weather in LA vs Austin, TX (Los Angeles, Huntington Beach: house, tornado, to live in)

[toddbe]

i have lived in LA for 20 years, and now Portland for the past 10 years. I am seriously considering moving to the Austin area, but am concerned about heat/ humidity.

Can anyone compare the temp/ humidity in Austin to LA?

Thanks!
Todd

[Perdu]

//www.city-data.com/city/Houston-Texas.html

The above City-data site should inaugurate your comparison. I noted that Houston's tornado activity was 150% greater than the national average, and above the overall state average. The humidity is uppermost for all of the nation.

What L.A. lacks in tornados and humidity it more than makes up for in smog and congestion. Both cities have very hot summers unless you're sitting on the nearby beaches.

[jslatch]

Hi,
I currently live in Austin - it's GREAT here. Actually, a lot of people compare it to Portland (culturally, that is). Heat-wise, it's definitely hot, but I wouldn't say it's terribly humid. Houston is a totally different story, so don't take Houston advice and apply it to Austin.

We moved here (Austin) from Washington, DC, and honestly, I like the summers here better - the humidity was way worse there. Sometimes in the middle of summer, particularly if you're in a parking lot with no trees, it feels like you step into a dryer. But there are so many ways to keep cool here, from everything being air-conditioned to swimming holes ALL over the place (pools, rivers, ponds, lakes, natural springs), that it really doesn't bother me. One difference between Austin and LA, say, is that the mosquitos and bugs are really bad here. But other than that, the heat is probably comparable to the IE in the summer (ok, maybe a little hotter).

And while I understand some people love "the seasons," I love the fact that I'm in shorts today while they're battling snow storms in other parts of the country

The best thing about Austin, especially compared with this particuar LA forum... is that Austinites LOVE Austin. It's an infectious enthusiasm for the city that often translates into happiness and friendliness.

[AK123]

L.A. is generally less humid.

And actually, Austin is not that much less humid than Houston. I've lived in both cities, so have experience. And I saw weather stats saying Austin's average humidity is only 10% less than Houston's. It's definitely better, but not by a lot.

[AK123]

I noted that Houston's tornado activity was 150% greater than the national average

While it has more tornado activity than average, most of these are the little "F-0" category that do little more than knock over one tree or damage the roof some on a house or two. Not the same thing as the large tornado you will see in other parts of TX and midwestern states.

[LindaTx]

Originally Posted by toddbe

i have lived in LA for 20 years, and now Portland for the past 10 years. I am seriously considering moving to the Austin area, but am concerned about heat/ humidity.

Can anyone compare the temp/ humidity in Austin to LA?

Thanks!
Todd

My clients from CA who move here say its not much different, a little humidity,
really hot July and Aug. Dec in 70-80's. We are 3-5 hours to the water here, but we do have lots of big lakes near by. Move here and I will show you the best of Austin, I do relocation and investments. And its many CA people moving their businesses here.
LindaTx

[Dennis P]

I have some friends who used to live in Huntington Beach, and moved to Austin in July of 2000. I visited them the following year, in May of 2001. When I was there, the weather (to me) was hot and HUMID, especially when compared with Southern California. It really reminded me very much of the weather in Florida, where I lived as a youngster back in the early 70s. I'm sure to me, the humidity really bothered me, since I'm not used to it.

When I returned from Austin a week later, the weather here was the typical "June gloom" pattern of overcast skies in the morning, clearing to hazy sunshine in the early afternoon with high temps in the upper 60s / low 70s.

[Robert123]

I live in San ANtonio, 80 miles south of Austin. What I love about the weather in SA are the warm, breezy nights. In CA, the temp drops like a rock at sunset, and I don't like that.

[AustinGuy]

Originally Posted by LindaTx

My clients from CA who move here say its not much different, a little humidity,
really hot July and Aug. Dec in 70-80's. We are 3-5 hours to the water here, but we do have lots of big lakes near by. Move here and I will show you the best of Austin, I do relocation and investments. And its many CA people moving their businesses here.
LindaTx

Sorry, but this is completely false. Los Angeles weather is about 100x better than Austin weather, it is some of the best weather anywhere for that matter. I think California people who move here to Austin try to convince themselves that is just like California to make them feel better, but in reality, it is much more humid and hot in the summer, and much colder in the winter. Also, we get sun here most of the year, but it is a hazier sort of sun than in LA (if you don't count the smog filled areas which are always hazy.)

[fairweathergolfer]

When I was visiting Austin deciding whether to move there I came to the same conclusion as AustinGuy and decided not to move there. You know people are in denial when they say things like, "It is fine as long as you stay in the air conditioned places". Sorry I can't jog with an air conditioner. OR one friend said they just think of it as being in a sauna sweating out the toxins. HMMM.

My lip stick, styled hair, and silk shirt think they'd rather be in temperate Cali., thank you much. Plus I am a big fan of layers and wraps, just too moist there for a pretty wrap on a sizzling, humid day. But Austin is just beautiful and if one can tolerate the humidity and heat I say buy, buy, buy. I would if I wasn't such a whether and clothing snob . Plus they have fantastic lightening storms. Just amazing.