First National Bank Building · Photo: Melodibit · CC BY-SA 3.0Stratford has warmer summer afternoons than 92% of U.S. towns
January nights here settle around 29°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 65° apart. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 71% of U.S. towns. The heating season runs December to February: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Stratford at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Stratford’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Stratford’s place in Oklahoma beside it.
What a year in Stratford feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 228 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 25 and the first by November 8. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Byars 3ese Mesonet, OK, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Stratford’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 9°. 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 Ada, OK, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 40 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 83 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Stratford
61% 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 Byars 3ese Mesonet, OK.
Living with Stratford’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
228 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Mar 25 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 8.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Stratford from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (30%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 17%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Stratford and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Stratford yet.
Climates most like Stratford’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stratford, OK | 29° | 93° | 40" | 4.1" |
| Lancaster, SC | 31° | 91° | 43" | 2.6" |
| Arkansas City, KS | 23° | 93° | 37" | 6.2" |
| Monroe, NC | 31° | 91° | 43" | 2.1" |
| Clearlake, CA | 35° | 93° | 40" | 0.4" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
About as warm as it used to be
The last 30 years in Stratford averaged 0.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+1.5°).
A smaller shift than in all but 22 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 Stratford compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Stratford’s place among Oklahoma’s.
Stratford weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Stratford’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ada, OK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 29° | 1.7" | 2.3" | 5 | 36° – 49° |
| February | 56° | 33° | 2.1" | 0.5" | 6 | 37° – 54° |
| March | 64° | 41° | 3.2" | 0.2" | 8 | 47° – 61° |
| April | 73° | 49° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 55° – 68° |
| May | 80° | 58° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 66° – 75° |
| June | 88° | 67° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 74° – 84° |
| July | 93° | 71° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 6 | 77° – 90° |
| August | 93° | 70° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 75° – 89° |
| September | 85° | 62° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 69° – 81° |
| October | 74° | 50° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 56° – 68° |
| November | 63° | 40° | 2.5" | 0.1" | 7 | 45° – 58° |
| December | 53° | 31° | 2.5" | 1.0" | 6 | 33° – 47° |
| Year | 73° | 50° | 40.4" | 4.1" | 83 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 37° to 54°. May is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Stratford’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 Stratford’s center.
- Snow: Ada, OK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Byars 3ese Mesonet, OK, 4 miles from the town’s center, 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 Stratford’s climate
What is the weather like in Stratford?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 29°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 71% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 92% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Stratford in winter?
January nights average 29°. About 62 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 36°.
How much snow does Stratford get?
About 4.1 inches in a normal winter at Ada, OK, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Stratford?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 71°. About 71 days a year reach 90° and 9 reach 100° (Byars 3ese Mesonet, OK).
When is the first and last frost in Stratford?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 25 and the first fall frost by November 8, about 228 frost-free days, at Byars 3ese Mesonet, OK.
What growing zone is Stratford in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 9°.
What is the best time of year to visit Stratford?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, May and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Stratford getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than all but 22 U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Stratford.
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.