Texas Annual Temperatures and Extremes

Texas Temperature Records

Hottest temperature ever recorded: 120 F, Seymour, northwestern Texas, 8/12/1936 Coldest temperature ever recorded: -23 F, Seminole, western Texas, 2/8/1933 Hottest location ranked by highest average annual temperature: Edinburg, southern Texas, 74.8 F Coldest location ranked by lowest average annual temperature: Stratford, Texas Panhandle, 55.0 F

Winter in Texas is a season of extremes, both in space and time. Average January low temperatures range from 20 degrees Fahrenheit (° F) along the northern border of the Panhandle to 50 in the Valley. Rapid temperature changes occur in response to a weather phenomenon known as a ‘Blue Norther’, a cold front that moves from north to south, propelled by cold air that has been trapped against the east side of the Rocky Mountains. These cold fronts are among the strongest in the United States; 20° F temperature drops in one hour are not uncommon. The temperature drops are accompanied by winds from the north of 20 to 30 mph; low stratus clouds often linger for a day or two before skies become clear.

Ten to twenty blue northers occur during a typical year. Perhaps the most dramatic was February 6, 1933, when the Texas High Plains city of Clarendon reported a high temperature of 69° F and a low temperature of -6, for a one-day temperature range of 75 degrees. Two days later, Seminole tied the all-time minimum temperature record for Texas at -23° F. Over a longer period, the most extreme weather change was 1906, when 101° F was recorded in south Texas on November 17 and -9° F was recorded in north Texas on November 21. More recently, Rio Grande City reached 102° F on February 9, 1960, and three days later a snowstorm hit central and south Texas with eight to 10 inches of snow.

The coldest day in weather records in Texas was February 12, 1899. On that day, over half of the State reached subzero temperatures, and the other recorded instance of -23° F occurred in Tulia. Another massive cold wave took place in late January 1949, when temperatures dropped subzero from Dallas to San Antonio. The Texas Panhandle has the coldest weather: Amarillo once spent 261 consecutive hours below freezing in 1895, and on January 4, 1959 Spearman experienced a "high" temperature of -1° F and a low temperature of -22. Warm temperatures are the norm in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, even in wintertime, and the area supports cold-sensitive crops. When the occasional cold wave hits the Valley, the agricultural damage can be severe, such as the billion dollars of damage caused by the cold wave December 19 - 24, 1989. Unlike the other three seasons, during which Texas receives frequent incursions of polar air, summertime finds Texas experiencing primarily a humid, subtropical climate, with only occasional bursts of cooler air from the north. Typical high temperatures are in the 90s everywhere except in the higher elevations of western Texas and along the immediate coastline, where 80s are more common. The normally high humidity keeps low temperatures warm also; they range from the 70s in the eastern part of the State to the 50s in the high-altitude arid regions of the Trans-Pecos. The warmest temperatures in summertime stretch from the Edwards Plateau across the Low Rolling Plains to the Cross Timbers where readings frequently top 100° F.

The record high temperature for Texas is 120° F, set in 1936 and tied in 1994. During unusually warm summers, the temperature occasionally exceeds 110° F, as it did for 10 consecutive days in Wichita Falls in 1980. While severe heat waves cause increased mortality, air conditioning is common so impacts are not nearly as great as they would be in the Midwest or Northeast under comparable conditions.

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Data source: National Climatic Data Center