Texas summers and Humidity (Houston, El Paso: house, school, university)

[Vancouver7]

I am disabled and can't function in"wet" and/or "high" humidity. I was looking at Lubbock Texas but someone says it's right in the middle of Tornado Alley. I've never been in a tornado or hurricane this makes me nervous, so now I'm looking at other areas and I'm not sure about Lubbock even though I hear it's beautiful and it has a big teaching University there.

Can someone that has lived in Texas all their lives and know a lot about Texas weather please tell me where is the best place for me to live. I'm not a winter person either and I don't care for a lot of snow and ice but the humidity is what makes me not comfortable and unfunctional. I have nerve damage and I am incontinent so being in hot and high humidity makes a very droopy diaper (laughing).

I heard Lubbock would be the driest but I read the reviews here and people talk about the I-35 Corridor West, and Marfa Alpine Fort Davis areas, and West Central, and the north, and the Panhandle, so I'm extremely confused. I really don't want to be in a hurricane or tornado.

I need expert advice from people who know Texas
God bless!!

[TheOverdog]

I heard Lubbock would be the driest but I read the reviews here and people talk about the I-35 Corridor West, and Marfa Alpine Fort Davis areas, and West Central, and the north, and the Panhandle, so I'm extremely confused. I really don't want to be in a hurricane or tornado.

If I were you I'd look at Denver or the Colorado front range land, Flagstaff AZ, or Albuquerque NM. All are much less humid than any place in Texas, and much more 'inclusive' where the urban design is better for someone who is disabled. Neither Lubbock nor Amarillo is designed for the disabled.


Lubbock and Amarillo are both less humid (far less) than most of Texas, so if you are set on Texas they are good places to look. They get insanely hot though in the summer, and both get yearly snowfall.

[ChristieP]

Here's a map of "Tornado alley" which is basically the center of the US. As you'll see, Lubbock is one of the higher risk areas, but it is not as high as most of Oklahoma, and a lot of Kansas and Mississippi.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornad...nado_Alley.svg
Most native Texans have never had a tornado directly hit their house, so the odds are really in your favor, even in Lubbock.

Hurricanes are not an issue in most of Texas other than Houston and on the coast. For example, today Hurricane Willa, which came ashore in Mexico as a Category 4, is making it rain a little here in the DFW area.

ALL of Texas is hot in the summer, and most of it is somewhat humid. No, Lubbock is not as humid as Houston, but there is some humidity. Fort Davis/Marfa/Alpine are gorgeous parts of the state with lower humidity, but if you have health issues, they are seriously lacking in medical care. You'd be driving a long way to Midland, El Paso or San Angelo for anything beyond basic care.

[shoe01]

Originally Posted by Vancouver7

I am disabled and can't function in"wet" and/or "high" humidity. I was looking at Lubbock Texas but someone says it's right in the middle of Tornado Alley. I've never been in a tornado or hurricane this makes me nervous, so now I'm looking at other areas and I'm not sure about Lubbock even though I hear it's beautiful and it has a big teaching University there.

Can someone that has lived in Texas all their lives and know a lot about Texas weather please tell me where is the best place for me to live. I'm not a winter person either and I don't care for a lot of snow and ice but the humidity is what makes me not comfortable and unfunctional. I have nerve damage and I am incontinent so being in hot and high humidity makes a very droopy diaper (laughing).

I heard Lubbock would be the driest but I read the reviews here and people talk about the I-35 Corridor West, and Marfa Alpine Fort Davis areas, and West Central, and the north, and the Panhandle, so I'm extremely confused. I really don't want to be in a hurricane or tornado.

I need expert advice from people who know Texas
God bless!!

El Paso gets the least amount of rain and is likely the least humid overall, but it does have the monsoon season in late summer, when it can feel like areas closer to the Gulf Coast. It's the only true desert metro in the state.

Fort Davis/Alpine/Marfa might be better due to being 5,000+ feet, but might still get high dew points (have never been, but am just going by what I've experienced in similar mountainous places).

