How hot is Austin, really? Compared to, say, Atlanta, Raleigh or DC?
 

Hi. My husband and I are in the preliminary stages of considering a relocation, and the Austin area is on the list. I'm familiar with what summer is like in Raleigh and Eastern NC (hot and humid, with 90's and 90%+ humidity common for half of July and most of August). In recent years, I've lived in DC and been spoiled by generally lower humidity.

I know Austin is high on the sweat index, but how bad is it? We went to San Antonio in April when it was 90+ without high humidity, and it was toasty. If you're familiar with Austin and Atlanta, Raleigh or DC, could you offer some comparisons, please? Thanks!

You can find out everything you'd ever want to know about the weather in Austi (and just about every major city in the world for that matter) in the History & Almanac section at:

www.wunderground.com

You can get "average" weather statistics for Austin at:

www.weatherbase.com

Austin is in the middle of Texas so comparatively speaking humidity is lower than places near the coast like Houston. Summer can be dry and hot (triple digits happen often). But don't let talk of triple digits (numbers that the press likes to report) fool you. 30 or 60 days in a row with temperatures in the very high 9o's F. would make you just as uncomfortable as you would be if there were a few 100 degree days thrown in the mix.

In Texas people don't spend a lot of time outdoors in the middle of summer - you go from your airconditioned home to your airconditioned car to your airconditioned office.

On the other hand winters are generally very mild with only a few days where it gets really cold.

Austin can be humid as hell in Summer...be prepared.

Austin is not humid as hell in the summer, unless you're from a place that has low humidity. I grew up in Florida and that is what I call humid as hell. Austin can have high humidity days but on average the humidity is not bad at all. A typical summer day starts out around 80 degrees and then gradually gets hotter. It is normally breezy in the morning so that's the best time to go walking, etc. By around 2:00 it's pretty hot and by 5:00 you've reached the high for the day. I would take 100 degrees in Austin any day over 90 degrees (and high humidity) in Florida. I've been to Atlanta many times and believe me, the weather in Austin is much nicer.

Coming from Huston I do not think Austin is humid at all. My family from California however thinks it is. So I guess it depends on the type of climate you are coming from. As for heat, yes the summers are hot, but the large trees and lakes make it bearable. I think it is a wonderful city.

Austin's pretty much the same as San Antonio. High humidty (70%+) is not common in Austin in the summer. Nothing like Atlanta and IMO nothing like DC.

According to weatherbase (link above), the average morning humidity in Austin in summer is high (in the high 80s) and the average evening humidity is low (in the mid-40s). I wonder what it is in between?

Austin is horrible...everything about it is disgusting...we are all crazy and weird as loons...trust me, you DON'T want to move here!!!

Austin and San Antonio are pretty comparable - both pretty hot in the summer, but can be very dry there, not as humid as somewhere like Houston. It's a wonderful city though. We have a lot of friends that live there and love it. Austin's motto is "Keep Austin Weird." It's a little more offbeat and liberal than other Texas cities.

<Austin is horrible....trust me, you don't want to move here>

Nice try, caroltis.

DD and SIL moved there a few years ago - and after spending the three summer months indoors except to go out and eat at night and listen to music - they left.

But they did say that everyone else seemed to love it and not mind the heat.

I think hot is hot. You really can't do much outdoors in any of it, so what difference does it make.

cabovacation,

"I think hot is hot. You really can't do much outdoors in any of it, so what difference does it make. "

There are a lot of things to do when it's hot, like anything involving water. Also, the evening's in Austin are awesome. Almost every restaurant has outdoor cafes, some with misting systems, which work great in the dry heat.
We eat outside on our deck almost every evening in the summer.

The lakes are wonderful, and the cold springs "Barton Springs" are ice cold so there's always places to cool off.

I much prefer Austin to humid climate cities, as there are fewer insects, and it beats any cold weather climate, as the weather 9 months of the year is outstanding, and there is no shoveling, and in cold weather climates I was always stuck inside for 4-6 months as I hate the cold. In Austin, I can do something all year. In the summer, the lakes provide the needed refreshement.

Activities for me are based on the seasons:
Winter to Spring: running
Spring to Fall: swimming
Fall to Winter: mountain biking/cycling

The great thing is that there are great runs in the winter/spring and great swims and triathalons in the summer/fall.

Even on 100 degree days, you'll see plenty of Lance Armstrong "wannabees" cycling on the roads around Austin.

<i>I think hot is hot. You really can't do much outdoors in any of it, so what difference does it make</i>

If you're in the sun, I certainly agree, but if you're in the shade, non-humid heat (like Palm Springs) is bearable to a much much higher temperature than heat plus humidity.

I grew up in Nebraska and now live in Fort Worth, Texas (just a ways north of Austin). I had the same question in mind before we moved here - how unbareably hot will it be? In all honesty, it does get hot. The only difference is that it's hot for a longer period of time. I was in DC last August and just about died - temps in the mid 90's. I'd trade a week of 100+ here for another day of that DC heat! And as a previous poster replied, air conditioning is a wonderful thing! :) Good luck!

Yes, in dry heat, if you're in the shade, it is almost always pleasant.

