Houston in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Houston sees average daytime highs around 65°F and overnight lows near 47°F, with 11.6 in of rain over about 29 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 65°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Houston's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Houston's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 65°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 47°F
- Rainfall
- 11.6 in
- 29 wet days
- Avg wind
- 8 mph
- Travel score
- 5.9
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Houston in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 65°F.
A typical winter day in Houston reaches about 65°F and drops to 47°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Houston
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.
Houston 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 | 63° / 45° | 4.2 | 10 | 10.3 | 5.6 |
| Feb | 66° / 49° | 3.3 | 9 | 10.9 | 6.1 |
| Mar | 72° / 55° | 3.7 | 9.2 | 11.8 | 6.8 |
| Apr | 78° / 61° | 3.8 | 8.9 | 12.7 | 6.9 |
| May | 85° / 69° | 3.5 | 9.8 | 13.5 | 5.5 |
| Jun | 89° / 74° | 4.5 | 12.8 | 13.9 | 3.8 |
| Jul | 91° / 76° | 3.6 | 12.7 | 13.7 | 3.3 |
| Aug | 92° / 75° | 3.9 | 13.3 | 13.1 | 3.2 |
| Sep | 88° / 71° | 4.6 | 11.8 | 12.2 | 4.4 |
| Oct | 81° / 62° | 4.1 | 8.7 | 11.3 | 6.8 |
| Nov | 71° / 53° | 4.1 | 8.3 | 10.5 | 7.0 |
| Dec | 65° / 47° | 4.2 | 9.6 | 10.1 | 5.9 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Houston gets around 11.6 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 8 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 12 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 3.0 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Houston
None of Houston's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Houston sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.
Is winter a good time to visit Houston?
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 Houston for sightseeing.
What to pack for Houston in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Houston sees daytime highs around 65°F and nights near 47°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 29 days see rain.
UV index in Houston 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 Houston peaks around July 20 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 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Level | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | Moderate |
| Feb | 6 | High |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 10 | Very high |
| May | 10 | Extreme |
| Jun | 10 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 5 | Moderate |
| Dec | 4 | Moderate |
Air quality in Houston 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 Houston is worst in July — around 24 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 10 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) | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 18 | 15 | 11 | 10 | 10 |
| Level | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Good |
| Feb | 10 | Good |
| Mar | 12 | Moderate |
| Apr | 12 | Moderate |
| May | 16 | Moderate |
| Jun | 20 | Moderate |
| Jul | 24 | Moderate |
| Aug | 18 | Moderate |
| Sep | 15 | Moderate |
| Oct | 11 | Good |
| Nov | 10 | Good |
| Dec | 10 | Good |
Where is Houston?
Houston sits at 29.8°N, 95.4°W, 39 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is West University Place, 5.0 mi away.
Topography around Houston
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Houston.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Houston has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 190 ft around an average of 49 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 259 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 476 ft.
The land around Houston is covered by artificial surfaces (72%) within 2 miles, artificial surfaces (47%) and trees (41%) within 10 miles, and trees (43%) and grassland (27%) 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 Houston (29.7633°, -95.3633°, elevation 39 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.