El Paso Waits Forever for That First Real Fall Breeze

If you're like me and ready for crisp mornings and hoodie weather, then you know that this is the most annoying time of year in the Borderland. It's the time of year where I get jealous that everywhere else is starting to feel like Fall, but here in El Paso, it feels like it takes forever to get here!

While the rest of Texas is busy bragging about “false fall” mornings in the 50s and 60s, the Sun City is still stuck in hot-and-sunny mode. The National Weather Service says El Paso’s fall 2025 will arrive fashionably late, with above-normal heat likely hanging around. Translation: pumpkin spice season might be here, but sweater weather? Not so much.

What is False Fall?

So what’s this whole “false fall” thing everyone in Austin and Dallas keeps talking about? Basically, it’s when a quick cold front sweeps in, the air gets nice and crisp for a couple of mornings, and Texans bust out the hoodies thinking summer’s finally over. Spoiler alert: it’s not. The cooler temps don’t last, and before you know it, everyone’s sweating again by the weekend. It’s like fall peeked its head in just to say “hi” and then dipped out.

Here in El Paso, we don’t really get that whole “false fall” teaser. While the rest of Texas is experiencing cool mornings, we’re usually still roasting in the 90s. Instead of that brief fall preview, the Sun City just skips it. We go from sweating in triple digits straight into hoodie season almost overnight, usually around mid to late October. Locals know the drill: you’re still running the AC while carving pumpkins, and your Halloween costume usually needs to be heat-proof!

When Will it Feel Like Fall in El Paso?

And if you were hoping this year might be different? The National Weather Service says nope. Their fall 2025 outlook shows a 40–50% chance that most of Texas- including El Paso- will see above-normal temperatures all the way through September, October, and November. So, the heat is sticking around longer than that one guest who won’t leave the party. As for rain? Don’t count on much. El Paso sits in the “equal chances” zone, meaning we could see a little more or a little less than usual, but the odds of a rainy, cozy fall aren’t exactly in our favor.

So when does real fall finally show up in El Paso? Usually not until mid to late October, when mornings start to cool down and evenings don’t feel like a hair dryer. By then, you can finally break out the hoodies without sweating through them. The leaves may not exactly put on a New England–style show out here in the desert, but the vibes are still strong: pumpkins on porches, Halloween decorations everywhere, and maybe even that first chilly breeze if we’re lucky. Until then, El Paso’s fall is more of a waiting game- think I’ll just stay in my air-conditioned home until then.