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.

[Xenon]

Time to see the UHI in action...who will escape the "first freeze" ?😝

[Xenon]

Houston is holding up pretty well, check out the Houston island of 40s surrounded by 30s

 

Built-up/suburban vs rural divide west of Houston along I-10; notice the temperature divide that roughly follows HWY 99 (red). This was historically the boundary line +/- for long term queen palms (survivors of benchmark freezes like 2011 and 2018 during the 1990-2020 period).

 

 

 

[Xenon]

No freeze in west Houston, only 33F😝

[RedRabbit]

1 hour ago, Xenon said:

No freeze in west Houston, only 33F😝

I expected the urban core to hold up, but the suburbs did pretty well too. Looked like 33-34 this morning in Sugar Land.

[Chester B]

I got to 32F for an hour or two but no frost due to the wind.  No damage so far to things like bananas and such from what I can see.

[Xenon]

2 hours ago, RedRabbit said:

I expected the urban core to hold up, but the suburbs did pretty well too. Looked like 33-34 this morning in Sugar Land.

It was an interesting cold event. You could see the urban heat moving NE -> SW in the early morning hours due to the wind hence why the west side ended up staying a bit warmer. In a calm radiational event, the temperature gradient is more circular from the urban core (but also with a bias towards the west as the core development-wise is more centered on the west Loop vs downtown nowadays). 

I'm actually in Orlando right now. Back in town tomorrow to see the (lack of) "damage" 

[Chester B]

52 minutes ago, Xenon said:

I'm actually in Orlando right now. Back in town tomorrow to see the (lack of) "damage" 

Lots of damage to the deciduous trees, their leaves have changed from a green color to all sorts of golds, oranges and reds. 😁

[Chester B]

Well looks like tonight we're going to be right around freezing and I don't see any real wind forecasted so likely our first frost.  

Last Sunday 83F, tonight 32F and by Friday back up to 82F.  Quite the swing.

[Xenon]

The heat island is going to shine tonight with the radiational cooling

[Xenon]

33F at sunrise with some patchy frost, not bad for the western suburbs (NWS point forecast was on the money)...I narrowly evade a freeze again this winter!

Urban core is in the mid-upper 30s

But it is 20s in rural land south of Houston from Rosenberg to Angleton, the random patch of cold on the zone maps S/SW of Houston is much deserved 

[RedRabbit]

7 hours ago, Xenon said:

33F at sunrise with some patchy frost, not bad for the western suburbs (NWS point forecast was on the money)...I narrowly evade a freeze again this winter!

Urban core is in the mid-upper 30s

But it is 20s in rural land south of Houston from Rosenberg to Angleton, the random patch of cold on the zone maps S/SW of Houston is much deserved 

It was about the same in my area. Patchy frost and a 34.6f low (favorable siting for the thermometer.) Still waiting on a real cold front to come through…

[RedRabbit]

31f is forecast overnight. It will be our first freeze of the season if the forecast holds so I set up my weather station to identify the best microclimates around the yard. Nothing is in ground to take damage so let's go!

[RedRabbit]

13 hours ago, RedRabbit said:

31f is forecast overnight. It will be our first freeze of the season if the forecast holds so I set up my weather station to identify the best microclimates around the yard. Nothing is in ground to take damage so let's go!

The sensors recorded 21f, 30f, and 37f.

The 21f was open yard and open sky. I don’t think it is right and I’ve seen weird reading like that under similar conditions in Florida too.

30f was probably legit and about what the other stations in the area recorded. 

37f was actually what I thought may be the coldest. It is front yard and north facing with the wind. Apparently though, the light oak canopy made a much bigger difference than I would have though. 

 

[Xenon]

31F at the Davis station a block away in West Houston/Katy where the plants are

I moved to I-10/610 near Memorial and Uptown, obviously much warmer at 33F.  But no yard😅

[Xenon]

1 hour ago, RedRabbit said:

The sensors recorded 21f, 30f, and 37f.

 

 

Did you move out of 610? Most of central and southeast Houston stayed above freezing (33F at Hobby, mid 30s in 610)

[RedRabbit]

1 hour ago, Xenon said:

Did you move out of 610? Most of central and southeast Houston stayed above freezing (33F at Hobby, mid 30s in 610)

I moved to Sugar Land last year. Other than getting slightly colder, we really like it here. 

1 hour ago, Xenon said:

31F at the Davis station a block away in West Houston/Katy where the plants are

I moved to I-10/610 near Memorial and Uptown, obviously much warmer at 33F.  But no yard😅

You’re in a condo there? Great area no doubt!

