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SunnyDays

ERA5 almanac — 8 years of real data

Houston in February

Houston in February is historically a poor month for sun: only 6% of days clear across 8 years (n=226, avg high 67°F). October is the clearest month for Houston historically. Historical average, not a forecast.

What you are reading: 8-year historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis, not a forecast. A month that is historically 90% clear can still be overcast on your specific trip. For this week’s actual forecast, see the live Houston page. Both can be true at once: “historically strong in this month; this particular week is not.” We label which is which.

Early vs. Late February

Clear-sky percentage for Houston in February, split by half-month. “n” is the number of days sampled across 8 years (2018–2025).
Period % Clear days Sample (n) Avg high
Early February
1st–15th		 5% n=120 67°F
Late February
16th–end		 8% n=106 67°F
Full month average 6% n=226 67°F

Sunshine & warmth in February

A second measure using actual sunshine hours (ERA5 sunshine_duration), not the daily weather code. A Lowcountry day with 12 hours of sun and a 25-minute afternoon storm is counted below as a warm, sunny day — because it was. How we define this.

Sunshine-based metrics for Houston in February. Primary: % of days ≥ 72°F with > 6 h of sunshine.
Period Warm & sunny (≥72°F, >6 h sun) Sample (n)
Early February
1st–15th		 19% n=120
Late February
16th–end		 29% n=106
Full month average 24% n=226
7.0 h median sunshine per day 40% of days exceed 8 h sunshine 44% of days see ≥ 1 mm rain — rain is not hidden
Comparison (old vs new): WMO-code “clear” bar: 6%. Sunshine-based “warm & sunny”: 24%. The 18-point gap is from brief afternoon convective storms that stamp the whole day as “rain” in the WMO code but leave the bulk of the sunshine untouched.

Bottom line

Houston is a poor choice for sun in February: just 6% of days clear historically (n=226). October is the historically strongest month for sun here. The 8-year record is consistent — this is not a fluke bad stretch.

→ See all destinations in October — historically the best month for sun in Houston.

Every month in Houston

Compare across all months with data. Numbers are historical clear-sky %.

Historical clear-sky % for Houston, all months, ERA5 2018–2025.
Month % Clear Sample (n)
January 2% n=248 All destinations →
February ← this page 6% n=226 All destinations →
March 15% n=248 All destinations →
April 28% n=240 All destinations →
May 23% n=248 All destinations →
June 19% n=240 All destinations →
July 21% n=248 All destinations →
August 23% n=248 All destinations →
September 30% n=240 All destinations →
October 44% n=248 All destinations →
November 25% n=240 All destinations →
December 6% n=248 All destinations →

All percentages are historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 8 full years (2018–2025). “Clear” means avg high ≥ 72 °F, precipitation < 1 mm, and a non-precipitation weather code. This is history, not a forecast. The live 7-day outlook for any destination is on its own page and may differ from the long-run average. Data from Open-Meteo.