Climate of Texas
Texas' weather varies widely, from arid in the west to humid in the east. The huge expanse of Texas encompasses several regions with distinctly different climates: Northern Plains, Trans-Pecos Region, Texas Hill Country, Piney Woods, and South Texas. Generally speaking, the eastern half of the state is humid subtropical, while the western half is largely semi-arid. This is because the North American Cordillera tends to block east-west winds, meaning north-south winds are common in eastern Texas and draw moist air off the Gulf of Mexico.
Texas ranks first in tornado occurrence with an average of 139 per year. Tropical cyclones can affect the state, either from the Gulf of Mexico or from an overland trajectory originating in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Those originating from the Gulf of Mexico are more likely to strike the upper Texas coast than elsewhere. Significant floods have occurred across the state throughout history, both from tropical cyclones and from stalled weather fronts.
Extreme temperatures
Extreme temperatures in Texas have ranged from -23 °F in Tulia on February 12, 1899 and in Seminole on February 8, 1933 to 120 °F in Seymour August 12, 1936 and in Monahans on June 28, 1994. -30 °F was unofficially recorded in Wolf Creek and a site southeast of Perryton on February 12, 1899. Texas holds the records for the highest temperature recorded in the United States for the months of January, February, March, April and December.Extreme highs
Characteristics by region
Northern area
| City | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Abilene | 55/32 | 61/37 | 69/44 | 77/52 | 85/61 | 91/69 | 95/72 | 94/71 | 87/64 | 78/54 | 65/42 | 57/34 |
| Amarillo | 49/23 | 54/27 | 62/34 | 71/42 | 79/52 | 87/61 | 91/65 | 89/64 | 82/56 | 72/45 | 58/32 | 50/24 |
| Lubbock | 52/24 | 58/29 | 66/36 | 75/45 | 83/56 | 90/64 | 92/68 | 90/66 | 83/58 | 74/47 | 62/35 | 53/26 |
| Midland | 60/29 | 66/34 | 74/41 | 82/48 | 89/58 | 94/65 | 96/68 | 94/67 | 88/61 | 80/51 | 68/39 | 61/31 |
| San Angelo | 58/29 | 63/34 | 71/42 | 79/50 | 86/59 | 91/66 | 95/70 | 94/68 | 88/63 | 79/51 | 67/39 | 59/31 |
| Wichita Falls | 52/29 | 58/34 | 67/41 | 76/49 | 84/59 | 92/68 | 97/72 | 96/71 | 88/64 | 77/52 | 64/40 | 54/31 |
The Northern Plains' climate is semi-arid and is prone to drought, annually receiving between of precipitation, and average annual snowfall ranging between, with the greatest snowfall amounts occurring in the Texas panhandle and areas near the border with New Mexico. During the summer, this area of state sees the most clear days. Winter nights commonly see temperatures fall below the freezing mark, or. The wettest months of the year are April and May. Tornadoes, caused by the convergence of westerly and southerly prevailing winds during the late spring, are common, making the region part of Tornado Alley. Poor land management, drought, and high wind speeds can cause large dust storms, minimized in modern times by improved land-management practices, but most troublesome in the 1930s during the Dust Bowl period. The panhandle region, farthest from the Gulf of Mexico, experiences colder winters than the other regions of Texas, where occasional wintertime Arctic blasts can cause temperatures to plunge to well below freezing and bring snowy conditions.
International areas with comparable climate: Southern China; the Pampas of Argentina; New South Wales, Australia.
Trans Pecos Region
The Trans-Pecos region, also known as Big Bend Country, is in the west-central and western parts of the state, consisting of the Chihuahuan Desert, canyons, and isolated mountain ranges. During fall, winter, and spring, it experiences the most clear days statewide. It is also the driest receiving an average annual rainfall of only or less. Snowfall is rare at lower elevations, although the highest mountain peaks are prone to heavy snowfalls during winter. The arid climate is the main reason for desertification of the land, but overgrazing is slowly widening the land area of that desert. In the mountain areas one can see coniferous forests in a wetter and more temperate environment. The wettest months in this region occur during the summer. Winds are strengthened as they are forced to push through canyons and valleys. In the flatter areas these winds are harvested into usable electricity.International areas with comparable climate: Iraq; Iran; Sahel region in Africa
Hill Country
| City | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Austin | 60/40 | 65/44 | 73/51 | 79/58 | 85/65 | 91/71 | 95/73 | 96/73 | 90/69 | 81/60 | 70/49 | 62/42 |
| San Antonio | 62/39 | 67/43 | 74/50 | 80/57 | 86/66 | 91/72 | 95/74 | 95/74 | 90/69 | 82/59 | 71/49 | 64/41 |
| Waco | 57/33 | 62/38 | 70/46 | 78/53 | 84/63 | 91/70 | 96/74 | 96/73 | 90/66 | 79/57 | 68/45 | 59/36 |
The Texas Hill Country, or central Texas is shaped by its many rivers and hills. The climate is semi-arid west of Brady through Junction to Rocksprings, but it is sub-humid east and south of that area; both areas have hot summers and mild winters with occasional cold spells. Humidity is high during the warm season, though afternoons especially further northwest can see a wind shift and drier air before Gulf air returns after sunset. The vegetation is both broadleaf evergreen and deciduous in the river valleys, and coniferous where there is greater elevation. Dry savannas, open woodlands, and shorter grasses dominate the northwest, while closed woodlands and moist savannas mix with taller grasses in the east and south. In a single year the region can receive up to of precipitation, and flooding is common near rivers and in low-lying areas, while drier years might receive only of precipitation; average annual precipitation ranges from in western sections up to in southeast. The wettest months of the year are April and May.
