Houston s climate is classified as humid subtropical ( Cfa in Köppen climate classification system).

Houston is the largest city in the state of Texas, and the fourth-largest city in the United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of 579 square miles (1,500 km 2 ). Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown, which is the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the United States, with nearly 6 million people.
According tampa exotic car rentals to the United States Census Bureau, tampa exotic car rentals the city has a total area of 601.7 square miles (1,558 km 2 ); this comprises 579.4 square tampa exotic car rentals miles (1,501 km 2 ) of land and 22.3 square miles (58 km 2 ) of water. Most of Houston is located on the gulf coastal plain, and its vegetation is classified as temperate grassland and forest. Much of the city was built on forested land, marshes, swamp, or prairie, which are all still visible in surrounding areas. Flatness of the local terrain, when combined with urban sprawl, has made flooding a recurring problem for the city. Downtown stands about 50 feet (15 m) above sea level, and the highest point in far northwest tampa exotic car rentals Houston is about 125 feet (38 m) in elevation. The city once relied on groundwater for its needs, but land subsidence forced the city to turn to ground-level water sources such as Lake Houston, Lake Conroe and Lake Livingston. The city owns surface water rights for 1.2 billion gallons of water a day in addition to 150 million gallons a day worth of groundwater.
Houston has four major bayous passing through the city. Buffalo Bayou runs through downtown and the Houston Ship Channel, and has three tributaries: White Oak Bayou, which runs through the Houston Heights community northwest of Downtown and then towards Downtown; Braes Bayou, which runs along the Texas Medical Center; and Sims Bayou, which runs through the south of Houston and downtown Houston. The ship channel continues tampa exotic car rentals past Galveston and then into the Gulf of Mexico.
tampa exotic car rentals Houston s climate is classified as humid subtropical ( Cfa in Köppen climate classification system). While not necessarily part of Tornado tampa exotic car rentals Alley like much of the rest of Texas, Spring supercell thunderstorms do sometimes bring tornadoes to the area. Prevailing winds are from the south and southeast during most of the year, bringing heat across the continent from the deserts of Mexico and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico.
During the summer months, it is common for the temperature to reach over 90 °F (32 °C), with an average of 99 days per year above 90 °F (32 °C). However, tampa exotic car rentals the humidity results in a heat index higher than the actual temperature. Summer mornings average over 90 percent relative humidity and approximately 60 percent in the afternoon. Winds are often light in the summer and offer little relief, except near the immediate coast. To cope with the heat, people use air conditioning in nearly every vehicle tampa exotic car rentals and building in the city; in 1980 Houston was described as the most air-conditioned place on earth . Scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms are common in the summer. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Houston was 109 °F (43 °C) on September 4, 2000
Winters in Houston are mild. The average high in January, the coldest month, is 63 °F (17 °C), while the average tampa exotic car rentals low is 45 °F (7 °C). Snowfall is very rare. Recent snow events in Houston include a storm on December 24, 2004 when one inch (2.5 cm) fell and more recent snowfalls on December 10, 2008. This was the earliest snowfall ever recorded in Houston. In addition, it set another milestone marking the first time in recorded history that snowfall has occurred in two consecutive years, and was the third accumulating snowfall occurring in the decade of 2000–2010. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Houston was 5 °F (−15 °C) on January 23, 1940. Houston receives a high amount of rainfall annually, averaging about 54 inches a year. These rains tend to cause floods tampa exotic car rentals over portions of the city.
Houston has excessive ozone levels tampa exotic car rentals and is ranked among the most ozone-polluted cities in the United States. Ground-level ozone, or smog, is Houston s predominant tampa exotic car rentals air pollution problem, with the American Lung Association rating the metropolitan area s ozone level as the 8th worst in the United States in 2011. The industries located along the ship channel are a major cause of the city s air pollution.
The Theater District is a 17-block area in the center of downtown Houston that is home to the Bayou Place entertainment complex, restaurants, movies, plazas, and parks. Bayou Place is a large multilevel building containing full-service restaurants, bars, live music, billiards and Sundance Cinema. The Houston Verizon Wireless Theater stages live concerts, tampa exotic car rentals stage plays, and stand-up comedy. Space Center Houston is the official visitors’ center of NASA s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. The Space Center has many interactive exhibits including moon rocks, a shuttle simulator, and presentations about the history of NASA s manned space flight program. Other tourist attractions include the Galleria (Texas s largest shopping mall located in the Uptown District), Old Market Square, the Downtown Aquarium, and Sam Houston Race Park. SplashTown Waterpark Houston is a water park located north of Houston. Earth Quest Adventures is a theme park planned to open in 2013/2014.
Houston is home to 337 parks including Hermann Park, Terry Hershey Park, Lake Houston Park, Memorial Park, Tranquility Park, Sesquicentennial Park, Discovery Green, and Sam Houston Park. Within Hermann Park are the Houston Zoo and the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Sam Houston Park contains restored and reconstructed homes which were originally built between 1823 and 1905. There is a proposal to open the city s first botanic garden at Herman tampa exotic car rentals Brown Park.
Of the 10 most populous U.S. cities, Houston has the most total area of parks and green space, 56,405 acres (228 km 2 ) The city also has over 200 additional green spaces—totaling over 19,600 acres (79 km 2 ) that are managed by the city—including the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center. The Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark is a public skatepark owned and operated by the city of Houston, and is one of the largest skateparks in Texas consisting of 30,000 (2,800 m2) square foot in-ground facility. The Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park—located in the Uptown District of the city—serves as a popular tourist attraction, weddings, and various celebrations. tampa exotic car rentals A 2011 study by Walk Score ranked Houston the 23rd most walkable of the 50 largest cities in the United States.