Photo: Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0Idabel reaches 100° on about 10 days a year, more than 91% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 32°, and about 2 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Idabel at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Idabel’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Idabel’s place in Oklahoma beside it.
What a year in Idabel feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 221 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 31 and the first by November 3. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Idabel, OK, 1.8 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Idabel’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 13°. 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 2 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Idabel, OK, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 53 inches a year; May is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 97 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Idabel
59% 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 Idabel, OK.
Living with Idabel’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
221 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 31 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 3.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, October and November. 4.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Idabel from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (38%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 19%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Idabel and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Idabel yet.
Climates most like Idabel’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idabel, OK | 32° | 93° | 53" | 2.0" |
| Cabot, AR | 31° | 92° | 52" | 2.1" |
| Hueytown, AL | 33° | 91° | 55" | 1.2" |
| Bartlett, TN | 32° | 91° | 56" | 2.8" |
| Horn Lake, MS | 32° | 91° | 56" | 1.4" |
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 Idabel averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.5°).
A smaller shift than in 87% 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 Idabel compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Idabel’s place among Oklahoma’s.
Idabel weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Idabel’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Idabel, OK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 32° | 3.8" | 0.6" | 9 | 0 | 37° – 49° |
| February | 58° | 36° | 3.8" | 0.9" | 9 | 0 | 39° – 54° |
| March | 66° | 42° | 4.9" | 0.2" | 10 | 0 | 48° – 62° |
| April | 74° | 50° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 57° – 67° |
| May | 81° | 59° | 6.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| June | 88° | 67° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 74° – 82° |
| July | 93° | 70° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 77° – 87° |
| August | 93° | 69° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 75° – 87° |
| September | 87° | 63° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 70° – 82° |
| October | 76° | 51° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 58° – 70° |
| November | 64° | 41° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 47° – 59° |
| December | 55° | 34° | 4.8" | 0.3" | 9 | 0 | 34° – 51° |
| Year | 74° | 51° | 53.2" | 2.0" | 97 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 34° to 51°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Idabel’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 Idabel’s center.
- Snow: Idabel, OK (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Idabel, OK, 1.8 miles from the town’s center, 100 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 Idabel’s climate
What is the weather like in Idabel?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 32°, and about 2 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 75% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 90% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Idabel in winter?
January nights average 32°. About 71 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 37°.
How much snow does Idabel get?
About 2.0 inches in a normal winter at Idabel, OK, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Idabel?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 70°. About 80 days a year reach 90° and 10 reach 100° (Idabel, OK).
When is the first and last frost in Idabel?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 31 and the first fall frost by November 3, about 221 frost-free days, at Idabel, OK.
What growing zone is Idabel in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 13°.
What is the best time of year to visit Idabel?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, May, October and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Idabel getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 87% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Idabel.
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.