Do the winters get brown and ugly here (Houston, Galveston: 2015, home)

[NashvilleBoy]

I'm from Tennessee and the winters were brown and ugly up there, so I really don't want to see dead trees everywhere. I know there's a quick freeze tonight, but I'm worried things will be dead by January lol.

[Double L]

No, Houston stays green year round. One of our best assets.

[elnina]

No freeze tonight or this week. Lots of trees are evergreen, not much of colorful fall colors. Nothing will be dead by January. Not even roaches

[As Above So Below...]

No, it doesn’t tend to get brown here.

[kemahkami]

The Houston area has vegetation typical of other parts of the Gulf/Atlantic coastal South. So while there will be areas of bare deciduous trees, there's also large areas of pines, as well as broadleaf evergreen live oaks, magnolias, etc. You also have the presence of numerous subtropic cultivates like palms, oleanders, and azaleas.

[As Above So Below...]

There was frost on the grass this morning. That was different. But it is rare.

[NoHyping]

Originally Posted by NashvilleBoy

I'm from Tennessee and the winters were brown and ugly up there, so I really don't want to see dead trees everywhere. I know there's a quick freeze tonight, but I'm worried things will be dead by January lol.

I think just commonsense says well.... Houston is much further South then Nashville and Nashville still gets a real winter though not like New England. and the mountains are fully covered in deciduous trees so they will go bare by december.

Houston is huge in miles across it sprawls. No Northern city will have its broad city limits. Downton Houston is like 50 miles from the actual Gulf. Northern Houston still in the city is half that yet.

You can use streetviews to compare years and seasons they were taken of the same views. Some hit multiple seasons to compare. So I did just that.

Here is a NORTHSIDE OF HOUSTON rural looking scene for sure. To me ..... it could be anywhere up North in early fall, later fall but before the leaves are all off and mid-spring. To think much of Houston looks tropical is far from it especially its northern half and plenty of suburbs even futher.

Oct 2015 - looks like very early fall up north.
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.8607...7i13312!8i6656

Nov 2018 - clearly looks like well into fall up North.
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.8606...7i16384!8i8192

March 2019 - looks like further into Spring up North.
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.8606...7i16384!8i8192

January clearly will have bare trees even if bit more green in the grass remains over Tennessee.
How about 3 more streetviews North Houston. Nice Suburban scene and also could be anywhere up North also. Big evergreen tree on right and distance more.

NORTHSIDE OF HOUSTON AGAIN - More SUBURBAN SCENE.

August 2014 - clearly summerlike
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.8352...7i13312!8i6656

December 2014 - clearly fall-like over winter,
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.8352...7i13312!8i6656

February 2019 - clearly deciduous trees bare and evergreens of course not grass still green.
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.8352...7i16384!8i8192

Hopefully, the different seasons and years come up for you in streetview as they did for me.....

These are within the city and not the far northern burbs that may show more northern look of seasons. Grass stayed more green then not. Snow of course very limited but have seen streetviews with dustings, just did not spend time to find some again. Commonsense is much milder winters then Tennessee and by me in Pennsylvania. No shoveling snow etc.
You want posible more tropical spots then.... of course very southern Houston closest to the gulf or into galveston. Still ANYWHERE HERE EXPECT LONG HOT AND HUMID SUMMERS with week or months of no releaf. One has to give and take and realize it still is not Southern California with virtually no seasons and dry plenty of sun.

SOUTH HOUSTON. Still NOT near the Gulf to be very tropical and looks like up North it could be too, Midwest maybe?

March 2013. Earlier Fall-like up North over still more winter up North in March....
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.6217...7i13312!8i6656

November 2019 - Clearly like a Fall scene with browns and golds and still green grass.
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.6217...7i16384!8i8192

December 2018 - More Brown and later Fall-like up North.
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.6217...7i16384!8i8192

AGAIN, Tennessee is not upper-Midwest winter. Nashville is not a sleepy city anymore without Corporate investment to find work and still the South. You MIGHT NOT FIND your more ALL YEAR GREEN with Houston. Still deeper South more East-Gulf probably is and of course hugging the Gulf like Galveston south of Houston is much more Tropical too. PICK YOUR CITY AND OF COURSE LESS WINTER COLD IN HOUSTON. JUST COMMON SENSE.

You will excuse me for a Chuckle saying - seeing DEAD TREES. That is what I my Filipino Sister-in-Law said when I picked her up at a Pennsylvania Airport said as we were approaching my Brothers home though rural Pa and mountains full of dead trees said on a December day. SHE WAS SO NAIVE that WINTERS or LATE FALL MEANT OUR KINDS OF NON-EVERGREENS LOST THEIR LEAVES AND I TOLD HER THEY WERE JUST ASLEEP LOL.

PICK YOUR RELOCATION WELL IF DEAD TREES MAKE OR BREAK IT FOR YA ....... being no doubt YOUNG. GOOD LUCK!!!

[Dopo]

I lived in Missouri for a long time,
winter in Houston is like September-October in Missouri

Believe it or not,
you'll find people here that will complain that "it doesn't feel like Christmas"
because average highs in December in Houston is about 65F.

[crone]

Originally Posted by Dopo

I lived in Missouri for a long time,
winter in Houston is like September-October in Missouri

Believe it or not,
you'll find people here that will complain that "it doesn't feel like Christmas"
because average highs in December in Houston is about 65F.

We moved from all over Texas to Webster Groves Mo in Feb. That was the first time we had ever seen real seasons. When the trees turned in the fall the kids were amazed. Thought that only happened in books.

No frost here at 290@1960. Plenty of flowers that will be here until late spring. Pansies, cyclamen, geraniums, dianthus and a few I can't remember. The live oaks and pine will keep their leaves through the winter. As will most of the bushes and shrubs.

Depending on the weather, the azaleas will bloom mid February-mid march.

[LocalPlanner]

If we get a "hard freeze" (temperature below 28F for several hours a couple nights in a row) then you'll see a lot more brown, mostly from dead lawns and certain ornamental shrubs and grasses. These freezes no longer happen as much as they did when I was growing up here, when it seemed it was at least every other year. Now, we probably have those every 3-4 years.