What is a Texas summer like?? (San Antonio, Austin: schools, college, swimming)

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by Westerntraveler

haha....yep that's true.....Midland is not hot and humid enough for me.....and the winters are too much for my liking.

Uh.....what winters...? I don't remember any appreciable cold and snow since 1998 or so.

80 in January and 90 in February....I HATE it when that happens!

[Westerntraveler]

I have very little cold tolerance so I can feel the winters.....I love 80's in jan and 90's in feb and 100's in march or april would make me even happier.We had a real big snow storm that was worse than 98 a couple years ago this winter.

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

Uh.....what winters...? I don't remember any appreciable cold and snow since 1998 or so.

I think I shared this story on here somewhere, so if you've heard this one....

Many of the current Texas South Plains farming families originated in eastern Texas where they grew cotton before the immigration of the cotton boll weevil from Mexico over a century ago. After the pest begin eating up the cotton in eastern Texas, some of the families there moved to the Texas High Plains where they continued to grow cotton boll weevil free. The High Plains was weevil free simply because the insect couldn't survive the year after year of harsh High Plains winters. That has changed in recent years and mild winters have allowed the boll weevil to get footholds on the Texas Plains especially across the southern end and edges.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by Westerntraveler

I have very little cold tolerance so I can feel the winters.....I love 80's in jan and 90's in feb and 100's in march or april would make me even happier.We had a real big snow storm that was worse than 98 a couple years ago this winter.

Wow. I obviously missed that one, LOL!

Seems like sometime within the last 2-3 years, Midland had a record snow season, more than some areas in NM got! Now that's my kind of winter.

Even when I get back to Texas (with summers still spent up here), I'll probably come back at some point in the winter if I want some cold weather.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by High_Plains_Retired

I think I shared this story on here somewhere, so if you've heard this one....

Many of the current Texas South Plains farming families originated in eastern Texas where they grew cotton before the immigration of the cotton boll weevil from Mexico over a century ago. After the pest begin eating up the cotton in eastern Texas, some of the families there moved to the Texas High Plains where they continued to grow cotton boll weevil free. The High Plains was weevil free simply because the insect couldn't survive the year after year of harsh High Plains winters. That has changed in recent years and mild winters have allowed the boll weevil to get footholds on the Texas Plains especially across the southern end and edges.

No, I don't remember hearing that.

I do know that it seemed to snow a lot more when I was going to Tech (70-74) than it does there now.

I want real Texas winters back.....

[Willsson]

Originally Posted by Bluemerle

Hi all,

I am from Northern Cali (near the Sacramento valley). We have HOT, dry summers here (95+) on average with an occasional 80's. We do get an occasional heat wave from 101-108 that lasts about a week or so....

My question is: is this anything comparable to Texas heat, especially in Hill Country and in the area near Frisco/McKinney area?

Thanks so much!

A Texas summer can be comparable to your inquiry, though a heat wave can last for weeks. However, Texas weather can vary regardless of the time of year.

Summers usually suffer a high pressure system over the middle of Texas that can last for weeks and keep an overnight low in the mid-80's. Or like this year, it can dissolve leaving the region with mid-90's highs with rain for days on end.

Winters can be unusually mild with only one or two Canadian cold fronts. Or intense cold with weekly cold fronts from Canada, or the PNW.

Texas has weather from almost any direction other than east. We get warm humid fronts from the Gulf of Mexico. Or Pacific fronts traveling over Mexico usually with rain. Or from southern California. Or from the Pacific NW. Or those cold buggers from Canada. But the only dependable weather is that high pressure system hovering over the middle of the state. Like that dome on TV, nothing gets in but the heat.

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

No, I don't remember hearing that.

I do know that it seemed to snow a lot more when I was going to Tech (70-74) than it does there now.

I want real Texas winters back.....

Yes, I remember some "doozie" snow storms that drifted over cars, fences and anything else shorter than shoulder-high. However, I also remember some ice storms that made Eskimos jealous. Was that 1983 when it stayed below zero for several days straight even during the day? That year all the citrus in Texas was lost and much into Mexico. I was visiting my in-laws during Christmas from NOLA and didn't know if I was going to get back.

[Watchful]

Originally Posted by Bluemerle

Hi all,

I am from Northern Cali (near the Sacramento valley). We have HOT, dry summers here (95+) on average with an occasional 80's. We do get an occasional heat wave from 101-108 that lasts about a week or so....

My question is: is this anything comparable to Texas heat, especially in Hill Country and in the area near Frisco/McKinney area?

Thanks so much!

NO COMPARISON. As some have implied, it isn't the highs...it's the lows....when it doesn't cool off at night for months at a time, it gets quite miserable and you find yourself living an A/C existence.

I spent 55 of my 58 summers in eastern Texas and/or Houston, so that is one of the big reasons we moved to Virginia this year. Loving four seasons country.

ALSO...it's the length of the hot weather - it starts too early in the spring, and lasts too long into the fall. As much as we love high school football, our band used to not wear their uniforms for the games in September - still too hot even in the evenings... #lovingvirginia

[Westerntraveler]

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

Wow. I obviously missed that one, LOL!

Seems like sometime within the last 2-3 years, Midland had a record snow season, more than some areas in NM got! Now that's my kind of winter.

Even when I get back to Texas (with summers still spent up here), I'll probably come back at some point in the winter if I want some cold weather.

haha I remember in 2011 skool in dallas was cancelled for at least a week straight.

[DitsyD]

Originally Posted by Westerntraveler

haha I remember in 2011 skool in dallas was cancelled for at least a week straight.

That was because the schools had no heat. Many Texas power generators were offline for maintenance because we usually have mild winters. Well, it got cold and non essential power was cut off and we had rolling black outs for that week.