TEXAS 2025

[Meangreen94z]

5 minutes ago, Fusca said:

The Dioon spinulosum lives on!  The puddling from the latest mini-flood didn't linger very long this time.

Hopefully the mosquitoes aren’t quite as intense this time. How long has your Dioon spinulosum been in ground? What lows has its seen? 

[Fusca]

16 minutes ago, Meangreen94z said:

Hopefully the mosquitoes aren’t quite as intense this time. How long has your Dioon spinulosum been in ground? What lows has its seen? 

I planted it just about a year ago.  It completely defoliated at 27°F and attempted a first flush in March when it was nearly under water.  That flush was aborted so that got me concerned.  I don't know much about cycads but I do know they're not typically happy in heavy clay soils.

[Chester B]

I finally got some rain this weekend, about 2 hours worth.  Houston has been getting rain multiple times per week, but not at my house, I appear to be in a rain shadow caused by Lake Houston.  I've been watering regularly for the last month once I noticed the drought stress setting in.

Also, that cold weather they keep talking about has yet to materialize, I've still been at 90 or above.  The rain dropped the temp for a few hours but it warmed up again later in the day along with some pretty crushing humidity.  Right now I'm seeing some upper 80's at start of next week.  No severe weather this year so far, so I'm ok with that.

[Chester B]

Predictions are for hot and dry weather the next 2 weeks and local meteorologists are saying expect a warmer and drier winter than normal.  I'm dying for rain, yet again so am watering daily.  I'd like to know where they get these stats that say average of 50" of rain per year for my location!

[Xenon]

11 hours ago, Chester B said:

Predictions are for hot and dry weather the next 2 weeks and local meteorologists are saying expect a warmer and drier winter than normal.  I'm dying for rain, yet again so am watering daily.  I'd like to know where they get these stats that say average of 50" of rain per year for my location!

Been raining nonstop in west Houston. I'm having to respray the citrus trees every few days with spinosad due to the (dare I say unnecessary?) rain.  I haven't watered anything in-ground since July.  6"+ in August and ~3" so far for September😆

Can't complain though, the growth has been crazy 

[thyerr01]

The average for Houston is ~50", but the variance year to year is high.

Here is 2024: https://www.weather.gov/hgx/climate_graphs_iah#2024

We logged nearly 30" in just four months over summer and came in over average. This year and 2023 we didn't.

[Chester B]

Well it looks like Houston is about 10” behind this year on rain but it’s all location dependent.  I had rain a week and a half ago and I’ve resumed planting.  My soil is now dust, sand and concrete. I didn’t realize it was that bad.  I’ve been watering almost daily but have picked up the pace.  Still in the 90s with no signs of cooling down for the next couple of weeks.  If I can keep up with the watering the plants reward me with growth. 

[Chester B]

Still summer and no rain, but maybe next weekend we see a shift.

For Houston the normal high during the first three weeks of October is about 85 degrees. This month’s temperature, through 19 days, is the hottest ever, beating the record of 90.7 degrees (set last year). Compare this to the ‘normal’ high temperature for September, which is 90.4 degrees.

 

You can read the article here:
https://spacecityweather.com/so-far-this-october-is-the-warmest-on-record-is-there-any-relief-in-sight/?fbclid=IwY2xjawNjihFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFGMGlJYndaaGdjcXRKUUppAR7aVnnGgmD7tz_u3yNMW9j-uo0IT-4IZ7uEjP5R4mfegrt53diXgLKf5h-D-w_aem_Phlroi9vS7VF8uMbdWroFA

 

[Chester B]

We’re at 247 days at 80 or above this year.  One night can ruin all this - so wrong. 

[MarcusH]

While droughts in Texas aren't uncommon , some parts of Texas in the past haven't seen rain in 8 years . So far the 1950s experienced one of the worst droughts. The time between each drought seems to get shorter as well. What worries me is that it gets hotter with more days of 100+ and this only speeds up evaporation . This will all take a toll on our vegetation . Cypress trees along rivers are already showing signs of stress in South/Central Texas. Climate is changing and not for the better. 

