Summer afternoons in Etta are warmer than in 87% of U.S. towns
Midwinter brings lows of about 27°. It is a wet place: more rain and snow fall here than on 77% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 0.5° higher. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 4, with the first autumn frost due around October 31.
A year in Etta at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Etta’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Etta’s place in Oklahoma beside it.
What a year in Etta feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 209 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 4 and the first by October 31. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Tahlequah, OK, 8 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Etta’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 6°. 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 4 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Tahlequah, OK, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 48 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 81 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Etta
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 Tahlequah, OK.
Living with Etta’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
209 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 4 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 31.
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 Etta from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (38%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 30%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Etta and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Etta in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Etta’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etta, OK | 27° | 92° | 48" | 4.3" |
| Pocahontas, AR | 28° | 90° | 50" | 6.3" |
| Poplar Bluff, MO | 26° | 90° | 50" | 5.4" |
| Chapel Hill, NC | 29° | 90° | 47" | 2.8" |
| Colonial Heights, VA | 29° | 90° | 47" | 3.5" |
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 Etta averaged 0.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+1.4°).
A smaller shift than in 98% 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 Etta compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Etta’s place among Oklahoma’s.
Etta weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Etta’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Tahlequah, OK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 27° | 2.6" | 1.7" | 5 | 2 | 34° – 47° |
| February | 54° | 31° | 2.5" | 1.5" | 5 | 1 | 35° – 51° |
| March | 63° | 39° | 3.9" | 0.5" | 7 | 0 | 44° – 60° |
| April | 71° | 48° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 54° – 66° |
| May | 79° | 57° | 6.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| June | 87° | 66° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 72° – 82° |
| July | 92° | 69° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 75° – 88° |
| August | 92° | 68° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 73° – 86° |
| September | 84° | 60° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 68° – 79° |
| October | 73° | 49° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| November | 61° | 38° | 3.9" | 0.3" | 7 | 0 | 43° – 57° |
| December | 51° | 30° | 3.2" | 0.3" | 5 | 0 | 29° – 47° |
| Year | 71° | 48° | 48.3" | 4.3" | 81 | 3 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 29° to 47°. May is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Etta’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 Etta’s center.
- Snow: Tahlequah, OK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Tahlequah, OK, 8 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft higher; 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 Etta’s climate
What is the weather like in Etta?
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 67% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 87% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Etta in winter?
January nights average 27°. About 74 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 34°.
How much snow does Etta get?
About 4.3 inches in a normal winter at Tahlequah, OK, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 3 days a year.
How hot does it get in Etta?
July, with a typical high of 92° and a low of 69°. About 52 days a year reach 90° and 5 reach 100° (Tahlequah, OK).
When is the first and last frost in Etta?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 4 and the first fall frost by October 31, about 209 frost-free days, at Tahlequah, OK.
What growing zone is Etta in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Etta?
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 Etta getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 98% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Etta.
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.