Texas Weather and Climate

Texas, with over 268,000 square miles contained within its borders, features several distinct geological areas, each with its own climate and weather patterns. There are, however, four generalizations that can be made: it is normally sunny; summers are usually hot, with the average temperature for all areas around 90 degrees for the summer months; the wind is almost always blowing, no matter the region; and the weather changes so frequently that forecasting remains a difficult task even with the latest equipment.

The Gulf Coast area in southeast Texas features warm winters and hot, muggy summers due to the high humidity. Precipitation is almost entirely in the form of rain, and snow is so rare it is literally a once in a lifetime occurrence and even then there is seldom any accumulation. Rain, however, occurs roughly once every three to four days, or between 90 and 105 days per year. Annual rainfall in the area ranges between 42 and 58 inches.

At the other end of the spectrum, the desert areas of south and west Texas receive less than 9 inches per year, spread over about 50 days. These dry, arid areas feature hot days and cool nights.

Central Texas and most of the Texas Panhandle will see between 20 and 30 inches of precipitation in an average year. However, this will arrive in various forms, including hail, snow, sleet, and rain. Flash flooding in the central Hill Country, snow drifts in the Panhandle, and ice storms in North Central Texas all are fairly normal occurrences in any given year.

East Texas, with its pine forests, receives almost as much rainfall as the Gulf Coast. This, too, can come as rain or snow. On average, the area will see between 32 and 48 inches of precipitation a year.

The average precipitation rates indicate that, based on the area, Texas about as much rainfall as Washington, or as little as Nevada and Arizona. As it is easy to see, Texas, when it comes to weather, is a state of extremes. This also holds for temperature variations.

While almost every region can see summer temperatures in excess of 100 degrees, winter temperatures are subject to greater deviation. Along the Gulf Coast, daily highs will be in the 50-60 degree range in the winter, while during the same time period, the northern parts of the state will commonly see daytime highs in the 20’s and 30’s.

The state is also visited by almost every type of severe weather known. The Gulf Coast has been struck by numerous hurricanes. One devastated the port city of Indianola in 1875, killing approximately 400 people. In 1886, another one destroyed the town. The Galveston hurricane of 1900 killed at least 8,000 people, and some estimates place the actual number of casualties at well over 10,000. More recently, Hurricane Ike, in 2008, did a great deal of property damage to Galveston but claimed few lives.

Tornadoes are also very common in Texas, and the state, with an average of almost 140 twisters per year, leads the country in the number of tornadoes. Much of Texas lies within the boundaries of the famous “Tornado Alley”, where most of the twisters occur. One particular powerful tornado hit the city of Wichita Falls in April of 1979, cutting an eight mile swath of destruction through the town. This F-4 tornado claimed more than 40 lives in the city and did property damage in excess of $400 million.

The rocky ground of the central Hill Country is subject to frequent flooding. High average rainfall, coupled with the sloping, poorly draining soil, make flash floods a common occurrence, particularly during the spring and summer months.

Many areas of Texas are prone to heat waves that can be dangerous to human, animal, and plant life. One of the worst in recent history occurred in 1980, when the Dallas area experienced 42 consecutive days of temperatures in excess of 100 degrees, including two days of back to back 113 readings. The all-time record high was broken 29 times during the heat wave.

On the somewhat calmer side, thunderstorms, some quite severe, are a way of life in every area of Texas except the southwest section. Blizzards are not unknown in the Panhandle and North Texas, but are rare.

In short, the state of Texas makes true the old joke that if you don’t like the weather in Texas, just stick around a few minutes and it will change.