Any transplants in Austin, TX from the Low Country?

Question

We are considering a move to Austin from Charleston, S.C. and wanted a comparison of the two climates from someone who has seen both. We love all that the city of Austin has to offer culturally, but are a little concerned about the heat index there.

Two of the main reasons we are leaving Charleston are:

1. The heat index in the summer

2. The crazy amount of mosquitos

Can anyone in Austin offer a description of how the weather there compares to Charleston, S.C. or a comparable low country climate? Any problems there with mosquitos and no see-ums (biting nats- horrible in Charleston!)? I've not been able to find a comparison chart of heat indices for cities. Plenty of temperature data, but that doesn't truly describe the 'feeling' of the local climate when humidity is factored in.

Thanks,

adz68

Answer 1

Austin is a semi-arid climate. The humidity is considerably lower than Charleston, but there are about 10-12 weeks in the summer where the temperature is in the high 90's every day. Austin also experiences less rainfall than Charleston, so you can expect alot more sunshine. The winters are quite mild and will be an enjoyable change. Mosquito's vary in parts of town, depending on how much standing water is in the area, but probably generally not as prolific as Charleston. Nats are not an issue. I think you would adjust to Austin very well. Good Luck!

Answer 2

Austin is ridiculously hot in the summer (upwards of 110 isn't odd at all), but it's not humid, compared to most low lying areas. There isn't much rain in the summer, so it tends toward drought-like conditions. It's an intense, baking type of heat.

As far as bugs, it really isn't an issue, because of the bat colonies in downtown and north Austin. We have a few million Mexican Freetail Bats that go out at dusk every night and eat a few million bugs, so I've never really encountered a bad mosquito problem. Of course, there will be isolated areas near standing or brackish water where they will breed, but honestly, it's not really something we worry about here.