[Xenon]

22 minutes ago, RedRabbit said:

I moved to Sugar Land last year. Other than getting slightly colder, we really like it here. 

You’re in a condo there? Great area no doubt!

I noticed the Sugar Land airport hit 27F. Will be interesting to see what damage looks like considering the short duration. Especially the other edges of Sugar Land.

Yep, love the area! Can't do the 90 minute commute anymore haha 

[UK_Palms]

3 hours ago, Xenon said:

31F at the Davis station a block away in West Houston/Katy where the plants are

I moved to I-10/610 near Memorial and Uptown, obviously much warmer at 33F.  But no yard😅

Did you leave your plants/palms behind for the new homeowner?

[Xenon]

1 minute ago, UK_Palms said:

Did you leave your plants/palms behind for the new homeowner?

My parents live there, so nothing left behind and even more soon to be added haha. A little over 20 mins away, not far at all by Houston standards. 

[UK_Palms]

1 minute ago, Xenon said:

My parents live there, so nothing left behind and even more soon to be added haha. A little over 20 mins away, not far at all by Houston standards. 

Oh okay fairs. For context, I assumed your parents/family lived in Mississippi. I remember seeing you post on multiple occasions about spending the holidays and stuff in Mississippi or Alabama or wherever. So I thought your last place in Katy was somewhere you were renting alone and you had just moved house/apartment.

[Xenon]

Just now, UK_Palms said:

Oh okay fairs. For context, I assumed your parents/family lived in Mississippi. I remember seeing you post on multiple occasions about spending the holidays and stuff in Mississippi or Alabama or wherever. So I thought your last place in Katy was somewhere you were renting alone and you had just moved house/apartment.

No, I moved to Mississippi for a while for work. Glad to be back. Much more palmy here even after all the freezes 🌴

[RedRabbit]

7 hours ago, Xenon said:

I noticed the Sugar Land airport hit 27F. Will be interesting to see what damage looks like considering the short duration. Especially the other edges of Sugar Land.

Yep, love the area! Can't do the 90 minute commute anymore haha 

I saw damage on banana plants so far, and it isn’t that bad. There’s not much else tropical to even damage here to be honest. 

[ChrisA]

Watch out for next weekend! It may be a real doozy. Yesterday my forecast called for lows next Saturday to be down to 32F. Now it’s down to 24F. The cold eastern air keeps nudging further westward as the western ridge is either breaking down or shifting also westward. Judging by how terrible the forecasters did with lows yesterday morning around this part of Texas they’re likely to mess this one up as well. 
 

Some neighbors of mine planted multiple Queen palms and a large Pygmy Date. Yet another year (5 in a row now) that are Queen killers here in SATX. I know @Xenon will call this pessimistic but to me it’s the reality! 😂   I’m with @MarcusH on this and will never plant a Queen here again. Washies and Sabal (or anything hardier) should be the staples of your palm choices here. For the most part robusta is fine here outside of 2021 events and there are still many around.

 

[Xenon]

1 hour ago, ChrisA said:

Watch out for next weekend! It may be a real doozy. Yesterday my forecast called for lows next Saturday to be down to 32F. Now it’s down to 24F. The cold eastern air keeps nudging further westward as the western ridge is either breaking down or shifting also westward. Judging by how terrible the forecasters did with lows yesterday morning around this part of Texas they’re likely to mess this one up as well. 
 

Some neighbors of mine planted multiple Queen palms and a large Pygmy Date. Yet another year (5 in a row now) that are Queen killers here in SATX. I know @Xenon will call this pessimistic but to me it’s the reality! 😂   I’m with @MarcusH on this and will never plant a Queen here again. Washies and Sabal (or anything hardier) should be the staples of your palm choices here. For the most part robusta is fine here outside of 2021 events and there are still many around.

 

 

That forecast as it stands isn't a queen killer, not even a queen defoliator 😆. Of course the forecast seems to be changing and trending down 🤷‍♂️

Never say never ! 

[ChrisA]

I know it shouldn’t be, but last year I lost my Queen even though the all exposed fronds survived. It became a Zombie Palm when the spear pulled. We haven’t had a winter that’s allowed newly planted Queens enough time to gain some size and become more cold resistant. Even my filifera that are over 50 feet tall have taken damage every year for the past 5 years. They are hardy but despise windy conditions in ice and snow which has happened every winter. Smaller ones in the yard are fine, although spotted, but the two tallest are exposed to the full wrath being higher than nearby trees or structures. 
 

I’ll report back on my neighbors Queen palms! I hope they make it! But I’m glad they’re in someone else’s yard. 😂