Houston climate
Houston (Texas, United States) has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The average temperature over the year is 21 °C69 °F, and about 1,247 mm49 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Houston climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1661 | 541 | 1151 | 893.5 | 5 |
| Feb | 1965 | 745 | 1355 | 702.7 | 2 |
| Mar | 2373 | 1152 | 1762 | 853.3 | 1 |
| Apr | 2680 | 1559 | 2169 | 873.4 | 0 |
| May | 3187 | 1967 | 2577 | 1194.7 | 0 |
| Jun | 3492 | 2373 | 2883 | 1265.0 | 0 |
| Jul | 3493 | 2475 | 2984 | 1104.3 | 0 |
| Aug | 3594 | 2475 | 2985 | 1254.9 | 0 |
| Sep | 3289 | 2170 | 2680 | 1184.6 | 0 |
| Oct | 2882 | 1660 | 2271 | 1285.0 | 0 |
| Nov | 2272 | 1051 | 1661 | 943.7 | 0 |
| Dec | 1864 | 643 | 1253 | 963.8 | 3 |
| Year | 3594 | 541 | 2169 | 1,24749 | 12 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 81% | 59% | 2.9 | 10:26 |
| Feb | 81% | 64% | 3.3 | 11:06 |
| Mar | 80% | 60% | 4.5 | 11:55 |
| Apr | 77% | 57% | 5.3 | 12:51 |
| May | 74% | 51% | 6.0 | 13:38 |
| Jun | 73% | 44% | 6.3 | 14:03 |
| Jul | 75% | 47% | 6.1 | 13:53 |
| Aug | 72% | 44% | 5.9 | 13:12 |
| Sep | 75% | 44% | 5.0 | 12:18 |
| Oct | 75% | 36% | 4.4 | 11:23 |
| Nov | 78% | 47% | 3.3 | 10:37 |
| Dec | 80% | 59% | 2.6 | 10:14 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Houston is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 35 °C94 °F and a low of 24 °C75 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 16 °C61 °F and lows 5 °C41 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 18.8 °C33.8 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,247 mm49 in of precipitation per year. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is October (128 mm5.0 in), the driest is February (70 mm2.7 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 72% in August to 81% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 36%) are typical of October. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in August to 8 km/h (5 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 10.2 hours in December to 14.0 hours in June.
Best time to visit Houston
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are February–April and November: average highs of 19 °C65 °F to 26 °C80 °F with 70 mm2.7 in to 94 mm3.7 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is August, which is hot, with average highs of 35 °C94 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
Houston weather by month
- January16 °C61 °F / 5 °C41 °F
- February19 °C65 °F / 7 °C45 °F
- March23 °C73 °F / 11 °C52 °F
- April26 °C80 °F / 15 °C59 °F
- May31 °C87 °F / 19 °C67 °F
- June34 °C92 °F / 23 °C73 °F
- July34 °C93 °F / 24 °C75 °F
- August35 °C94 °F / 24 °C75 °F
- September32 °C89 °F / 21 °C70 °F
- October28 °C82 °F / 16 °C60 °F
- November22 °C72 °F / 10 °C51 °F
- December18 °C64 °F / 6 °C43 °F
What to pack for Houston
- Winter (December–February) — highs 1661 to 19 °C65 °F, lows 541 to 7 °C45 °F, about 85 mm3.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 2373 to 31 °C87 °F, lows 1152 to 19 °C67 °F, about 97 mm3.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 3492 to 35 °C94 °F, lows 2373 to 24 °C75 °F, about 120 mm4.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 2272 to 32 °C89 °F, lows 1051 to 21 °C70 °F, about 113 mm4.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Houston compares
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Houston is the 24th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 46th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Putian (China, Cfa), Sanming (China, Cfa) and Ningde (China, Cfa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Cypress (pop. 200,839). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Houston, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Pasadena 17 km · 21 °C70 °F · 1,466 mm58 in
- Beaumont 127 km · 21 °C69 °F · 1,509 mm59 in
- College Station 134 km · 20 °C68 °F · 1,069 mm42 in
- Austin 236 km · 20 °C69 °F · 840 mm33 in
- Waco 262 km · 20 °C67 °F · 946 mm37 in
- Killeen 272 km · 20 °C67 °F · 831 mm33 in
- Tyler 288 km · 18 °C65 °F · 1,179 mm46 in
- Corpus Christi 295 km · 23 °C73 °F · 718 mm28 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Houston?
August is the warmest month in Houston, with an average high of 35 °C (94 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (75 °F).
What is the coldest month in Houston?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 16 °C (61 °F) and an average low of 5 °C (41 °F).
When does it rain the most in Houston?
October is the wettest month with about 128 mm (5.0 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 70 mm (2.7 in).
What is the best time to visit Houston?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are February–April and November.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.