Houston has the best climate in Texas! (Dallas, San Antonio: landscaping, pre-k)

[Wipe0ut]

Having been in Houston for a year and a half, and with acknowledgement of the climate data for it and other cities in the state, I would say that Houston, and other Southeast Texas cities (Galveston, Beaumont, Port Arthur, etc) have, by far, the best climate in the state.

1.)Plentiful precipitation: Not only does Houston/Southeast Texas have plentiful rainfall compared to the rest of the state summer rainfall is also plentiful compared to the rest of the state. Too much of the state falls into a very atrocious pattern, wherein the hottest, muggiest part of the year is also the time of year when precipitation is very low. Such a hellish pattern is very prominent pretty much in all the inland areas of the state, from Austin to San Antonio to Dallas, and from Abilene to Del Rio to Texarkana. The areas that do have summer precipitation maximums get too little for it to even matter (West Texas, due to Desert Monsoon). Even areas of the coast aren't spared; the southern coastline is very semi-arid even along the coast, less than 30 inches annually in Brownsville. All this leads to those areas of Texas having very bad combinations of heat and humidity, rivaled in the Northern Hemisphere only by areas of the Persian Gulf.

Meanwhile, in Houston/Southeast Texas, rainfall still stays strong in the summer:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Houston
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaumont,_Texas#Climate
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_A..._Texas#Climate

Summer precipitation in Texas seems to increase the further east and coastal you are; in the same weather period, Houston at Bush Airport averages less than 4 inches of rain in August, where as Houston at Hobby averages over 5 inches. Places like Alvin, Clear Lake, and Pearland probably average even higher totals. The fact that the highest number of rain days is in the summer for these Southeast Texas cities shows that summer reliably is a wet season, very great compared to the rest of Texas.

2.)Moderated climate: Houston/Southeast Texas has a more moderated climate than the rest of the state. High precipitation in the summer months means that those months are the coolest in Southeast Texas compared to other parts of the state, barring high mountain areas of West Texas. On the other-hand, winters are mild, milder than much of the state, including those mountain areas. Only areas of South Texas have milder winter climates; they would have been great if they weren't so hot and dry during summer. On top of that, Houston also doesn't get the brunt of the wild, transition-season storms (Spring/Fall) that the rest of Texas deals with; those storms bring some nasty tornadoes and hail.

But since Houston/Southeast Texas have plentiful precipitation, especially during the warm season, combined with mild enough winters, this allows for great lush landscaping, and sizable varieties of subtropical/tropical plants to grow to a greater effect than anywhere else in the state.


All in all, for these two important reasons, I'd say that Houston/Southeast Texas has the best climate in the entire state. The rest of Texas is just too hot and dry for my liking during summer, and much of it gets too cold/deviates too much during winter.

[Sunderpig2]

"Best" is a completely subjective and personal word. One person's best/favorite vegetable could be another person's worst/dreaded one. Plus, many would argue that the climate and location brings with it drawbacks that, say, the panhandle wouldn't experience (hurricanes, high doses of mosquitoes, tree roaches, heavy pollution from the 4th largest city in the world, tainted air quality from the chemical industry, ozone alerts, etc.)

That's good if you like the climate, but many don't. Some could have written the opposite post: "Houston has the worst climate in Texas! No one is right or wrong. This thread is basically a diary entry and personal opinion. I'm not sure what the purpose of it is.

[ipuck]

I don't prefer wearing shorts in Christmas.

I wish we have a fall and spring. And not 9 months of summer and winter.

I wish we can have outdoor activity during the summer and not before sunrise and after sundown.

OP's opinion is definitely subjective.

[Jack Lance]

Originally Posted by Sunderpig2

"Best" is a completely subjective and personal word. One person's best/favorite vegetable could be another person's worst/dreaded one. Plus, many would argue that the climate and location brings with it drawbacks that, say, the panhandle wouldn't experience (hurricanes, high doses of mosquitoes, tree roaches, heavy pollution from the 4th largest city in the world, tainted air quality from the chemical industry, ozone alerts, etc.)

