How Many Sunny Days Does Dallas Get Per Year?

Dallas, TX has a humid subtropical climate which is warm to hot year round. Besides its comfortable average temperature outside of the very hot summers, it’s also a sunny city. But more specifically, how many sunny days in Dallas can you expect in an average year? And how often does it rain? Let’s learn a bit more about the climate of the city.

The data used in this article for average Dallas weather conditions comes from the NOAA.

Here’s the Number of Sunny Days in Dallas, Texas

According to the NOAA, Dallas Love Field receives 2,850 sunshine hours a year. Located near the city center, the airport offers the most reliable climate data for average weather conditions in the area.

Let’s see how these sunshine hours translate into the number of sunny days in Dallas:

Month	Sunshine hours	Percent possible sunshine	Average sunny days
January	183.5	58%	17.98
February	178.3	58%	16.24
March	227.7	61%	18.91
April	236	61%	18.3
May	258.4	60%	18.6
June	297.8	69%	20.7
July	332.4	76%	23.56
August	304.5	74%	22.94
September	246.2	66%	19.8
October	228.1	65%	20.15
November	183.8	59%	17.7
December	173	56%	17.36

Based on this data, Dallas has about 232 sunny days per year. This number includes both partly sunny days as well as days with bright skies. As for days without any sun, Dallas records 133 cloudy days.

Dallas ranks sixth in my ranking of the sunniest cities in Texas.

The sunniest months in Dallas are July and August with 23-24 sunny days. If you’re planning a trip to Dallas, weather conditions during these months will be by far the sunniest.

But these summer months are also the hottest months. The average high temperature climbs on average to 97 °F but may even go above 100 °F. Nights don’t offer much respite, either, as the average temperature falls to 77-78 °F. Combined with the average UV Index reaching 10 and potential warm and dry winds, Dallas has extremely uncomfortable summers. Read how they compare to Houston.

In a typical year, the third coldest month (February) is usually the cloudiest month. It records on average 16 sunny days. The winter months are usually mild, with the average high temperature reaching 58-62 °F and the average low temperature reaching 38-42 °F. Relative humidity is the highest during the coldest months, reaching about 67.5%.

Sunshine Hours in Dallas Compared to Other Cities

How sunny is Dallas compared to other cities in the United States? Let’s compare it to the major cities in a few states.

Dallas has 2,850 sunshine hours. Let’s see the data for other cities.

Sunshine Hours in Dallas Compared to Other Cities in Texas

Dallas is sunnier than Houston (2,578 hours of sunshine), San Antonio (2,629), Austin (2,644), and Corpus Christi (2,636).

It’s much less sunny than El Paso which, with 3,763 sunshine hours a year, is one of the sunniest cities in the United States. Dallas is also much less sunny than Lubbock which gets 3,197 hours of sunshine and Amarillo which gets 3,296 hours of sunshine.

Sunshine Hours in Dallas Compared to Cities in California

Los Angeles is sunnier than Dallas, recording 3,254 hours of sunshine a year. Both San Diego and San Francisco are slightly sunnier, recording 3,054 and 3,062 hours respectively. Sacramento is much sunnier than Dallas as it receives 3,608 hours of sun per year.

Sunshine Hours in Dallas Compared to Cities in New Mexico

Dallas is much less sunny than the major cities of New Mexico. Albuquerque gets 3,415 hours of sunshine, Santa Fe records 3,534, and Roswell records 3,302.

Sunshine Hours in Dallas Compared to Other US Cities

Dallas is sunnier than the following cities: Atlanta (2,738), New Orleans (2,649), Boston (2,634), New York City (2,535), Washington, D.C. (2,528), Nashville (2,510), Chicago (2,508), Philadelphia (2,498), and Seattle (2,170).

Dallas is much less sunny than Las Vegas (3,825), Phoenix (3,872), and Tucson (3,806).

How Many Days of Rain Does Dallas Get?

How does the average rainfall in Dallas look like? Here’s the data showing the number of rainy days per month:

Month	Rainy days
January	7
February	6.9
March	8.1
April	7.3
May	9.4
June	7.3
July	4.9
August	5.1
September	5.6
October	7.2
November	6.5
December	6.9

With 82 days of rain a year, Dallas gets relatively few rainy days though yearly precipitation is high at over 39 inches of rainfall per year. As a fun fact, the average annual rainfall in Dallas is almost exactly the same as in Seattle, a city with a reputation for rainy weather (Seattle gets almost twice as many rainy days, though).

Dallas gets consistent rainfall every month but the rainiest month (May) gets 9 days of rain compared to 5 in the least rainy one (July).

Average snowfall in the city is so low (1.7 inches a year) that there’s on average only 1.5 snowy days. Due to the city’s mild winters, it’s extremely unlikely for snow to accumulate on the ground (barring exceptional winter storms).

Why Is Dallas So Hot in the Summer?

The average high temperature in Dallas may cross 100 °F in the hottest month. Combined with a very high average low temperature of 78 °F, there’s never any respite from the heat.

With warm winds from the north and the west and the humid air from the Gulf of Mexico, Dallas usually has unpleasant summers.

For more on hot weather in Texas, read my article How Hot Does Texas Get?