Texas Weather

Texas climate

Texas encompasses a vast range of climates due to its enormous size, from humid subtropical conditions along the Gulf Coast to arid desert in the west, and from semi-tropical in the Rio Grande Valley to continental on the northern plains. The state is so large that it spans multiple climate zones, with annual rainfall ranging from over 55 inches in the east to less than 10 inches in far west Texas near El Paso.

Texas is one of the most severe-weather-prone states in the nation, experiencing tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, extreme heat, and occasional ice storms. The state leads the nation in tornado count, averaging over 130 per year. Hurricane Harvey in 2017 dropped over 60 inches of rain on parts of the Houston metro area, making it the wettest tropical cyclone in U.S. history and causing over $125 billion in damage.

The February 2021 winter storm exposed the vulnerability of Texas infrastructure to extreme cold, as temperatures plunged well below zero across much of the state and the power grid catastrophically failed. Summers in Texas are intensely hot, with South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley regularly exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit for weeks on end. Flash flooding is a persistent hazard across the Hill Country, where steep limestone terrain funnels rainwater into narrow canyons with devastating speed.