Burns Flat reaches 100° on about 25 days a year, more than 97% of U.S. towns
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 27°. Temperatures cover 68° across the year, low to high. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 86% of U.S. towns. Tender plants can go out after about April 3; in half of years the first frost comes by November 1.
A year in Burns Flat at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Burns Flat’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Burns Flat’s place in Oklahoma beside it.
What a year in Burns Flat feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 210 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 3 and the first by November 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Bessie 4wnw Mesonet, OK, 7 miles from the town’s center, 220 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Burns Flat’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 8°. 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 6 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cordell, OK, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 28 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 63 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Burns Flat
64% 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 Bessie 4wnw Mesonet, OK.
Living with Burns Flat’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
210 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 3 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 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Burns Flat from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (21%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 28%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Burns Flat and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Burns Flat yet.
Climates most like Burns Flat’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burns Flat, OK | 27° | 95° | 28" | 6.4" |
| Abilene, TX | 32° | 96° | 26" | 3.7" |
| Hutchinson, KS | 21° | 93° | 31" | 6.9" |
| Oakhurst, CA | 34° | 95° | 29" | 2.5" |
| Central Point, OR | 32° | 93° | 22" | 3.4" |
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 Burns Flat averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 83% 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 Burns Flat compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Burns Flat’s place among Oklahoma’s.
Burns Flat weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Burns Flat’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cordell, OK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50° | 27° | 0.9" | 1.6" | 3 | 2 | 33° – 47° |
| February | 54° | 30° | 0.9" | 1.6" | 3 | 1 | 35° – 49° |
| March | 63° | 39° | 2.0" | 0.9" | 5 | 0 | 45° – 58° |
| April | 72° | 46° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| May | 81° | 57° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 64° – 76° |
| June | 90° | 66° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 73° – 86° |
| July | 95° | 70° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 78° – 90° |
| August | 94° | 69° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 74° – 89° |
| September | 85° | 61° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 69° – 80° |
| October | 73° | 49° | 2.7" | 0.1" | 5 | 0 | 54° – 67° |
| November | 61° | 37° | 1.5" | 0.3" | 5 | 0 | 43° – 55° |
| December | 50° | 29° | 1.3" | 1.9" | 4 | 2 | 32° – 43° |
| Year | 72° | 48° | 28.2" | 6.4" | 63 | 5 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. August swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 74° to 89°. December is the most reliable, staying within 12°.
Where Burns Flat’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 Burns Flat’s center.
- Snow: Cordell, OK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Bessie 4wnw Mesonet, OK, 7 miles from the town’s center, 220 ft lower; 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 Burns Flat’s climate
What is the weather like in Burns Flat?
A typical July afternoon reaches 95°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 6 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 67% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 94% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Burns Flat in winter?
January nights average 27°. About 82 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 33°.
How much snow does Burns Flat get?
About 6.4 inches in a normal winter at Cordell, OK, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 5 days a year.
How hot does it get in Burns Flat?
July, with a typical high of 95° and a low of 70°. About 93 days a year reach 90° and 25 reach 100° (Bessie 4wnw Mesonet, OK).
When is the first and last frost in Burns Flat?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 3 and the first fall frost by November 1, about 210 frost-free days, at Bessie 4wnw Mesonet, OK.
What growing zone is Burns Flat in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 8°.
What is the best time of year to visit Burns Flat?
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 Burns Flat getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 83% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Burns Flat.
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.