I would not call Austin dry in the summer. Though not as humid as Houston and the Mid Atlantic spots mentioned.

I agree with trippin. Maybe not as humid as other cities mentioned but unbearable for the most part. (Last year was the exception. Mother Nature forgot to bring summer to Austin. It was amazing. that was the nicest in the 25 years that I've been here)

This summer has already made up for it. I think 3 or 4 of the last days have broken records of 100 and 101. That was still at the end of May.

Austin summer mornings are humid, then the sun comes out and it gets a little less humid. Shade and a breeze helps.

We spend most of the time indoors from Mid May to about mid September. However, if you are used to the humidity, perhaps Austin won't be so bad for you. Come visit in July and see what you think.

Austin,

I actually found last summer too humid, with the rain and all. It did keep our grass nice and green though.

It's been hot as of late, but very dry, so quite comfortable. To each his own I guess.

Ha, yes, to each his own. There was a pretty long thread on humidity in Austin here a few years ago. Varied opinions then too

It's surely hot (I live in Dallas but have not been to NC in the summer) but Austin is an amazing place to live and worth it! The spring and fall are gorgeous and make up for it.

Austin, I was so surprised to read your temps! I thought maybe I had become acclimated to the heat and just hadn't noticed it being that hot here (San Antonio). Checked our past week of temps and nope, it wasn't tht hot-- you beat us every day! We had sprinkles today. Clouds...that's an exciting weather event here! :)

kgh8m...April was beautiful here this year...one day the high only got to 57, but generally it was mid 70's and low to mid 80's. Just checked (you can do this on weatherunderground.com) the entire month of April and the hottest was 88 which it hit a few days. Now we expect 90's daily and it'll be that way up to October.

Just watched the weather and since mid May, we've had 10 days of record breaking weather. Already 5 days of 100+ degrees (none or 1 last year). Over the past 10 days the average temp has been 99 degrees. Today a cool front and only 95, chilly tmrw, 92. The humidity today is opressive. It rained and I think the humidity is in the 90's.

Oppressive? People's perception to weather is so amazingly different. It's raining right now at my house in Austin, it's about 80 degrees, and absolutely lovely outside. Humidity is probably around 80% and will drop as soon as the sun comes out. The heat so far this year hasn't stopped me from doing anything outside and I wouldn't dream of spending months indoors. kgh8m, I think only you can judge how the weather will affect you. As you can see, everyone reacts differently.

Austin,

I'm wondering if Austin's climate is really suited to your needs. Perhaps you should consider someplace up north or the Pacific Northwest. The rains this morning have made things a bit humid, but we needed the rain. I was out on some of those 100 degree days thinking &quot;this doesn't feel like 100 degrees - must be because it's dry.&quot;

If you are truly miserable and must stay inside for such a long period, then this city is not right for you, unless you are naturally a &quot;couch potato&quot; and like being inside anyway, then you can do that anywhere.

I would never stay in a city for 25 years if I was miserable for 4-5 months of each year.

For me, I'd get &quot;cabin fever&quot; if I limited myself to inside for such a long period of time. When I go into the office (rare since I work from home), I usually have to take breaks from the air conditioning to &quot;thaw out&quot; so to speak. I just sit outside and enjoy the sun during those times...

Again I must say that threads such as this one illustrate why one person cannot tell another anything to do with comfort at certain temp/humidity levels. It is the reason why no one can answer w/certainty, the oft-asked query on the Europe forum &quot;Will we need AC in X place during X month?&quot; What one person thinks is pleasant/bearable/uncomfortable/hellish just varies way too much from person to another! :)

socialworker,

I know. When I went to Barcelona last year and reported the weather was mild - temps in the 25C range (77F), I had responses from people saying that was too warm. I told them that was comfortable, maybe even cool, for me.

On the other hand, I've had people report they visited such and such place in the winter and it was mild and 50 degrees. I responded that to me is cold.

Different strokes for different folks.

I graduated from UT in Austin. I no longer go back there in the summer (now live in California). It is HOT!

But....it is a great city and area to live.....if you want HOT!

kgh8m, you can't compare the mild April weather to summer, especially if it was this past April. We had a very mild April and May, for the most part.

I think if you didn't like April, then you might be miserable in June, July, and August. April is one of the best months in Texas.

Of course I understand that it's subjective and depends on each person. I just wanted to get a basic framework compared to things I'm familiar with. Even if I visit, it will only be for a few days - and that will inevitably be a crap shoot as to whether it's representative weather.

I asked about April because I happened to be in San Antonio then. And San Antonio was darn hot for early April (though not humid).

The humidity is what's a killer in DC and NC. It's nice to know that it *could* compare favorably in terms of humidity. Degrees-wise, I know Austin will be hotter. I just wanted to know if it was as-bad-as-DC-gets humidity plus temperatures like the surface of the sun - in which case, I'd quickly pass!

Austin, we've had that same run of bad heat and humidity here in DC. Unbearable, really, for about 5 days. But, I could get used to staying inside in the AC until 7 p.m. in summer.

We likely will return in July or August to test out the extremes. Thanks to all!