It is Leap Day and it comes every four years. So, what is the weather like on Leap Day in Houston? Here is official weather records on February 29th. It is from NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data.
Houston Weather Branch 1892-1968
Year High Low Average Rainfall
1892 60 45 53 0
1896 64 46 55 0
1904 84 62 74 0
1908 76 55 67 0
1912 58 47 53 0
1916 68 45 57 0.01
1920 48 37 43 0
1924 67 42 55 0
1928 75 33 64 T
1932 85 64 75 0
1936 71 50 61 0
1940 82 57 70 T
1944 62 45 54 0
1948 72 59 66 0.01
1952 83 58 71 0
1956 68 50 59 0
1960 53 49 51 0
1964 60 45 53 0
1968 49 39 44 0
Bush Intercontinental Airport 1969-2010
Year High Low Average Rainfall
1972 72 61 67 0.33
1976 78 57 68 0
1980 82 63 73 T
1984 55 28 42 0
1988 82 58 70 T
1992 82 48 65 0
1996 47 39 43 0.53
2000 80 57 69 T
2004 72 56 64 0.49
2008 78 57 68 T
2012 84 71 78 0
2016 78 55 67 0
2020 75 43 59 0
From 1892 to 2020, two (6.25%) Leap Days saw below 32°F, which were in 1928 and 1984. The winter of 1983-1984 was one of the coldest winters on record. Nine out of 32 (28.13%) Leap Day saw at least 80°F days. The warmest Leap Day occurred in 1932. Interestingly, it snowed on March 10, the latest measurable snowfall recorded in Houston. It is not very wet on Leap Day. In fact the record rainfall is 0.53 inches, which fell in 1996. It rained in 11 out of 32 (34.4%) Leap Day from 1924 to 2020. That includes trace of rain. There is more chance to see rain than to see 80°F Leap Days in Houston. There is no recorded snowfall on Leap Day in Houston.
Here are some interesting facts about Leap Day. Leap year occurs in year divisible by 4. However, there are exceptions when years that are divisible by 100, they are not leap unless they are divisible by 400. So the year 1900 is not Leap Year, while 2000 is Leap Year. That is why there is gap between 1896 to 1904. The purpose of Leap Year is meant to keep calendar in alignment with the Earth’s revolutions around the Sun, which is every 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds or 365.242199 days. Happy Leap Day!
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