Texas · 157 m elevation

Barometric Pressure in Austin, TX

• 30.01Average pressure (inHg, sea level)
• 132.0Swing days a year · 35th of 50
• 52.6Big-swing days a year (≥10 hPa)
• 66.6Significant 24h drop days a year

Overview

Austin averages 30.01 inHg (1016.3 hPa) and 132 significant pressure swing days a year — but 73% of them fall between November and March.

Austin's mean sea-level pressure over the 2015–2024 record is 30.01 inHg (1016.3 hPa), with 90% of hours falling between 29.75 inHg (1007.5 hPa) and 30.35 inHg (1027.9 hPa). The median reading is 29.98 inHg (1015.4 hPa). Standard deviation is 0.18 inHg (6.13 hPa), which ranks 34th of the 50 cities tracked here and sits just below the national median of 0.20 inHg (6.87 hPa).

Austin sits at 157 meters (515 feet), and that elevation matters for anyone reading an uncorrected instrument at home. Mean station pressure is 29.47 inHg (998 hPa) — about 0.54 inHg (18.3 hPa) below the sea-level-adjusted value that appears in forecasts and on weather apps. A barometer showing near 29.5 inHg in Austin on a quiet day is not broken or reading low; it is reporting the actual weight of the air at 515 feet. Most consumer barometers have an altitude offset setting to reconcile the two.

By national standards Austin is moderately quiet. It logs 132 significant swing days per year (24-hour change of 0.18 inHg / 6 hPa or more), ranking 35th of 50 against a national median of 180.7 — about 0.73 times the typical American city in this set. Big-swing days, at 10 hPa or more, come 52.6 times a year, ranking 33rd. Denver, the most volatile city here, runs 281.6 swing days, roughly 2.1 times Austin's total, and 169.8 big-swing days, more than three times as many. Within Texas, Austin lands mid-pack: fewer swing days than Fort Worth (163) or Dallas (155.1), more than San Antonio (125.9) or Houston (107.3). The largest 24-hour fall on record is 0.60 inHg (20.3 hPa), which ranks only 43rd nationally.

Migraine & pressure-sensitivity outlook

• Low — under 6 hPa (0.18 inHg)
• Elevated — 6 to 10 hPa
• High — 10 hPa (0.30 inHg) or more
• Dashed outline = forecast (after today)

Association only. This calendar shows days when pressure changed — or is forecast to change — sharply over 24 hours, conditions associated with pressure sensitivity in some people. It is not a prediction of symptoms, not a diagnosis, and not medical advice. The 30 days of history are there so you can compare the days you actually felt something against what the barometer did. Talk to a clinician about headache or migraine management.

For people who track barometric pressure as a symptom trigger, the useful number in Austin is not the annual count but the calendar. A typical 24-hour change here is 0.07 inHg (2.3 hPa) — small enough that most days pass without meaningful movement. The 95th-percentile 24-hour change is 0.31 inHg (10.6 hPa), and the fastest observed 6-hour fall is 0.27 inHg (9.2 hPa). Austin averages 66.6 significant drop days per year, defined as a 24-hour fall of 0.18 inHg (6 hPa) or more — the kind of rapid decline many pressure-sensitive people report as a trigger.

Roughly four of every five of those drop days land between November and March. January alone accounts for 12.3, February 12.1, and March 9.1. June through September combined produce about one significant drop day per year, and July and August produce none at all. That seasonality is far sharper than the mid-pack national ranking suggests, and it is the most actionable feature of Austin's pressure climate: an active five-month stretch bolted onto a summer effectively free of pressure swings.

Against other cities, Austin's cool season is moderate and its summer is exceptional. Denver residents see 281.6 swing days a year — 2.1 times Austin's total — with a 95th-percentile 24-hour change of 0.50 inHg (17 hPa) against Austin's 0.31 inHg (10.6 hPa). Miami, at the other end, logs only 19.8 swing days a year, so Austin still sees about 6.7 times as many. Las Vegas is Austin's closest statistical peer by swing count at 132.4 days, though Austin records slightly more big-swing days (52.6 versus 49). Anyone keeping a personal pressure log here should expect it to look busy from late November through early spring and go nearly silent by June.

Seasonal patterns

The annual average badly understates how lopsided Austin's year is. From November through March the city collects 96.1 of its 132 annual swing days — 73% of the total — and 51.9 of its 66.6 significant drop days, or 78%. January is the peak month with 22.6 swing days, 12.3 drop days, and a monthly standard deviation of 0.22 inHg (7.59 hPa). December follows at 18.9 swing days and 0.21 inHg (7.06 hPa). This is front season: Pacific and continental air masses sweep down the plains and reach Central Texas on a regular cadence, each delivering a fall ahead of the boundary and a stronger rebound behind it. That rebound is the signature here — the largest 24-hour rise in the record is 0.85 inHg (28.9 hPa), noticeably bigger than the largest 24-hour drop of 0.60 inHg (20.3 hPa). Cold-air surges build pressure faster than any storm removes it. Monthly means track the same rhythm, peaking in January at 30.16 inHg (1021.2 hPa) and December at 30.11 inHg (1019.7 hPa), then bottoming out in May and June near 29.91 inHg (1012.8 and 1012.9 hPa) as the seasonal thermal low sets up over the Southwest.

Summer is a different climate entirely. July averages 0.3 swing days and zero significant drop days, with a monthly standard deviation of just 0.08 inHg (2.57 hPa). August is nearly identical at 0.4 swing days and 0.08 inHg (2.70 hPa). For scale, Miami's variability across the entire year is 3.57 hPa — Austin in midsummer is flatter than the calmest city in this set is on average. The subtropical ridge parks overhead and the pressure field goes slack for months.

The extremes cluster where the seasonal pattern predicts. The record high of 30.84 inHg (1044.2 hPa) came on December 23, 2022. The record low of 29.33 inHg (993.1 hPa) came on March 2, 2023. The five sharpest 24-hour drops are all cool-season events: -0.60 inHg (-20.3 hPa) ending January 8, 2024; -0.56 inHg (-19.0 hPa) on November 28, 2016; -0.55 inHg (-18.7 hPa) on December 31, 2016; -0.51 inHg (-17.3 hPa) on March 21, 2022; and -0.51 inHg (-17.2 hPa) on January 30, 2021. Four of the five fell between late November and the end of January.

Month by month

Swing days: 24-hour change of at least 6 hPa (0.18 inHg). Drop days: 24-hour fall of at least 6 hPa. Averages per year, 2015–2024.

Records and extremes

Sharpest 24-hour drops, 2015–2024

Nearby cities

• San Antonio, TX
• Houston, TX
• Fort Worth, TX
• Dallas, TX
• Oklahoma City, OK
• Tulsa, OK

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