When to visit the Coastal Bend

Overview

The National Park Service (NPS) describes the climate at Padre Island as subtropical, with long, hot, muggy summers and short, mild winters. It adds that the weather can vary widely and change quickly.

The table below gives the weather for every month. Each month then has a short note on what is in season and which yearly events fall in it. After the months come fishing seasons, birds and wildlife, hurricane season and what to pack. Each of the six areas has its own page for what differs there, and they are linked at the bottom.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) says spring and summer are the busy season at Mustang Island State Park. It suggests a visit in the cooler months for a quieter beach.

Month by month

Yearly events appear here only when the organizer's own site says they recur and names the month. Dates change every year, so check with the organizer before you plan a trip around one.

These are the NOAA 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Rockport station (USC00417704), from the National Centers for Environmental Information. Temperatures are rounded to the nearest degree Fahrenheit and rain to the nearest tenth of an inch. Gulf water is the average along Corpus Christi beaches as the National Park Service publishes it, rounded to the nearest degree.

January

Whooping cranes spend the winter at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) says they typically arrive in late October and depart by mid-April. The Port Aransas Tourism Bureau & Chamber of Commerce (the Port Aransas Chamber) lists sheepshead among the bay fish from January to April. The NPS says sudden, strong cold fronts can move through in winter, bringing gale force winds and a quick drop in temperature.

February

The Whooping Crane Festival is held in Port Aransas in February. It is a yearly festival that celebrates the return of the cranes to their winter home at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Sheepshead are still on the Port Aransas Chamber's list of bay fish.

March

Fulton Oysterfest is held in Fulton in March, with live music, a carnival and an oyster eating contest. The City of Ingleside says the Bluebonnet Run is held each March at Live Oak Park, at the height of the bluebonnet season. TPWD says wildflowers fill Goose Island State Park in spring.

April

Texas SandFest is a three-day sand sculpture event on the beach in Port Aransas, usually held in April. The Corpus Christi visitor bureau says the Birdiest Festival in America is held each April and celebrates spring migration. The cranes are leaving the refuge by mid-April. Late in the month, the Kemp's ridley sea turtle begins nesting on the beach at Padre Island National Seashore, according to the NPS. Buc Days in Corpus Christi usually begins in late April.

May

Buc Days in Corpus Christi usually continues into May. Kemp's ridley nesting goes on at Padre Island National Seashore. TPWD lists bird watching as an activity at Mustang Island State Park, especially during spring and fall migrations. Its wildlife trail guide for Port Aransas says bird diversity at its sites there is highest in those two migrations.

June

The Atlantic hurricane season starts on June 1 (see Hurricane season below). The Corpus Christi visitor bureau lists a Juneteenth festival there each June. TPWD gives Memorial Day through Labor Day as a busy season at Goose Island State Park.

July

The Deep Sea Roundup, a fishing tournament, is held in Port Aransas in July. The Rockport Art Festival, hosted by Rockport Center for the Arts, is held in Rockport in early July. Kemp's ridley nesting at Padre Island National Seashore runs through mid-July, and the NPS calls a hatchling release a popular mid-summer activity. The City of Ingleside starts its Music in the Park series this month.

August

The NPS releases sea turtle hatchlings only in the summer months. NOAA says most Atlantic hurricane activity comes between mid-August and mid-October.

September

The HummerBird Celebration, held in Rockport and Fulton in September, centers on the hummingbird migration. Ingleside Fire Rescue holds its yearly fishing tournament in Ingleside in September, and the Music in the Park series runs through the month. September falls in the busiest weeks of the hurricane season.

October

SeaFair is held in Rockport and Fulton in early October. The Aransas Pass Chamber of Commerce lists the Shrimporee for October. The Corpus Christi visitor bureau says the Texas Jazz Festival takes over the city each October and that the Sharkathon fishing tournament runs in October and November. The City of Portland lists its Boo Bash among its October events. Whooping cranes typically arrive in late October, and TPWD gives October through Thanksgiving as a busy season at Goose Island State Park.

