Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 3.0Blackwell reaches 100° on about 15 days a year, more than 93% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 8 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Blackwell at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Blackwell’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Blackwell’s place in Oklahoma beside it.
What a year in Blackwell feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 199 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 12 and the first by October 29. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Blackwell 1ssw, OK, 1.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Blackwell’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 3°. 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 8 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Blackwell 1ssw, OK, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 36 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 82 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Blackwell
70% 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 Blackwell 1ssw, OK.
Living with Blackwell’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
199 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 12 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 29.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May and October. 1.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Blackwell from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (36%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 32%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Blackwell and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Blackwell yet.
Climates most like Blackwell’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackwell, OK | 24° | 94° | 36" | 7.9" |
| Junction City, KS | 19° | 91° | 33" | 18" |
| Gainesville, TX | 32° | 95° | 39" | 2.6" |
| Carl Junction, MO | 25° | 90° | 45" | 7.8" |
| Columbia, IL | 24° | 89° | 42" | 8.8" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Blackwell averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 90% 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 Blackwell compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Blackwell’s place among Oklahoma’s.
Blackwell weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Blackwell’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Blackwell 1ssw, OK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 24° | 1.2" | 2.0" | 5 | 2 | 31° – 45° |
| February | 52° | 28° | 1.4" | 1.7" | 5 | 2 | 33° – 48° |
| March | 62° | 37° | 2.6" | 1.4" | 7 | 1 | 43° – 60° |
| April | 71° | 46° | 3.7" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 52° – 65° |
| May | 80° | 56° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 63° – 75° |
| June | 89° | 66° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 73° – 83° |
| July | 94° | 70° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 77° – 90° |
| August | 93° | 69° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 74° – 87° |
| September | 85° | 61° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 68° – 80° |
| October | 73° | 48° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 53° – 66° |
| November | 60° | 36° | 1.8" | 0.1" | 5 | 0 | 42° – 55° |
| December | 48° | 27° | 1.5" | 2.6" | 5 | 3 | 27° – 42° |
| Year | 71° | 47° | 36.2" | 7.9" | 82 | 8 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 43° to 60°. June is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Blackwell’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 Blackwell’s center.
- Snow: Blackwell 1ssw, OK (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Blackwell 1ssw, OK, 1.4 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 Blackwell’s climate
What is the weather like in Blackwell?
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 8 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 61% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 93% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Blackwell in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 97 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 31°.
How much snow does Blackwell get?
About 7.9 inches in a normal winter at Blackwell 1ssw, OK, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 8 days a year.
How hot does it get in Blackwell?
July, with a typical high of 94° and a low of 70°. About 72 days a year reach 90° and 15 reach 100° (Blackwell 1ssw, OK).
When is the first and last frost in Blackwell?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 12 and the first fall frost by October 29, about 199 frost-free days, at Blackwell 1ssw, OK.
What growing zone is Blackwell in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Blackwell?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Blackwell getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 90% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Blackwell.
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.