Lubbock has a wide variety of weather events, but the majority of the time, it's sunny with low humidity. It's the other 20-30% that will likely get to you. (That would include rain, snow/ice, some hail, and the occasional tornado watch, which can sometimes become a warning. There was an EF-5 in 1970 that devastated downtown & the north side. "Tornado alley" to me is everything in the lower 48 east of the Rockies, but others might include the west, too.) There are some days of blowing dust annually which can vary in scope; not sure how you feel about that. Texas Tech is a beautiful campus.

Other semiarid cities include Amarillo (gets more snow and is colder than than Lubbock in winter, but is somewhat cooler in summer), and Midland (less snow, hotter summers). Not sure if I'd recommend any others in TX for your condition.

Hope this helps.

[RJ312]

I'd probably not look in Texas, although West Texas as a whole is better in terms of humidity. New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado have less humidity.

[panhandle8]

Amarillo gets minute amounts of snow. I have been here a bit over 4 years and only 1 year we have had measurable snow and it melts in 2 days.

[katygirl68]

Originally Posted by TheOverdog

If I were you I'd look at Denver or the Colorado front range land, Flagstaff AZ, or Albuquerque NM. All are much less humid than any place in Texas, and much more 'inclusive' where the urban design is better for someone who is disabled. Neither Lubbock nor Amarillo is designed for the disabled.


Lubbock and Amarillo are both less humid (far less) than most of Texas, so if you are set on Texas they are good places to look. They get insanely hot though in the summer, and both get yearly snowfall.

But their nights are really cool in the summer. I was born in Amarillo and most of my family still lives there. It’s a pretty decent city, though I’m glad we moved to Houston when I was a kid. OP, you’d hate Houston if you can’t handle humidity.

As for tornadoes, they’re pretty rare and you can get a house with a tornado closet if need be. My sister had one in the Denton area near Fort Worth, and it’s pretty cool. It’s the big utility closet under the stairs with reinforced steel, though you could do it to any closet I suppose. We don’t have the need in Houston because the tornadoes we get are extremely rare and usually not very strong. But we do get hurricanes. I’ve lived in Houston for 46 years and only lived through three, though Harvey wasn’t really a full on hurricane here. It was more of a tropical storm, but it scared me a lot more than the other two hurricanes that were direct hits on my area (Alicia and Ike). It made me truly understand what the people that wrote about the biblical flood must have been through. It felt like it would never stop raining, and the fact that we had electricity the whole time made it even worse for me. That radar red that swirled around and around over us for two or three days felt very oppressive. I will never forget it.

[katygirl68]

Originally Posted by panhandle8

Amarillo gets minute amounts of snow. I have been here a bit over 4 years and only 1 year we have had measurable snow and it melts in 2 days.

That’s sad. It snowed quite a bit when I was a kid, but that was in the ‘70s when climate scientists were talking about another mini ice age. Obviously that didn’t happen.

[Arkay66]

Amarillo has low humidity year round; it's classified as semi-arid. It's also at high altitude (above 3600' above sea level), if that's an issue for you.

It's also the medical center for a tri-state area. The medical industry is one of the largest employers in Amarillo. Quite a few of Lubbock's Texas Tech University medical school parts are in Amarillo.

Winters can be colder than the rest of the state, but they do not hold a candle to winters farther north. Summers are hot, but there's generally a breeze to cool things down, and nights are lovely. According to some climatologists, Amarillo has the nicest overall climate in the US interior.

Suggest you visit both Amarillo and Lubbock and feel the climate for yourself. One of them will probably work for you.

[MisterShipWreck]

Originally Posted by panhandle8

Amarillo gets minute amounts of snow. I have been here a bit over 4 years and only 1 year we have had measurable snow and it melts in 2 days.

I have lives in Texas since 1996. I easily recall the news over the years showing Amarillo getting a lot of snow and ice some winters. I wouldn't wanna put up with that.