That's good if you like the climate, but many don't. Some could have written the opposite post: "Houston has the worst climate in Texas! No one is right or wrong. This thread is basically a diary entry and personal opinion. I'm not sure what the purpose of it is.

How many threads and post do we have that do take the opposite view and do we ever ask what the purpose of those threads and post are ? No , not usually.

I think the OP is testing entrenched biases that exist, even on the Houston forum, towards the local climate by posting such a "subjective" as you call it opinion/analysis on our climate. It's funny because people just can't seem to let any "fluff" or favorable opinion on Houston go unchallenged ever !

[Wipe0ut]

Originally Posted by Sunderpig2

"Best" is a completely subjective and personal word. One person's best/favorite vegetable could be another person's worst/dreaded one.

Of course.

Originally Posted by Sunderpig2

Plus, many would argue that the climate and location brings with it drawbacks that, say, the panhandle wouldn't experience (hurricanes, high doses of mosquitoes, tree roaches, heavy pollution from the 4th largest city in the world, tainted air quality from the chemical industry, ozone alerts, etc.)

Hurricanes are a valid complaint, but mosquitoes/other insects actually aren't, since they occur in everywhere in the world that isn't permanent ice cap. Then you get into man-made stuff, talking about pollution and chemical industry, as if that is reflective of the natural climate...

Originally Posted by Sunderpig2

That's good if you like the climate, but many don't. Some could have written the opposite post: "Houston has the worst climate in Texas! No one is right or wrong. This thread is basically a diary entry and personal opinion. I'm not sure what the purpose of it is.

OK.

Originally Posted by ipuck

I don't prefer wearing shorts in Christmas.

Then don't wear shorts. Long pants can be worn on hot days.

Originally Posted by ipuck

I wish we have a fall and spring. And not 9 months of summer and winter.

We do.

Originally Posted by ipuck

I wish we can have outdoor activity during the summer and not before sunrise and after sundown.

Its quite simple; on a summer afternoon in Houston, go outside, and enjoy the outdoors. The summer conditions in Houston are not as harsh as those in Austin, but that doesn't stop Austinites from getting their physical activity, and being well known for outdoor experiences.

Originally Posted by ipuck

OP's opinion is definitely subjective.

Yes, but based on objective facts and data.

[Caardinal46]

I've lived in Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, college station, and El Paso and now Houston. In my opinion, Houston's got the worst climate. I can do without the mosquitos and the super intense humidity. No thanks.

[soletaire]

Welcome back...lol..i prefer Houston's summers, but that's the only season it has that I prefer over the seasons of other regions.

[Westerntraveler]

I prefer yalls climate to Midland which is where I live now. I find I do better in more humid climates but to each their own.

[Augiec]

Originally Posted by soletaire

Welcome back...lol..i prefer Houston's summers, but that's the only season it has that I prefer over the seasons of other regions.

Lol, I'm the opposite. I used to own a convertible (life pre-kids), and I LOVED driving with the top down in the fall and even winter on days like today (moderate temps = 60 degrees at the moment, lots of sunshine, relatively low humidity). If I weren't in the office then I'd be at the park with my kiddos. I NEVER had the top down during the Summer. It was just too hot & humid to really enjoy it. Owning that car got me thinking of Houston as 50% Summer, 50% everything else.

[Wipe0ut]

Originally Posted by Caardinal46

I've lived in Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, college station, and El Paso and now Houston. In my opinion, Houston's got the worst climate. I can do without the mosquitos and the super intense humidity. No thanks.

Well, the only complaint I have for Houston/Southeast Texas's summers is that as rainy as they are, they can always be better. This here represents the perfect summer climate, where an average of over 30 inches of rain occurs in a single month:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbai#Climate