Photo: Rivers Langley; SaveRivers · CC BY-SA 3.0Oxford’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 33°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Oxford at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Oxford’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Oxford’s place in Alabama beside it.
What a year in Oxford feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 231 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 23 and the first by November 9. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Anniston Metro Airport, 1.0 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Oxford’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 14°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 1 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Heflin, AL, falls mostly in March. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 54 inches a year; March is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 128 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Oxford
57% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Anniston Metro Airport.
Living with Oxford’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
231 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 23 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 9.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May and October. 6.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Oxford from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (55%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Oxford and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Oxford in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Oxford’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oxford, AL | 33° | 90° | 54" | 1.2" |
| Kinston, NC | 33° | 90° | 53" | 0.7" |
| Wynne, AR | 32° | 91° | 53" | 2.0" |
| Horn Lake, MS | 32° | 91° | 56" | 1.4" |
| Oakland, TN | 31° | 90° | 56" | 1.9" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Oxford averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.0°).
A smaller shift than in 82% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Oxford compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Oxford’s place among Alabama’s.
Oxford weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Oxford’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Heflin, AL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 33° | 5.2" | 0.4" | 13 | 0 | 35° – 51° |
| February | 59° | 36° | 5.2" | 0.1" | 13 | 0 | 39° – 57° |
| March | 67° | 42° | 5.5" | 0.5" | 11 | 0 | 48° – 63° |
| April | 75° | 48° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 57° – 66° |
| May | 81° | 57° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| June | 88° | 65° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 73° – 80° |
| July | 90° | 69° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 77° – 82° |
| August | 90° | 68° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 75° – 84° |
| September | 85° | 62° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 70° – 79° |
| October | 76° | 50° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 59° – 68° |
| November | 65° | 40° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| December | 57° | 35° | 4.9" | 0.2" | 13 | 0 | 37° – 57° |
| Year | 74° | 50° | 54.1" | 1.2" | 128 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 37° to 57°. July is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Oxford’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Oxford’s center.
- Snow: Heflin, AL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Anniston Metro Airport, 1.0 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Oxford’s climate
What is the weather like in Oxford?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 33°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 76% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 79% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Oxford in winter?
January nights average 33°. About 52 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 35°.
How much snow does Oxford get?
About 1.2 inches in a normal winter at Heflin, AL, most of it in March, with snow on the ground about 0 days a year.
How hot does it get in Oxford?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 69°. About 60 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Anniston Metro Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Oxford?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 23 and the first fall frost by November 9, about 231 frost-free days, at Anniston Metro Airport.
What growing zone is Oxford in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 14°.
What is the best time of year to visit Oxford?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, May and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Oxford getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 82% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Oxford.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.