The Gulf Coast climate is humid subtropical , although the southwestern tip of Florida , such as Everglades City , features a tropical climate . Much of the year is warm to hot along the Gulf Coast , while the 3 winter months bring periods of cool ( or rarely , cold ) weather mixed with mild temperatures . The area is vulnerable to hurricanes as well as floods and severe thunderstorms . Much of the Gulf Coast has a summer precipitation maximum , with July or August commonly the wettest month due to the combination of frequent summer thunderstorms produced by relentless heat and humidity , and tropical weather systems ( tropical depressions , tropical storms and hurricanes ) , while winter and early spring rainfall also can be heavy . This pattern is evident at Houston , Texas , New Orleans , Louisiana , Mobile , Alabama and Pensacola , Florida . However , the central and southern Florida peninsula and South Texas has a pronounced winter dry season , as at Tampa and Fort Myers , Florida . On the central and southern Texas coast , winter , early spring and mid-summer are markedly drier , and September is the wettest month on average ( as at Corpus Christi and Brownsville , Texas ) . Tornadoes are infrequent at the coast but do occur ; however , they occur more frequently in inland portions of Gulf Coast states . Over most of the Gulf Coast from Houston , Texas eastward , extreme rainfall events are a significant threat , commonly from tropical weather systems , which can bring 4 to 10 or more inches of rain in a single day . In August 2017 , Hurricane Harvey made landfall along the central Texas coast , then migrated to and stalled over the greater Houston area for several days , producing extreme , unprecedented rainfall totals of over 40 inches ( 1,000 mm ) in many areas , unleashing widespread flooding . Earthquakes are extremely rare to the area , but a surprising 6.0 earthquake in the Gulf of Mexico on September 10 , 2006 , could be felt from the cities of New Orleans to Tampa
6.0 earthquake
2006 Gulf of Mexico earthquake
Gulf Coast of the United States