Photo: Fletcherspears · CC BY-SA 3.0Stillwater reaches 100° on about 12 days a year, more than 92% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 8 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Stillwater at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Stillwater’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Stillwater’s place in Oklahoma beside it.
What a year in Stillwater feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 206 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 5 and the first by October 30. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Stillwater 2 W, OK, 1.3 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Stillwater’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 5°. 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 Stillwater 2 W, 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 73 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Stillwater
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 Stillwater 2 W, OK.
Living with Stillwater’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
206 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 Oct 30.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May and October. 20 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 32% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Stillwater from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Stillwater and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Stillwater yet.
Climates most like Stillwater’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stillwater, OK | 26° | 94° | 36" | 7.5" |
| McPherson, KS | 20° | 92° | 32" | 14" |
| Gainesville, TX | 32° | 95° | 39" | 2.6" |
| Carl Junction, MO | 25° | 90° | 45" | 7.8" |
| Lancaster, SC | 31° | 91° | 43" | 2.6" |
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 Stillwater averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 89% 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 Stillwater compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Stillwater’s place among Oklahoma’s.
Stillwater weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Stillwater’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Stillwater 2 W, OK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 26° | 1.3" | 1.6" | 4 | 32° – 47° |
| February | 54° | 30° | 1.6" | 1.0" | 5 | 35° – 50° |
| March | 63° | 39° | 2.6" | 2.1" | 6 | 44° – 61° |
| April | 72° | 47° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 53° – 67° |
| May | 80° | 57° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 64° – 75° |
| June | 89° | 66° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 72° – 83° |
| July | 94° | 71° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 5 | 77° – 91° |
| August | 93° | 69° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 74° – 88° |
| September | 85° | 61° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 69° – 80° |
| October | 74° | 49° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 6 | 54° – 67° |
| November | 61° | 37° | 2.1" | 0.1" | 5 | 43° – 57° |
| December | 51° | 29° | 1.8" | 2.7" | 5 | 29° – 44° |
| Year | 72° | 48° | 36.4" | 7.5" | 73 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 44° to 61°. May is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Stillwater’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 Stillwater’s center.
- Snow: Stillwater 2 W, OK (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Stillwater 2 W, OK, 1.3 miles from the city’s center point, 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 Stillwater’s climate
What is the weather like in Stillwater?
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 8 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 65% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 93% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Stillwater in winter?
January nights average 26°. About 88 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 32°.
How much snow does Stillwater get?
About 7.5 inches in a normal winter at Stillwater 2 W, OK, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Stillwater?
July, with a typical high of 94° and a low of 71°. About 76 days a year reach 90° and 12 reach 100° (Stillwater 2 W, OK).
When is the first and last frost in Stillwater?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 5 and the first fall frost by October 30, about 206 frost-free days, at Stillwater 2 W, OK.
What growing zone is Stillwater in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Stillwater?
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 Stillwater getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 89% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Stillwater.
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.