November

The flounder fishery is closed from November 1 (see Fishing seasons below). The Sharkathon tournament continues. The Atlantic hurricane season ends on November 30.

December

The City of Portland lists Christmas on the Coast among its December events, and the Aransas Pass Chamber of Commerce holds its Illuminated Saltwater Christmas Parade in December. The flounder closure runs through December 14. TPWD says the first freeze at Goose Island State Park comes in mid-December.

Fishing seasons

TPWD rules change, so check its flounder page before you fish. For the regulation year from September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027, the flounder daily bag limit is 5 fish with a 15 inch minimum length. From November 1 through December 14 the flounder fishery is closed and the bag limit is 0. Anglers who keep fish from Texas public saltwater need a fishing license with a saltwater endorsement. TPWD says you do not need a license to fish from the shore or a pier in a Texas state park.

The Port Aransas Chamber's bay fishing guide lists redfish, spotted seatrout and black drum as year-round catches, and sheepshead from January to April. It adds that spring and fall often provide peak conditions.

Birds and wildlife

Whooping cranes are at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge from about the end of October to the middle of April. The USFWS says planning a trip around those dates raises your chances of seeing them.

The USFWS also says millions of waterfowl, shorebirds and songbirds pass through the refuge each spring and fall. In Port Aransas, TPWD says bird diversity is highest during those migrations, when land birds and shorebirds can be abundant.

The Rockport-Fulton Chamber of Commerce says the HummerBird Celebration follows the annual hummingbird migration through Rockport and Fulton, in September.

At Padre Island National Seashore, the NPS says the Kemp's ridley sea turtle nests on the beach from late April through mid-July. The park releases hatchlings only in summer. It says releases can be cancelled for weather, tides or hatching times, and it advises calling its hatchling hotline or checking its social media pages before you drive to the park.

Hurricane season

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, according to NOAA. Storms sometimes form outside those dates, and NOAA says most activity comes between mid-August and mid-October. The NPS adds that most rain at Padre Island falls near the beginning and end of the season.

Check the forecast from the National Weather Service in Corpus Christi and follow local officials.

What to pack

Pack for the month you are visiting, using the table above.

• For winter, bring a warm layer. The NPS says winter highs at Padre Island are usually between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit and can drop into the upper 30s, and that sudden, strong cold fronts can bring gale force winds.
• For summer, bring light clothes. The NPS says daytime temperatures are usually in the mid-90s with very humid conditions, and that afternoon and evening sea breezes moderate the heat.
• For the sun and bugs, TPWD's advice to paddlers is to take plenty of sunscreen, insect repellant and water, and to wear a lifejacket.
• For fishing, bring your license. TPWD requires a fishing license with a saltwater endorsement for anglers who land fish from public saltwater.
• For the beach in Port Aransas, the City of Port Aransas says parking a car on the beach requires an annual sticker.
• For swimming, read the rip current forecast. The National Weather Service says rip currents often form on calm, sunny days, and the NPS says there are no lifeguards on the beaches in the national seashore.
• For a day at Padre Island, bring what you need. The NPS says no gas, firewood or fishing licenses are sold in the park, and the nearest amenities are about 10 miles from the main entrance.
• For a state park day, book ahead. TPWD says Goose Island and Mustang Island often reach capacity and recommends reservations for both camping and day use.

Each area, season by season

• Rockport & FultonThe crane season, hummingbirds, yearly events and the bay beach at Rockport and Fulton, with weather from NOAA.
• Lamar & Goose IslandBusy seasons, wildflowers, cranes and the bay shore on the Lamar Peninsula, with weather from NOAA.
• Aransas PassThe Shrimporee in the fall, the Christmas parade in December and weather from NOAA for Aransas Pass.
• Ingleside & PortlandBluebonnets, park concerts, fishing and festival months in Ingleside and Portland, with weather from NOAA.
• Port AransasWinter crane rules, three yearly events, bay fishing and Gulf beach conditions in Port Aransas.
• Corpus Christi & Padre IslandTurtle season, migration, yearly events and beach conditions in Corpus Christi and on Padre Island, with weather from NOAA.

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