Sentinel reaches 100° on about 24 days a year, more than 97% of U.S. towns
In January the night’s low is typically 27°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 86% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with January up the most. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 5, with the first autumn frost due around November 4.
A year in Sentinel at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sentinel’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sentinel’s place in Oklahoma beside it.
What a year in Sentinel 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 5 and the first by November 4. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Clinton Sherman Airport, 5 miles from the town’s center, 280 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sentinel’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 7°. 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 5 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Retrop, OK, falls mostly in January. 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 57 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sentinel
65% 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 Clinton Sherman Airport.
Living with Sentinel’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 5 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 4.
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 Sentinel from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (25%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 19%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sentinel and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sentinel yet.
Climates most like Sentinel’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sentinel, OK | 27° | 96° | 28" | 5.0" |
| Breckenridge, TX | 31° | 96° | 29" | 1.6" |
| Oakhurst, CA | 34° | 95° | 29" | 2.5" |
| Hutchinson, KS | 21° | 93° | 31" | 6.9" |
| 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 Sentinel averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 80% 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 Sentinel compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sentinel’s place among Oklahoma’s.
Sentinel weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sentinel’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Retrop, OK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 27° | 0.8" | 1.7" | 3 | 2 | 34° – 47° |
| February | 55° | 30° | 1.0" | 1.2" | 4 | 2 | 36° – 50° |
| March | 64° | 39° | 1.9" | 0.5" | 4 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| April | 73° | 46° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 54° – 66° |
| May | 82° | 57° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 65° – 77° |
| June | 91° | 67° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 74° – 87° |
| July | 96° | 71° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 79° – 92° |
| August | 95° | 69° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 75° – 90° |
| September | 86° | 61° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 69° – 81° |
| October | 75° | 49° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| November | 62° | 37° | 1.6" | 0.1" | 3 | 0 | 44° – 56° |
| December | 52° | 29° | 1.2" | 1.5" | 4 | 1 | 32° – 43° |
| Year | 73° | 48° | 28.0" | 5.0" | 57 | 5 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. August swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 75° to 90°. December is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Sentinel’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 Sentinel’s center.
- Snow: Retrop, OK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Clinton Sherman Airport, 5 miles from the town’s center, 280 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 Sentinel’s climate
What is the weather like in Sentinel?
A typical July afternoon reaches 96°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 5 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 67% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 97% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sentinel in winter?
January nights average 27°. About 75 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 34°.
How much snow does Sentinel get?
About 5.0 inches in a normal winter at Retrop, OK, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 5 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sentinel?
July, with a typical high of 96° and a low of 71°. About 90 days a year reach 90° and 24 reach 100° (Clinton Sherman Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Sentinel?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 5 and the first fall frost by November 4, about 210 frost-free days, at Clinton Sherman Airport.
What growing zone is Sentinel in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sentinel?
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 Sentinel getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 80% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sentinel.
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.