Austin Texas Weather
What is the Weather Like in the Austin, Texas Area?
A Native Texan’s Perspective
My family has been here in Texas since it was a Republic. Some of my Scandinavean relatives left for Michigan after immigrating here in the 1870’s since the weather there was more like Sweden but most relatives stayed here in the Austin area. My German and other known predecessors stayed in Texas too. In the 1960’s when it snowed in the Corpus Christi Area, school let out and my father came home from work to take us to the Texas Hill Country near Austin where it had snowed enough to accumulate. This was my first time making a snowman or having a snowball fight. So snow in Texas has always been and continues to be a big, news making event.
Austin, Texas Winters
We may have Christmas or Thanksgiving temperatures in the 80’s. One recent year we had snow flurries on Friday, December 4th which, of course, made the news. Nothing stuck, or accumulated but the snow flurries were pretty and white as they were suspended for their few moments of glory in the air. Yes, a snow plowing business would not be lucrative here in the Austin, Texas area like it is in the Chicago, Illinois area. I did not turn on our home’s heater until a few days ago and we had our first freeze the night of December 4th 2009. Up until that time I had all kinds of peppers, tomatos, herbs, citrus fruit trees, a banana tree and tropical plants outside. Now, what I did not put in my greenhouse or inside my home are sadly hanging down as their leaves drop off. Most will come back in the Spring or I will replant.
Summer in Austin, Texas
Yes, the Summer heat can be dreadful, but that’s what ice cream, iced tea, cold salads and fruit, cold spring fed swimmin’ holes, shady trees and air-conditioned spaces are for. I remember trying to sleep in the then unair-conditioned home where my mother grew up at 608 Texas Avenue (Texas Avenue at Montrose, Austin) and getting no relief. The family home had screened doors at all openings, a big covered front porch, lots of screened windows but none of this seemed to help some sweltering Summer nights. With air-conditioned cars and homes and shady yards, you can deal with the Texas heat in Summer. I spent a lot of time wading in and around Waller Creek as a child. I’d walk it down to the University of Texas. The spring fed swimming at Barton Springs and other Austin pools are great. My family also had a ranch in the Sand Hills of Seguin where I’d swim. My current home in Leander has lots of shady trees and I have planted more as well as installed a pond and ceiling fans in the back yard.
Spring and Fall in Austin, Texas
Spring and Fall are my favorite seasons in Texas. In Spring, Texas families take Easter or Spring pictures of children and pets or themselves in the Texas Wildflowers such as bluebonnets, Indian Paintbrush, buttercups and the like. In the Fall we do have some fall colors in foliage though not as much as in many areas of the US. One reason is that the Texas Hill Country has so many Live Oak trees as well as Ashe Juniper or “Cedar” trees. These are green year round.
In Fall, the Summer heat lets up as the cold fronts come through. You may get some days and nights in the 40’s. Sunny days may warm the temperature back up to the 60’s, 70’s or 80’s. Many Thanksgiving dinners are held with windows open and no air-conditioning or heat on.
Austin Texas Homes For Sale
No matter what the weather, you can be comfortable in your Austin area home. With today’s technology, many times borrowing some of the great techniques of the past, you can enjoy year round comfort at little expense. Let me find you a home with natural breezes, an energy efficient heating and cooling system and good insulation. Let me set you up a custom real estate and home search. Call Betty Saenz for Austin TX Real Estate at (512) 785-5050 or contact me by e-mail.
