Last month, Southeast Texas experienced two separate blasts of Arctic air, one that even brought sleet and freezing rain to Houston. Now temperatures have swung in the other direction, climbing into the 80s and near record levels for early February.
So does this mean Southeast Texas is done with winter? Not quite, as ABC13 Meteorologist Elyse Smith explains.
Thankfully, climatology does work in our favor as the average last day with freezing temperatures is around Feb. 13.
However, the latest the city has seen temperatures at or below 32 degrees is as late as April. Specifically, April 10, 1973, when it reached 31 degrees. And just three years ago, in 2023, temperatures dipped into the 30s in mid-March during spring break.
And remember, the impact of the winter chill is more than just the freezing mark. Frost can still form when temperatures are above freezing, between 33 and 36 degrees. This is something springtime gardeners must be aware of before really investing in planting their seasonal garden.
The last typical frost date based on climatology is March 3 for Houston, but frost can still form as late as early April.
And while the forecast for the next two weeks in Houston favors this spring-like weather with well-above-normal temperatures, that alone doesn’t guarantee we’ll be freeze or frost-free for the next few weeks. About a week before the winter storm that brought freezing rain to Houston in January, we had afternoon highs in the mid 70s.
For more on this story, follow Elyse Smith on Facebook, X and Instagram.