Houston Weather Averages
Houston, Texas enjoys warm and mild weather for much of the year. While summers are hot, days of extreme heat are uncommon.
Rainfall peaks in late spring and again in fall. Yet usually the sun shines most of the time.
This page gives detailed information on the annual temperature, precipitation, sun, humidity, wind and storm averages for Houston. The numbers here are historical averages based on temperature and rainfall measurements gathered at Houston Hobby Airport and other climate data from George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Temperature
80 °F | annual average high | 27 °C |
63 °F | annual average low | 17 °C |
Houston's coldest days of the year usually occur in early January when the daily maximum temperature averages 63 degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Celsius) and the minimum averages 46 °F (8 °C).
The year's hottest days are normally in early August. The average temperature peaks then with daily highs of 94 °F (34 °C) and nighttime lows of 77 °F (25 °C).
206 days | 80 °F max. or more (27 °C) |
27 days | 40 °F min. or less (4 °C) |
Houston averages 101 days a year when the temperatures reaches into the 90s °F (over 32 °C). Typically 3 of those days soar into the 100s (over 38 °C).
The temperature dips to freezing or below on an average of 4 nights a year. But Houston doesn't get as cold as 20 °F (-8 °C).
Precipitation
55.6 in | total precipitation | 1413 mm |
107 days | of rain or snowfall |
June is usually the rainiest month of the year in Houston, while February is the driest.
Most years in Houston are free of snow. But snow can land in December, January or February.
Sun
59 % | sunshine |
90 days | clear skies |
The sun's rays reach the ground in Houston during 59 percent of daylight hours on average year round, for a total of 2620 hours annually. Typically on 90 days a year the sky is mainly clear, with at most 30 percent cloud cover.
Sunlight in Houston averages 12 hours and 9 minutes a day. The shortest days of the year in mid December have 10 hours and 14 minutes of daylight. The year's longest days in mid June last 14:03 from sunrise to sunset.
Humidity
75 % | average humidity |
The annual average for relative humidity in Houston ranges throughout the day from 90 percent at 6:00 am to 55 percent at 3:00 pm standard time.
Local Time | 12 am | 3 am | 6 am | 9 am | 12 pm | 3 pm | 6 pm | 9 pm |
Humidity % | 86 | 89 | 90 | 76 | 59 | 55 | 65 | 79 |
Wind
7.6 mph | wind speed average | 12.2 kph |
April is usually the windiest month for Houston, while the wind is calmest during August.
Storms
17 days | precipitation of 1 inch (25 mm) or more |
61 days | with thunderstorms a year |
5 % | chance a named storm makes landfall |
Thunderstorms occur most often in July and August, but can appear over Houston during any month.
In any single year, there's a 3 percent probability that a hurricane will reach land in Harris county, which includes Houston. For major hurricanes of category 3 to 5, the likelihood drops to 1 percent. Named storms usually arrive during the months of June to November, while hurricanes are generally restricted to August, September and October.
The chances that a wind gust reaches 40 miles per hour (64 kilometres an hour) or greater is 33 percent a year. Intense hurricane force winds that top 115 mph (185 kph) have a 4 percent probability of blasting the county.
Reference
The weather data here are long-term averages provided by the US National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). Temperature and precipitation are 1991-2020 normals while humidity and thunderstorms are 1961-1990 normals. The named storm and wind gust probability information comes from United States Landfalling Hurricane Probability Project of Colorado State University and Bridgewater State University.