Green Building in Dallas-Fort Worth

Green Homes in North Texas and Central Texas 

The weather in Dallas/Fort Worth is generally warm throughout the year. Summers can be extremely hot. Severe weather is possible because the cities are sited between the notorious 'tornado alley' and the meteorologically turbulent Gulf coast, so lightning storms, hail, floods and tornados do occur, often in the spring.

According to the feds:

The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is located in North Central Texas, approximately 250 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico. It is near the headwaters of the Trinity River, which lie in the upper margins of the Coastal Plain. The rolling hills in the area range from 500 to 800 feet in elevation.

The Dallas-Fort Worth climate is humid subtropical with hot summers. It is also continental, characterized by a wide annual temperature range. Precipitation also varies considerably, ranging from less than 20 to more than 50 inches.

Winters are mild, but northerners occur about three times each month, and often are accompanied by sudden drops in temperature. Periods of extreme cold that occasionally occur are short-lived, so that even in January mild weather occurs frequently.

The highest temperatures of summer are associated with fair skies, westerly winds, and low humidities. Characteristically, hot spells in summer are broken into three-to-five day periods by thunderstorm activity. There are only a few nights each summer when the low temperature exceeds 80°F. Summer daytime temperatures frequently exceed 100°F. Air conditioners are recommended for maximum comfort indoors and while traveling via automobile.

Throughout the year, rainfall occurs more frequently during the night. Usually, periods of rainy weather last for only a day or two, and are followed by several days with fair skies. A large part of the annual precipitation results from thunderstorm activity, with occasional heavy rainfall over brief periods of time. Thunderstorms occur throughout the year, but are most frequent in the spring. Hail falls on about two or three days a year, ordinarily with only slight and scattered damage. Windstorms occurring during thunderstorm activity are sometimes destructive. Snowfall is rare.

The average length of the warm season (freeze-free period) in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is about 249 days. The average first occurrence of freezing is in late November. The average last occurrence of freezing is in the middle of March.

Again: North Central Texas (Dallas Fort Worth metropolitan area) is in climate zone 3 (See DOE Map) but it is on the cusp of the warm, humid area of the United States.

Green Building in DFW