Climate - Galveston (Texas)

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The climate of Galveston is subtropical, with mild winters (though characterized by short cold waves) and long, hot and humid summers, during which there are quite frequent thunderstorms.
The city is located on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, on a barrier island. In summer, the waters that surround it make the climate particularly muggy, but with temperatures a little lower than in inland areas. Further north and overlooking Galveston Bay is the city of Houston.
The winter, from December to February, is mild.
The sun shines quite often, although there are periods characterized by clouds, rain and wind.
There may be pleasantly warm periods even in the middle of winter, when the temperature can reach or exceed 20 °C (68 °F).
However, there may also be short cold spells of 2 or 3 days, in which the minimum temperature drops around freezing, and the maximum remains around 5-7 °C (41/45 °F) or even below. Sometimes it can even snow.
More rarely, quite intense frosts can occur. In recent decades, the record is -10.5 °C (13 °F), recorded in December 1989. In February 2021, the temperature dropped to -7 °C (19.5 °F).
The summer, from June to September, is hot and muggy. Due to high humidity the heat is sweltering, even though the breeze blows from the sea. On the hottest days, the temperature usually reaches 35/37 °C (95/99 °F). In September 2000, it reached 40 °C (104 °F).
The sun often shines, but the sky is not always clear, as cloud coverings can form, which can give rise to thunderstorms.
From June to November (but with a higher probability from August to October), there is the risk of hurricanes. Being a city set on a flat island, Galveston is particularly exposed. It was hit hard by the "Galveston hurricane" in September 1900, by hurricane Alicia in August 1983, and by hurricane Ike in September 2008.
The average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 12.9 °C (55 °F), that of the warmest month (August) is of 29.5 °C (85 °F). Here are the average temperatures.

Precipitation amounts to 1,290 millimeters (50.8 inches) per year: it is therefore quite abundant. It ranges from 65 mm (2.6 in) in the driest month (February) to 155 mm (6.1 in) in the wettest (September). Here is the average precipitation.

On average, there are around 2,700 sunshine hours per year. So Galveston is a sunny city. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.

The sea temperature ranges between 17 °C (63 °F) and 30 °C (86 °F). In winter, the sea is cold, while it becomes very warm in summer. Here are the average sea temperatures.

Best Time

To visit Galveston, you can choose spring and autumn (in particular, from mid-March to mid-April and from mid-October to mid-November), to avoid the summer heat. In winter, there are long mild periods, but some cold days cannot be excluded.

Return to the climate of Texas.