Texas has diverse climate types that range from arid and semi-arid within the west to humid and subtropical within the east. The large expanse of the state creates various weather patterns supported locations like the north and northern panhandle, west, east, south, and therefore the coastal regions. Texas shares borders with New Mexico within the west, Oklahoma within the north, Louisiana within the east, the Gulf of Mexico within the southeast, and therefore the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Nuevo Leon within the southwest.
The Lone Star State, Texas, has plains within the north that exhibit a semi-arid climate with average annual precipitation of 18" (457.2mm) to 20" (508mm). The northern panhandle is one among the coldest areas in Texas and receives the foremost snow within the state to the tune of an annual 25" (635mm) to 30" (762mm). Winters are freezing whereas summers are hotter with clear skies. The region is a component of the Tornado Alley of the country.
The Big Bend Country composes of the western and west-central regions and is formed of the desert and lone mountain ranges with arid and temperate climate patterns. Annual precipitation is that the lowest of roughly 15" (381mm) within the state within the arid areas, while the mountains receive heavy snowfall. Summers are dry, while the remainder of the year during this region has the clearest skies in Texas.
Central Texas is formed of hills and rivers and ranges from semi-arid within the western part to subtropical within the rest. Winters are freezing whereas summers are hotter. Average annual rainfall is within the range of 21" (533.4mm) within the west to 35" (889mm) within the remainder of the region. Higher elevations have conifer cover and receive more rainfall than the river valleys that comprise deciduous trees.
The eastern part of Texas lies within the humid subtropical zone and receives annually 60" (1524mm) of rain, the foremost within the state. April, May, and June are usually the rainiest, while the parts near the coast are mostly cloudy throughout the year. Severe thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes are frequent within the region generally during the spring season. The summer season is hot and humid within the east, but the coastal sections remain relatively cool within the proximity of the Gulf of Mexico.
South Texas is that the southern tip of the American Great Plains region: coastal regions have moderate temperatures, while further inland, the climate patterns mimic that of the Northern Plains. Summers are usually hot and dry within the south, and snowfall is rare. Rain is more abundant within the coastal regions than the inland ranch-type areas, which mostly have a semi-arid climate.
Northern and western sections of the state average snowfall annually thanks to their colder average readings each winter. A snowstorm of historic proportions struck northern Texas for a week in February 1956. The utmost amount measured was 61 inches (150 cm) at Vega with Plainview receiving 24 inches (61 cm) in at some point. El Paso received 22.4 in (57 cm) of snow during a 24-hour period December 13–14, 1987 in Far West Texas. For central and southern sections, snowfall is considered weird. In February 1895, an outsized area of southeastern Texas received over 12 inches (30 cm) of snow, with peak amounts near 30 inches (76 cm) at Port Arthur. More recently around Christmas of 2004, up to 13 inches (33 cm) of snow fell along the central coast, with the utmost occurring at Victoria.
In late spring and early summer, Texas experiences thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes. April and should during the spring are usually the rainiest in most regions of the state. Seymour recorded the very best ever temperature of 120°F (48.9°C) on August 12, 1936, in Texas, while Seminole recorded the coldest temperature of -23°F (-30.6°C) on February 8, 1933.
One of the worst cold snaps to occur statewide occurred during the second half of December in 1983. Four stations experienced the highest continuous readings at or below 32 °F (0 °C) on record. Temperatures were at or below freezing for 207 hours in Lubbock. The Dallas-Fort Worth airport measured temperatures at or below freezing for a complete of 296 consecutive hours. Snow which fell on December 14 and 15 across northern Texas stayed on the bottom until New Year's Day Day of 1984.
February 2021 was another record-setting cold spell. The temperature remained at or below freezing for 7 days (168 hours) at Austin. At Abilene, the amount at or below freezing totaled 10 days (252 hours). The Central Texas region set a replacement record including Waco, Bryan, and Killeen with 9 days (205 hours) at or below freezing. San Angelo endured 6 days (152 hours) at or below freezing temperatures.
Texas is susceptible to wildfires, thunderstorms, hurricanes, flooding, and tornadoes in late spring and early summer - the northern panhandle lies within the Tornado Alley of America. on average, 139 tornadoes of varying intensities hit the state per annum.
The northwestern location of the state concerning the Gulf of Mexico makes it susceptible to tropical cyclones. Cyclones mostly cause heavy rains and catastrophic flooding. Thunderstorms are frequent in north and eastern Texas in spring and summer.
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The best time to go to Texas is within the shoulder seasons from March to May and September to November.
Summer seems to be hot, dry, and humid in most regions of the state. The spring and autumn are mild and have comfortable temperatures, although there's a touch of rain in spring. Fall is even more attractive thanks to the dispersal of the summer crowds, relatively lesser rain and day temperatures within the pleasant zone of 70°F (21.1°C) to 80°F (26.7°C). Winter is cold in some parts and susceptible to snowfall, especially within the northern part of Texas.
Winters are freezing whereas summers are hotter in Texas. While there's no period of terrible weather during the year, the worst time to go to Texas is usually during the summer because the temperatures are hot, particularly within the semi-arid and arid regions of the state. The subtropical regions of the state are humid and rainy during the summer. Additionally, thunderstorms increase summer woes, and there are better days during the spring and autumn when the tourist population is lesser than the swelling numbers from June to August.
