temperature variation for about 3 months. The high is likely to be somewhere between 90-98 or so and the low will be anywhere from 72-78. It's surprisingly rare for Houston to hit 100 compared to other cities in the state. Eventually, you forget that you are hot. What I actually find worst about the summer is that is doesn't drop into the 60s for 3 months out of the year. I find the summer nights here to be more unpleasant than the days because of how humid they are.

While there is almost no temperature variation in the summer, the remaining 4-5 months can be crazy. One day can be a high in the 70s, a cold front will pass through and then it will be in the 40s within an hour or two. This tends to happen continually during the non-summer months. The average winter temps are not indicative of what the temperature is likely to be on a given day, rather they are the average of the huge swings that occur due to fronts.

Yes, the winter averages do factor in the frontal temp swings, but they are not as either or as people make it seem; many winter days in Houston do have highs/lows within a few degrees of the averages, and they do occur in a row as well.

Originally Posted by Mandres

That's just about right. It's also not uncommon to go for weeks with overcast, gray sky during the winter as the fronts move through. For me, the prolonged wet, dreary winter months are even worse than the summer humidity.

Weather is dreary at times during winter, but the overcast does not last for weeks.

Originally Posted by War Beagle

That's a good point. I only mentioned temperatures, but there tend to be distinct precipitation patterns too. The winters can be pretty wet with the fronts that come through; we get a little less monthly rain in the winter but it is more regular. The winters are also surprisingly cold given the relatively mild temperatures because of the sky-high humidity. The worst is when it is about 40 and that mist hangs in the air for what seems like days on end. That wet cold goes right to your bones.

The summer rainfall is deceptive. It is high, but we can go weeks without rain only for it to rain an inch or more in one event. Despite also being on the Gulf, Houston summer rain is not nearly as regular as in Florida.

Summer rains in the Florida Peninsula are a lot more regular compared to many other locations in the Southeast, not just Houston; the peninsula orientation allows for sea-breezes to come from both the Gulf, and South Atlantic. And, like clockwork, summer rains happen due to the convergences.