Race-day weather · Sunday, January 17, 2027

Houston Marathon weather.

26 Houston Marathon race mornings since 2000, measured hour by hour: temperature, dew point, wind, rain, and what the weather cost runners. The forecast for the 2027 race goes live here on Jan 11, six days out.

84 Typical score
at the start The median race morning since 2000: 46°F air + 39°F dew point at 6:55am, across 26 race mornings at the Houston Hobby weather station. No adjustment needed.
Start · 6:55am8446° air · 39° dew point
+2 hours · 8:55am9150° air · 41° dew point
+4 hours · 10:55am9556° air · 39° dew point

Your goal pace on a typical race morning

Built from the median race morning since 2000, averaged across the hours you’d be running. Where the weather costs time, each cell gives the adjusted finish time and the pace per mile to run instead. Six days out, the real forecast replaces it.

Goal on a cool dayAdjusted finish
2:456:18/miNo changescore 88
3:006:52/miNo changescore 88
3:157:26/miNo changescore 89
3:308:01/miNo changescore 89
3:458:35/miNo changescore 89
4:009:09/miNo changescore 89
4:3010:18/miNo changescore 90
5:0011:27/miNo changescore 91
How I’d race a typical year

Race the plan as written. This is the weather marathons are built for, and the only real risk is going out too fast because the first miles feel free. Hold goal pace through halfway and let the second half decide itself.

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Houston Marathon weather history: every race morning since 2000

Every row in the table below is a measurement from the Houston Hobby weather station, taken nearest 6:55am (today’s first-wave start) and again three hours later. Start times have moved over the years, so treat 6:55am as a clock time, not always the gun. Across 26 race mornings:

  • A typical 6:55am reading is 46°F with a 39°F dew point, a combined score of 84.
  • The warmest was 2017: 65°F with a 64°F dew point at 6:55am, a score of 129.
  • The most humid was 2017, with a 64°F dew point.
  • The coldest was 2003, at 32°F.
  • On 7 of 26 race mornings the 6:55am score was above 100, enough to call for a pace adjustment. Three hours later, 9 of 26 were.
  • The windiest start was 2025: NNW wind at 22 mph, gusting to 35.
  • Rain fell in the first 5 hours on 3 of 26 race mornings. The most rain measured was 0.10 inches, in 2011.
Houston Marathon weather by year · air / dew point (°F), combined score, wind and rain
YearDateAir / dew at 6:55amScoreAir / dew at 9:55amScoreWind at 6:55amRain
2026Jan 1141° / 28°6951° / 25°76NNW 8 mphDry
2025Jan 1933° / 18°5137° / 14°51NNW 22 mphgusts 35Dry
2024Jan 1445° / 35°8045° / 29°74NNW 15 mphgusts 21Dry
2023Jan 1558° / 53°11168° / 57°125SE 9 mphDry
2022Jan 1636° / 25°6143° / 27°70NW 9 mphDry
2021–Virtual only (COVID-19), no race morning
2020Jan 1947° / 28°7550° / 24°74NNE 17 mphgusts 25Dry
2019Jan 2033° / 24°5738° / 24°62N 13 mphDry
2018Jan 1434° / 30°6442° / 28°70ENE 7 mphDry
2017Jan 1565° / 64°12968° / 66°134E 6 mph0.01 in
2016Jan 1741° / 35°7647° / 34°81NNW 9 mphDry
2015Jan 1846° / 38°8459° / 37°96N 5 mphDry
2014Jan 1950° / 49°9959° / 37°96NNW 3 mphDry
2013Jan 1345° / 42°8744° / 40°84NNW 18 mphgusts 250.07 in
2012Jan 1539° / 36°7558° / 49°107CalmDry
2011Jan 3064° / 60°12466° / 62°128E 3 mph0.10 in
2010Jan 1742° / 40°8251° / 46°97W 5 mphDry
2009Jan 1859° / 53°11263° / 40°103WNW 10 mphgusts 18Dry
2008Jan 1348° / 42°9055° / 42°97N 16 mphgusts 21Dry
2007Jan 1455° / 54°10959° / 57°116WNW 3 mphDry
2006Jan 1551° / 41°9265° / 49°114CalmDry
2005Jan 1638° / 32°7046° / 32°78N 9 mphDry
2004Jan 1849° / 39°8852° / 40°92W 12 mphDry
2003Jan 1932° / 30°6250° / 37°87CalmDry
2002Jan 2041° / 36°7749° / 41°90E 5 mphDry
2001Jan 1455° / 55°11058° / 46°104CalmDry
2000Jan 1659° / 58°11770° / 61°131SE 5 mphDry

Readings from the Houston Hobby ASOS weather station (NOAA/FAA, via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet), the observation nearest each hour. Scores above 100 call for a pace adjustment. Rain is the total the station measured in the 5 hours after 6:55am. Download every hour as a CSV.

How the score works

Add the air temperature to the dew point, both in Fahrenheit. That combined score is closer to what your body feels than the temperature alone, because dew point decides whether your sweat can evaporate, and evaporating sweat is how you shed heat at race pace. The bands below are the same ones my heat pace calculator uses, and that page has the full chart and the physiology behind it.

Combined score → how much to slow down
  • 100 or lessNo pace adjustment
  • 101 – 1100% to 0.5% slower
  • 111 – 1200.5% to 1% slower
  • 121 – 1301% to 2% slower
  • 131 – 1402% to 3% slower
  • 141 – 1503% to 4.5% slower
  • 151 – 1604.5% to 6% slower
  • 161 – 1706% to 8% slower
  • 171 – 1808% to 10% slower
  • Above 180Hard running is not recommended

The bands are a coach's rule of thumb, not a lab measurement. Treat each range as a starting point and let effort make the final call.

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Other race-day weather pages

Twin Cities MarathonSunday, October 4, 202695Race day at the startNo adjustment needed Chicago MarathonSunday, October 11, 2026113Race day at the startSlight penalty: 0.5% to 1% slower Columbus MarathonSunday, October 18, 202666Forecast at the startNo adjustment needed Detroit MarathonSunday, October 18, 202673Forecast at the startNo adjustment needed Marine Corps MarathonSunday, October 25, 202694Typical startNo adjustment needed NYC MarathonSunday, November 1, 202683Typical startNo adjustment needed Philadelphia MarathonSunday, November 22, 202673Typical startNo adjustment needed California International MarathonSunday, December 6, 202683Typical startNo adjustment needed Honolulu MarathonSunday, December 13, 2026136Typical startReal penalty: 2% to 3% slower LA MarathonSunday, March 7, 202799Typical startNo adjustment needed Boston MarathonMonday, April 19, 202784Typical startNo adjustment needed Grandma's MarathonSaturday, June 19, 2027112Typical startSlight penalty: 0.5% to 1% slower

All race-day weather pages

RunFitCoach is not affiliated with the Chevron Houston Marathon or its organizers. Observations from the Houston Hobby ASOS station (NOAA/FAA) via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet. Data updated Thursday, October 15, 2026.

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