Season guide · Austin · United States
Austin in winter
December–February: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Margaretwmiller, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Mild and often sunny, with occasional cold fronts and rare ice storms; quieter and better value. Expect highs up to 19°C (66°F) and lows around 5°C (41°F), with about 24 rainy days across December–February.
Key facts
- Months
- December–February
- Temperatures
- 5°C (41°F) to 19°C (66°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 24
- Crowds
- Quiet
- Hotel prices
- Low
Weather in winter
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 17°C (63°F) | 5°C (41°F) | 8 | 10.4 h | 2/5 |
| February | 19°C (66°F) | 7°C (45°F) | 8 | 11.1 h | 2/5 |
| December | 18°C (64°F) | 6°C (43°F) | 8 | 10.2 h | 2/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 18°C (64°F) against a yearly 27°C (81°F), and 24 of the year's roughly 84 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 2/5 and hotel prices 2/5 on average.
What's on in winter
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- February: Austin Marathon (usually February)
- December: Trail of Lights in Zilker Park (usually December)
- December: Armadillo Christmas Bazaar (usually December)
Good choices for winter
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Museum · Hyde Park and the University
Bullock Texas State History Museum
It is a few minutes' walk from the Capitol and the Blanton, so pair the three.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
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Museum · Hyde Park and the University
Blanton Museum of Art
The University of Texas art museum has strong European, American and Latin American collections, and Ellsworth Kelly's 'Austin', a chapel-like building of coloured glass windows, the artist's only built work of architecture.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Museum · Hyde Park and the University
LBJ Presidential Library
Allow time for the civil-rights galleries, which are the museum's strongest section.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
Museum · Hyde Park and the University
Harry Ransom Center
A research library and museum on the UT campus that displays one of the few complete Gutenberg Bibles in the world and the earliest surviving photograph, Niépce's view from a window at Le Gras, along with rotating exhibitions from its literary and film archives.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Architecture · Downtown
Texas State Capitol
Stand in the centre of the rotunda and look up at the star in the dome, then walk the grounds' monuments.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Day trips in winter
- Gruene and New Braunfels (About 1 hour by car) — Gruene Hall, built in 1878, claims to be the oldest continually operating dance hall in Texas.
- Hamilton Pool Preserve (About 50 minutes by car) — A natural pool beneath a collapsed limestone grotto, with a waterfall dropping over the overhang.
What to pack
- Layers, a warm sweater and a jacket for cool evenings
- A packable rain jacket for showers
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is winter a good time to visit Austin?
It is a trade-off: Mild and often sunny, with occasional cold fronts and rare ice storms; quieter and better value. The best months overall are March–April and October–November.
+What is the weather like in Austin in winter?
Highs of up to 19°C (66°F) and lows around 5°C (41°F), with about 24 rainy days over the season.