Houston, Texas – Relentless heat defined daily life across Southeast Texas in 2025, pushing Houston to its second-warmest year on record and cementing another milestone in the region’s warming trend. Residents endured months of intense summer heat, limited cold relief, and a noticeable lack of rainfall that strained landscapes, water resources, and outdoor schedules across the metro area.
According to the National Weather Service office in Houston/Galveston, the city averaged 73.0 degrees for the year, nearly three degrees above normal. Houston recorded 145 days with highs reaching at least 90 degrees, the most ever observed locally. Temperatures peaked at 101 degrees during late summer, while the coldest reading dropped only to 20 degrees during a brief January cold snap.
Rainfall totals also told a dry story. Houston ended the year with just under 39 inches of rain, nearly 13 inches below normal. Even the wettest single day of the year produced less than three inches, limiting recovery from prolonged dry stretches that affected lawns, agriculture, and bayou levels.
Similar patterns unfolded across the region. Houston Hobby Airport logged its fourth-warmest year, while College Station also finished among its hottest years on record, despite even lower rainfall totals. Forecasters say the dominance of heat and lack of sustained rain episodes were consistent with broader climate signals across Texas.
Officials note that while no immediate advisories are in place, long-term heat and water planning will remain a focus heading into the next year, with updated climate outlooks expected later this season.
