Climate & Environment

Austin is located on the Colorado River where the stream crosses the Balcones escarpment separating the Texas Hill Country from the Blackland Prairies to the east. Within the City of Austin, elevations range from 400 to 1,000 feet above sea level. The climate is classifed as "humid subtropical" with hot summers and mild winters. Freezing temperatures occur only about 25 days per year. Cold spells are short and seldom last more than two days. While summer days are hot, summer nights are usually pleasant. Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year.

Climate Normals

Temperature Minimum Average Maximum
January 37.3°F 2.9°C 48.1°F 8.9°C 58.9°F 14.9°C
April 56.3°F 13.5°C 67.1 °F 19.5 °C 77.8°F 25.4°C
July 71.5°F 21.9°C 82.8 °F 28.2 °C 94.0°F 34.4°C
October 56.3°F 13.5°C 68.6 °F 20.3 °C 80.8°F 27.1°C
Annual precipitation 31.35 in. 79.63 cm
Annual snowfall 0.8 in. 2.0 cm
Annual average wind speed 7.9 mph 12.7 kph
Annual relative humidity 67% --

Source: U.S. National Climatic Data Center, 2006 Local Climatological Data Annual Summary.

Attainment Status

The Austin region has a history of proactive air quality initiatives. The five-county region has successfully completed two voluntary air quality improvement initiatives: the 1-hour O3 Flex Plan and the Early Action Compact (EAC) to address the 8-hour ozone standard. Through these initiatives, the region implemented emission reduction measures sufficient to keep the region in compliance of federal ozone standards despite a growth rate that far exceeds the national average.

The region is now developing an 8-hour O3 Flex Program. This is the next generation of proactive, voluntary air quality initiatives, designed to keep the region in attainment of the current ozone standard through 2013.

The EPA has proposed lowering the ozone standard. A more stringent standard could affect the region's attainment status. EPA will announce its decision on the proposed new standard in March 2008.

Since 1993, the CLEAN AIR Force of Central Texas (CAF), a coalition of business, government, environmental and community leaders, has coordinated public awareness and education campaigns. More than a decade of CAF outreach has provided a solid base of public understanding of air quality issues in the Austin region.

Austin is the headquarters for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas which operates state’s independent electric grid and manages the deregulated market for 75% of Texas.