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So, tell me about the weather there. Is it hot, hotter and hottest?

Seriously, S is very very interested in applying to/attending Rice but I (parent) am concerned about the heat/humidity factor.

By Kjofkw (Kjofkw) on Monday, September 29, 2003 - 12:45 am: Edit

I'm an "old" Rice grad, who grew up in the Northern states. The summer was hot, humid, and long, but the majority of students leave for most of the summer. I think that arrangement is better than attending school in the north during their worst weather! Winter was primarily wet or overcast from what I remember. Fall was comfortable, but lacked the beautiful color of the north, but spring was more beautiful than I remember anywhere -- very lush and vibrant w/ color. I did not mind the weather, and was definitely used to a cooler climate growing up. Pollution is sometimes a problem, however.

By Jcsmom (Jcsmom) on Monday, October 06, 2003 - 09:46 pm: Edit

Hi everyone. I can give you a very good perspective of the weather. I live 45 miles NW of Houston. While I have lived in or around Houston all of my life, I HATE the summers!! yes, HATE them. It is hot and humid. UGH!! Buy lots of deodorant/antiperspirant. LOL And girls...buy lots of hairspray. You'll need it. The winters are as Jhifjw said, with temps that never go much below freezing all winter. We do have a few dips but it can be 80F one day, 40 the next and 70 the next. I remember many Christmases wearing shorts with the air conditioner on. We say, "if you don't like the weather, hang around it will change."

Spring and Fall are beautiful and cool.

I can say, the Rice U. area is beautiful. Lots of old trees, etc.

By Striker (Striker) on Wednesday, October 22, 2003 - 06:33 am: Edit

I'm attending Rice and grew up in New England... I can say that the heat isn't too bad, but the humidity during the summer is downright oppressive. There isn't a whole lot of wind here, but the air conditioning is pretty good. One thing that did suprise me though was the RAIN. It rains here every other day for maybe 5-10 minutes, in which case the entire campus becomes mud. Houston is completely flat, the drainage is horrible, and there is just about no watershed whatsoever, not to mention the entire city is build upon a swamp. Anything more than a sprinkle means flooding, so bring waterproof shoes.

After the summer, when there are stretches of non-percipitation, it gets very nice though.

By Soundasleep (Soundasleep) on Sunday, November 02, 2003 - 12:06 am: Edit

hey, i live about 40 minutes (?? on good traffic days) from rice. i dunno, depending on where u come from. from the north, tx weather might be horrible from you. but i'm used to it. the nicest weather is always in spring/fall when it's just getting hot/cold. summer's are Baking!!! which is fun to get really soaked. some ppl at my high school dare to wear skirts and shorts in the winter, so that says something. there are times when i'm freezing when i wake up, but i guess it's still not as cold as the north. we get school (high school) if it sleets and freezes up, i believe. so if you get school off for snow buildup, sleet would sound pretty lame. but i'm pretty sure rice stil has school. right now, it's humidy and wet and not hot at all. i like rain, but walkign thru slush at rice is not cool at all. and this summer, there's been a lot of construction (did summer school there).
i'm not sure what you're concerned about though. the air conditioning at rice is at full blast. some teachers like it down to 60 degrees. if you're afraid he's gonna die from overheat, he can go into a room and relax. and there's shaded areas taht are fun to hang under. and there's nice little busses that take u places and those are COLd too. hope he has fun there!

By Soundasleep (Soundasleep) on Sunday, November 02, 2003 - 12:07 am: Edit

oops, we get school OFF when it freezes. sorry about the mistake

By Hiya (Hiya) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 11:45 pm: Edit

Personally, I really dislike the weather in Houston. It's sticky in spring, summer and fall and extremely HOT in the summer. It's one of the most polluted cities in the nation as well.

By Scetoaux (Scetoaux) on Friday, March 19, 2004 - 12:06 am: Edit

actually, I think it passed up LA a few years ago and is now second to none in pollution. But I love it anyway. The gulf coast is awesome, even in the spring. You step out of your airconditioned car and you instantly feel the paper in your hand get that wet feel where it crinkles up. If you haven't lived on the gulf coast, you haven't seen humid. Its more humid than equatorial jungles.

By Tenaciouselle (Tenaciouselle) on Friday, March 19, 2004 - 01:27 pm: Edit

"You step out of your airconditioned car and you instantly feel the paper in your hand get that wet feel where it crinkles up. "

LOL. Too bad I know EXACTLY what you're talking about. (I live right outside of Houston) There are some summer days when you take a shower just to cool off, only to start sweating again right as you step out.

I don't hate the weather here. Maybe because I'm just so darn used to it. I have gone through 4 years of marching band, two hours in the heat during the hottest time of the day. Only the strong survive. Just kidding. In actuality, one word to describe our weather=SPONTANEOUS. One day it is beautiful in every sense of the word, and other days I'm just dumbfounded.

By Tassadar129 (Tassadar129) on Friday, March 19, 2004 - 01:33 pm: Edit

thats why they say expect the unexpected in houston

By Mochaweb85 (Mochaweb85) on Friday, March 19, 2004 - 03:12 pm: Edit

"You step out of your airconditioned car and you instantly feel the paper in your hand get that wet feel where it crinkles up. "

hahahhahahha exactly.

By Abz1986 (Abz1986) on Friday, March 19, 2004 - 03:38 pm: Edit

Better than the Midwest, where virtually no humidty exists and the winters are freezing cold and the summers are incrediblly hot...

By Shoshie (Shoshie) on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 01:08 pm: Edit

"Better than the Midwest, where virtually no humidty exists"

I don't know which Midwest YOU'RE talking about, but in Chicago we get crazy humidity in the summer. Like, over 120 degree heat index.

Personally, I'd rather have the heat than bitter cold. I spent my last summer in Israel and the one before that in Arizona. Bring on the sun!

By Abz1986 (Abz1986) on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 07:37 pm: Edit

^ I'm talkin about the Midwest thats not next to the Great Lakes, namely Kansas and Missouri.

I did overexaggerate though, we do get rain on occasions, I mean its not the desert. But this place is pretty dry for the most part.

By Stef_Lynn (Stef_Lynn) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 12:34 am: Edit

Hey! I live in Seguin near San Antonio and the summers can be hot but its great for tanning ladies and you can wear comfortable clothing so its not too bad but its nice in the evenings and Spring is wonderful!!

By Jens (Jens) on Monday, April 12, 2004 - 12:34 am: Edit

my two memories of houston weather:
mosquitoes and floods.