Austin Weather

Austin’s location on the Colorado River where it crosses the Balcones Escarpment, gives it a mild climate with an average annual temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit. City elevations vary from 400 to 1,000 feet above sea level, and the climate is humid subtropical, with hot summers. Although the daytime temperatures are hot, summer nights are usually more pleasant with average minimums in the lower 70s. The city enjoys an average of 300 days of sunshine each year.

Winters are mild, with below-freezing temperatures rarely occurring more than 25 days each year (although you will find more freezing nights in the Hill Country to the west and northwest of Austin where nighttime temps can dip 10 degrees lower than in town.) Although strong winds and sharp drops in temperature sometimes occur during the winter months during cold fronts, these are usually fast moving, rarely lasting more than a day or two.

The average annual rainfall is 27.86 inches, with the heaviest drenchings occurring in spring. Rainy days from April through September usually result from thundershowers, with large amounts falling in short periods of time. Snow is rare and is insignificant as a source of moisture; if it does fall it generally melts rapidly when it touches the ground.

Prevailing winds are southerly throughout most of the year. When northerly winds, accompanying colder air masses in winter, move over the Gulf of Mexico, they soon shift to southerly. Damaging hailstorms and destructive winds are infrequent; dissipating tropical storms affecting the city with strong winds and heavy rains are rare.

Source: City of Austin/National Weather Service.

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