[Chester B]

There are lots of crispy dead conifers around me. 

Fortunately I finally got rain, and two days in a row!  I have gotten about as much rain these last 2 days then I have in almost the last 5 months combined.  No exaggeration.  The first rain came Saturday overnight and even less than 12 hours later all of my plants were standing up straight, many started to flower and lots had already pushed out some new growth.  Shocking how fast it happened.  It's been raining constantly since the early AM hours and at a nice gentle pace.  This is really going to soak in and help things out. 

[Xenon]

I'm ready for a mild winter 🌴, betting on 31F at IAH and 33F at Hobby for the season 😆. It sounds hard to believe with the recent cold blasts but 6 out of the last 15 winter seasons have been zone 10 at IAH and/or Hobby. If we go back to the 90s and 2000s it's even warmer! 
 

2019-2020: 30F/32F

2018-2019: 30F/31F

2015-2016: 32F/34F

2014-2015: 28F/30F

2012-2013: 29F/31F

2011-2012: 29F/31F

Ready for mango trees and royal palms🤩🌴.

 

[MarcusH]

19 hours ago, Xenon said:

I'm ready for a mild winter 🌴, betting on 31F at IAH and 33F at Hobby for the season 😆. It sounds hard to believe with the recent cold blasts but 6 out of the last 15 winter seasons have been zone 10 at IAH and/or Hobby. If we go back to the 90s and 2000s it's even warmer! 
 

2019-2020: 30F/32F

2018-2019: 30F/31F

2015-2016: 32F/34F

2014-2015: 28F/30F

2012-2013: 29F/31F

2011-2012: 29F/31F

Ready for mango trees and royal palms🤩🌴.

 

The average winter temperature keeps going up, yes but severe cold snaps like we have seen in the 2020s will be the norm for a while , who knows for how long and we certainly don't know if the early 2000s come back anytime soon IF they even come back at all with climate change. Would be nice to see a few years of very mild winters but so far nothing really shows that we're heading this way unfortunately.  I just have a very hard time being optimistic about it , just giving you my 0.2 cents. 

[UK_Palms]

On 12/5/2025 at 10:20 PM, Xenon said:

I'm ready for a mild winter 🌴, betting on 31F at IAH and 33F at Hobby for the season 😆. It sounds hard to believe with the recent cold blasts but 6 out of the last 15 winter seasons have been zone 10 at IAH and/or Hobby. If we go back to the 90s and 2000s it's even warmer! 
 

2019-2020: 30F/32F

2018-2019: 30F/31F

2015-2016: 32F/34F

2014-2015: 28F/30F

2012-2013: 29F/31F

2011-2012: 29F/31F

Ready for mango trees and royal palms🤩🌴.

 

You are going to jinx it now for yourself. 🤣

From what I can see, January and February look pretty mild for North America and Europe. Most of the cold looks to be centred over far east Asia around Siberia, China, Japan and possibly Alaska. Similar to how it has been over the past month or so.

Obviously there looks to be a cold snap / freeze for many next week in the US but that may be about as bad as it gets. I can see January and February being above average, of course models can change and that also doesn't rule out cold snaps in between weeks of above average temperatures.

We are only one week into winter, but I would say the prognosis is exceptionally mild for Europe and fairly mild for north America. I don't think it will be a rough winter overall. Of course never say 'never'. Anything can still happen.

[Chester B]

So far so good.  Yes we have had the last week about 20F below normal in Houston, but that's not terrible,  Daytime highs in the 50s (10C or warmer) and no frost.  Next week another cold front after we heat up again, but nothing all that troubling.  I figure we have 10-11 weeks to go before Spring arrives.  The cool weather has made it much easier to get some work done in the garden.