Galveston in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Galveston sees average daytime highs around 61°F and overnight lows near 54°F, with 12.8 in of rain over about 29 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 2nd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 61°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Galveston's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Galveston's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 61°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 54°F
- Rainfall
- 12.8 in
- 29 wet days
- Avg wind
- 13 mph
- Travel score
- 5.1
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Galveston in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 61°F.
A typical winter day in Galveston reaches about 61°F and drops to 54°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Galveston
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Galveston weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60° / 53° | 4.8 | 10.4 | 10.3 | 4.7 |
| Feb | 61° / 55° | 3.5 | 8.7 | 10.9 | 5.2 |
| Mar | 66° / 61° | 3.4 | 7.9 | 11.8 | 6.4 |
| Apr | 72° / 67° | 3.5 | 7.2 | 12.7 | 7.3 |
| May | 78° / 74° | 3.0 | 7.6 | 13.4 | 7.4 |
| Jun | 83° / 79° | 4.3 | 10.7 | 13.8 | 6.1 |
| Jul | 84° / 81° | 3.7 | 11.6 | 13.7 | 5.4 |
| Aug | 85° / 81° | 4.5 | 13.1 | 13.1 | 5.0 |
| Sep | 83° / 78° | 6.3 | 12.5 | 12.2 | 5.8 |
| Oct | 77° / 71° | 4.7 | 8.6 | 11.3 | 7.4 |
| Nov | 69° / 62° | 4.4 | 8.2 | 10.5 | 6.8 |
| Dec | 62° / 55° | 4.5 | 10.1 | 10.2 | 5.5 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Galveston gets around 12.8 in of rain over 29 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 13 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 18 min in early December to 11 h 18 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.1 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Galveston
None of Galveston's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Galveston sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.
Is winter a good time to visit Galveston?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit Galveston for sightseeing.
What to pack for Galveston in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Galveston sees daytime highs around 61°F and nights near 54°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and a windbreaker. About 29 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Galveston in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 60°F across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 12 mi away) is warmest in August at about 86°F and coldest in January near 58°F.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Apr 4 to Nov 21 — about 7.6 months when the water holds above 68°F.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°F) | 58 | 59 | 64 | 71 | 78 | 83 | 85 | 86 | 84 | 78 | 69 | 62 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Refreshing | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58 | Bracing |
| Feb | 59 | Cool |
| Mar | 64 | Cool |
| Apr | 71 | Refreshing |
| May | 78 | Warm |
| Jun | 83 | Tropical |
| Jul | 85 | Tropical |
| Aug | 86 | Tropical |
| Sep | 84 | Tropical |
| Oct | 78 | Warm |
| Nov | 69 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 62 | Cool |
UV index in Galveston in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Galveston peaks around July 18 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 4 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 4 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Level | Moderate | High | High | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | High | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | Moderate |
| Feb | 6 | High |
| Mar | 7 | High |
| Apr | 10 | Extreme |
| May | 10 | Extreme |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 9 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 5 | High |
| Dec | 4 | Moderate |
Air quality in Galveston in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Galveston is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.4× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | Good |
| Feb | 7 | Good |
| Mar | 8 | Good |
| Apr | 9 | Good |
| May | 12 | Good |
| Jun | 16 | Moderate |
| Jul | 19 | Moderate |
| Aug | 13 | Moderate |
| Sep | 10 | Good |
| Oct | 6 | Good |
| Nov | 6 | Good |
| Dec | 6 | Good |
Where is Galveston?
Galveston sits at 29.3°N, 94.8°W, 7 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Texas City, 8.7 mi away.
Topography around Galveston
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Galveston.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Galveston has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 43 ft around an average of 7 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 62 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 236 ft.
The land around Galveston is covered by artificial surfaces (41%) and water (32%) within 2 miles, water (80%) within 10 miles, and water (45%) within 50 miles.
United States travel facts
- Power plugs
- Type A / B
- 120 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 100% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $90,027
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.8 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 98%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 5.8
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 12.7
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Galveston (29.3013°, -94.7977°, elevation 7 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.