What kind weather can I expect in early august in the Houston area?

As the old saying goes, if I owned both Texas and hell, I'd rent out Texas and live in hell. Temperatures in Texas in early August can easily top 100 degress, often for many days in a row. In Houston you have the added bonus of incredible humidity.

Yup. Pretty friggin' hot!

And in the summer, there's usually little to no breeze. Plus, you'll have Houston's smog on top of the heat and humidity...

Just a tip- stay in a really nice hotel with really good airconditioning and a great pool, close to where you need to go. Because you need the AC and pool, and the traffic in Houston in the August heat is enough to cause insanity or at least crankiness and fatigue. That said, I used to live there and am going the first week of August myself and staying downtown in the concrete 100 degrees (and am fullfiling those criteria.

Stepping off the plane in Houston is like stepping into a bowl of Jello. It's not uncommon to see walls sweat in the evening, thanks to condensation.

JimM, you hit the humidity right on the head. The first time I took my future husband (Bostonian) to Houston to meet family, it was Thanksgiving. He had sweaters packed, and I tried to tell him not to even bring the long sleeved shirts. We got off the plane at Hobby and walked out into 85 degrees (doesn't sound that hot, right?) and 98% humidity. He started sweating profusely and looked at me very seriously and said, "If this realtionship goes further, you need to know now that I can never live here." That was after 5 minutes outside in November.
But now he is going back w/me in August. So even he has learned how to deal w/the heat (or I should say, make sure you don't have to deal with it much) and enjoy the city in spite of it. I just hope they have the top closed on MinuteMaid stadium for the games we are going to.

Cany you avoid August? Houston is a wonderful city, but you will not get past the heat if you are there from June to October. You will melt!

No can't avoid august. Actually I will be travelling through Houston on my way to Costa Rica. Will have a day lay over in Houston. Are thunderstorms and issue in august? Or do the thunderstorms usually affect the late afternoon evening times?

High in the high-80's, lows in the 60's. Humidity in the 80%-100% range. High chance of afternoon thunderstorms.

You're fine as long as you stay indoors.

rkkwan: I wondered if you would weigh in. There, from the horse's mouth, as he is living la vida hot and even more humid.
koa: So are you looking for things to do on a one day layover then?

In fact, there's been severe thunderstorms from this afternoon to right now.

As far as Minute Maid Park, I believe they only close the roof if it rains. If it's not raining, then they don't close the roof even if it's 100% humidity, 110F.

looking for things to do one my layover. Heard about something called the aquarium. Any comments or other suggestions? Getting back to weather.(The reason Im concerned is I dont want to be weather delayed at the airport) Is morning usually clear?

The morning weather kind of depends. If I had to guess though, I think that your odds are better then because the daytime heat tends to flare up the thunderstorms. I haven't personally been to the Aquarium but my mom has. It is in the downtown area and it is a restaurant/aquarium. It sounds like it is more a site than a great place to eat. What airport are flying from. If it is Bush Intercontinental, just be warned that you will travel a good distance to get to the downtown area or the Galleria part of town. A good distance being 45- 1 hour if you are not in rush hour traffic. I like the Museum District- they have a great Holocaust Museum and the Houston Museum of Fine ARts is really good too. All of these areas are in the downtown vicinity. Whatever you do, stay cool!

thanks ilovetulips,
will be arriving at bush international, so is that far from everything? Wont be renting a car, will probably catch a cab everywhere. I also noticed Houston has been getting hammered by heavy rain. Stay safe!

It's pretty tough to cab it anywhere from the Bush airport. It's way out there, far from the city. And if there's traffic, you could miss your flight unless you give yourself hours to get back. One exception is if you go somewhere on Beltway 8, as that is a toll road and doesn't get screwed by traffic like every other artery to and from the airport. But there isn't much of interest on Beltway 8. BTW, there was a long thread a few months ago on this very subject, someone w/a long layover at Buch who wanted to tour the city- you might want to find that and review it. All the pros and cons were discussed.

Information on transportation can be found here:

http://iah.houstonairportsystem.org/

Taxis go by zone from IAH (or Hobby). One way to/from Downtown is $43.50. There are also other shuttles and an infrequent city bus that goes to Downtown/Hobby.

I wouldn't bother going anywhere if you have less than 4 hours between flights. If more than that, MAYBE. But instead of spending $90 on cabs, you might just want to check in to a hotel (even the Marriott between Terminals B & C) and take a nap.

Sorry, downtown is $37.50. Galleria, Medical Center, etc is $43.50.

First of all, it's HOT HOT HOT!! And more humid than you can ever imagine. "High in the high-80's, lows in the 60's"--this is not the Houston I live in. Try 90-100s in August (you'll learn what "heat index" is pretty fast). Growing up and living here and I still can't believe how hot it gets! Avoid going outside at all costs.

Anyway, if you really want to see Houston, I'd recommend renting a car. Why not? There's absolutely no way you can take a cab anywhere, a) because the airport is so incredibly far from the city, and b) because they're hard to find. You can't "hail" a cab in Houston, just FYI (although of course they are at the airport).

I have been to the Aquarium several times, and it's basically a glorified Landry's restaurant (seafood). I wouldn't make a special trip to see it. Seriously. The food is ok, but overpriced because of...the aquarium!

Museums are great though. M of Fine Arts and the De Menil collection & Rothko chapel are my favorites. I'd give at least an hour's drive from airport to get to them. At least $50 cab ride in traffic, I reckon.

If you're into shopping, just hit the Galleria and you'll be set for the day.

Finally, regarding roads, I do agree that toll roads are great during peak traffic times (ie, M-F, 7am-8pm!), but while Beltway 8 doesn't go anywhere, emd is forgetting the Hardy Toll Road, which is a quick shot to downtown. Greatest road ever built, cause no one's ever on it!!

You can email me if you have any questions you'd like to ask (lisatx79 at yahoo). Good luck.

Yes, it is very hot. As my friend in Dallas puts it, "Houston is the armpit of the world."

Maybe not that bad, but August is the worst month. I don't know what day you'll be here, but in early August we have a tax free shopping weekend for back to school. I don't know where you can find out about it, but I think it's generally the first weekend of the month, and it runs Fri - Sun. FYI, in case you are into shopping.