Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Stafford Texas, United States

In Stafford, the summers are long, hot, and oppressive; the winters are short, cool, and windy; and it is wet and partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 45°F to 93°F and is rarely below 32°F or above 98°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best times of year to visit Stafford for warm-weather activities are from late March to mid May and from late September to early November.

The hot season lasts for 3.9 months, from May 26 to September 23, with an average daily high temperature above 87°F. The hottest month of the year in Stafford is August, with an average high of 93°F and low of 74°F.

The cool season lasts for 2.8 months, from November 29 to February 22, with an average daily high temperature below 69°F. The coldest month of the year in Stafford is January, with an average low of 46°F and high of 63°F.

In Stafford, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Stafford begins around September 15 and lasts for 2.7 months, ending around December 4.

The clearest month of the year in Stafford is October, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 68% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around December 4 and lasts for 9.3 months, ending around September 15.

The cloudiest month of the year in Stafford is August, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 49% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Stafford varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 4.3 months, from May 14 to September 23, with a greater than 30% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Stafford is June, with an average of 11.1 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 7.7 months, from September 23 to May 14. The month with the fewest wet days in Stafford is April, with an average of 6.7 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Stafford is June, with an average of 11.1 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 40% on August 28.

Rainfall

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Stafford experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Stafford. The month with the most rain in Stafford is June, with an average rainfall of 4.4 inches.

The month with the least rain in Stafford is February, with an average rainfall of 2.8 inches.

The length of the day in Stafford varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 10 hours, 15 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 14 hours, 3 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 6:21 AM on June 10, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 16 minutes later at 7:37 AM on March 10. The earliest sunset is at 5:22 PM on December 1, and the latest sunset is 3 hours, 4 minutes later at 8:26 PM on June 30.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Stafford during 2024, starting in the spring on March 10, lasting 7.8 months, and ending in the fall on November 3.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

Stafford experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 6.9 months, from April 5 to November 1, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 29% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Stafford is July, with 30.4 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Stafford is January, with 2.3 days that are muggy or worse.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Stafford experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 7.7 months, from October 16 to June 6, with average wind speeds of more than 8.2 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Stafford is March, with an average hourly wind speed of 9.8 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 4.3 months, from June 6 to October 16. The calmest month of the year in Stafford is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.5 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Stafford varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the south for 7.0 months, from February 11 to September 11 and for 1.6 months, from October 13 to December 1, with a peak percentage of 72% on June 26. The wind is most often from the east for 1.1 months, from September 11 to October 13, with a peak percentage of 39% on September 19. The wind is most often from the north for 2.4 months, from December 1 to February 11, with a peak percentage of 39% on January 1.

Stafford is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 4.1 months, from May 31 to October 2, with an average temperature above 80°F. The month of the year in Stafford with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 85°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.3 months, from December 11 to March 19, with an average temperature below 65°F. The month of the year in Stafford with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 60°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Stafford throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Stafford for general outdoor tourist activities are from late March to mid May and from late September to early November, with a peak score in the last week of April.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Stafford for hot-weather activities are from early May to early July and for the entire month of September, with a peak score in the first week of June.

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season in Stafford typically lasts for 10 months (320 days), from around February 1 to around December 17, rarely starting after March 10, or ending before November 24.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Stafford should appear around January 16, only rarely appearing before January 10 or after January 28.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.2 months, from April 6 to July 11, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.9 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Stafford is May, with an average of 6.5 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 2.6 months, from November 13 to February 2, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 3.7 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Stafford is December, with an average of 3.1 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Stafford are 29.616 deg latitude, -95.558 deg longitude, and 82 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Stafford is essentially flat, with a maximum elevation change of 26 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 77 feet. Within 10 miles is also essentially flat (82 feet). Within 50 miles is essentially flat (400 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Stafford is covered by artificial surfaces (83%) and cropland (15%), within 10 miles by artificial surfaces (67%) and cropland (25%), and within 50 miles by cropland (49%) and artificial surfaces (21%).