International areas with comparable climate: Israel; Lebanon
Piney Woods
| City | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Dallas | 55/36 | 61/41 | 69/49 | 77/56 | 84/65 | 92/73 | 96/77 | 96/76 | 89/69 | 79/58 | 66/47 | 57/39 |
| Fort Worth | 55/31 | 61/36 | 68/44 | 76/52 | 83/61 | 91/69 | 97/72 | 96/72 | 89/65 | 79/55 | 67/44 | 58/35 |
| Galveston | 62/50 | 64/52 | 70/58 | 75/65 | 81/72 | 87/78 | 89/80 | 89/79 | 87/76 | 80/68 | 71/59 | 64/52 |
| Houston | 63/45 | 67/48 | 74/55 | 79/61 | 86/68 | 91/74 | 94/75 | 93/75 | 89/72 | 82/62 | 73/53 | 65/47 |
| Port Arthur | 61/43 | 65/46 | 72/52 | 78/59 | 84/66 | 89/72 | 92/74 | 92/73 | 88/69 | 80/60 | 71/51 | 64/45 |
The Piney Woods is the eastern region of Texas and is within the humid subtropical climate zone. It receives the most rainfall; more than annually in the far east. This is due to the gulf currents that carry humid air to the region, where it condenses and precipitates out in the vicinity of sea breeze fronts as well as when extratropical cyclones move by. While coastal sections see the most cloudy days statewide and year-round, northern sections see the most clear days during the summer. The wettest months of the year are April and May. The area is prone to severe thunderstorms and tornadoes when the proper conditions exist, generally in the springtime. Hurricanes also strike the region, the most disastrous of which was the Galveston Hurricane of 1900. More recently Hurricane Rita pummeled the Golden Triangle of southeast Texas. The higher humidity of the region amplifies the feeling of heat during the summer. During winter and spring along the immediate coast, temperatures are kept cool by relatively cool gulf waters. Dense advection fog can form when warm air moves over the cool shelf waters during February and March, stopping ship traffic for days.
International areas with comparable climate: Taiwan; Philippines; much of the southern parts of Queensland, Australia
South
| City | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Brownsville | 69/50 | 72/53 | 78/59 | 82/65 | 87/72 | 91/75 | 92/75 | 93/75 | 89/73 | 84/66 | 77/59 | 70/52 |
| Corpus Christi | 66/46 | 70/49 | 76/56 | 81/62 | 86/69 | 90/74 | 93/74 | 93/75 | 90/72 | 84/64 | 75/55 | 68/48 |
| Del Rio | 63/40 | 68/44 | 76/52 | 83/59 | 89/67 | 94/72 | 96/74 | 96/74 | 91/69 | 82/61 | 71/49 | 63/41 |
| Laredo | 68/44 | 73/48 | 82/56 | 89/63 | 95/70 | 100/74 | 102/75 | 99/75 | 93/71 | 86/63 | 76/53 | 68/45 |
| Victoria | 63/44 | 67/47 | 73/54 | 79/60 | 85/68 | 90/73 | 93/75 | 94/75 | 90/70 | 83/62 | 73/52 | 65/45 |
The region of South Texas includes the semiarid ranch country and the wetter Rio Grande Valley. Considered to be the southernmost tip of the American Great Plains region, the inland region has rainfall that is similar to that of the Northern Plains. The coastal areas are nearly warm most of the year due to currents of the Gulf of Mexico. Summers are hot and humid. Rain in the coastal region is more abundant than in the inland region, and subtropical forests line the Rio Grande. The wettest months of the year are April and May in western areas, but approaching the Gulf Coast, September becomes the year's wettest month on average. This owes to the threat from tropical weather systems, including hurricanes, which can bring torrential rains of in one or two days. The resulting September monthly rainfall maximum prevails, for example, at Corpus Christi, South Padre Island and Brownsville. Inland, where it is drier, ranches dominate the landscape, characterized by thick spiny brush and grasslands. The winters in the inland region are variable, but usually mild to warm, with snow being an extremely rare occurrence. The summers are for the most part hot and dry, but at times can be humid when winds come off the Gulf of Mexico. Tornadoes can occur in this region, but are less frequent than in other parts of the state. The southernmost parts of the state closely border the tropical savanna climate of neighboring Tamaulipas, Mexico.
International areas with comparable climate: parts of northern Australia; much of Madhya Pradesh, India; far north Thailand