Photo: Nils Huenerfuerst · CC BY-SA 4.0Tulsa reaches 100° on about 11 days a year, more than 91% of U.S. towns
January nights here settle around 27°. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 68% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 0.4° more than in 1901–2000, led by March. Garden planting can start around March 31; autumn frost returns near November 4.
A year in Tulsa at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Tulsa’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Tulsa’s place in Oklahoma beside it.
What a year in Tulsa feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 220 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 31 and the first by November 4. Frost and day counts come from Tulsa International Airport, Tulsa’s official weather station (the one in National Weather Service reports), 5 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Tulsa’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 9 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Tulsa International Airport, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 42 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 94 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Tulsa
62% 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 Tulsa International Airport.
Living with Tulsa’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
220 frost-free days in zone 7b. 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 4.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May and October. 160 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Tulsa from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (45%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 33%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Tulsa and its neighbors
Sperry has the coldest January nights next door (26°, 1° colder). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Tulsa’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tulsa, OK | 27° | 93° | 42" | 8.7" |
| East Highland Park, VA | 28° | 90° | 46" | 8.8" |
| Lancaster, SC | 31° | 91° | 43" | 2.6" |
| Harrisburg, NC | 31° | 90° | 45" | 3.3" |
| Mountain Home, AR | 26° | 90° | 48" | 7.8" |
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 Tulsa averaged 0.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+1.8°).
A smaller shift than in all but 165 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. In a city of 416,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Tulsa compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Tulsa’s place among Oklahoma’s.
Tulsa weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Tulsa’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Tulsa International Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 27° | 1.7" | 1.9" | 6 | 2 | 33° – 47° |
| February | 53° | 31° | 1.8" | 2.4" | 7 | 2 | 36° – 51° |
| March | 62° | 40° | 3.3" | 1.9" | 9 | 1 | 44° – 60° |
| April | 71° | 49° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 53° – 66° |
| May | 79° | 58° | 5.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 65° – 76° |
| June | 87° | 67° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 73° – 83° |
| July | 93° | 71° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 77° – 89° |
| August | 92° | 70° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 74° – 87° |
| September | 84° | 62° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 80° |
| October | 73° | 49° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 55° – 68° |
| November | 61° | 39° | 2.9" | 0.8" | 7 | 0 | 43° – 57° |
| December | 50° | 30° | 2.4" | 1.7" | 7 | 2 | 29° – 46° |
| Year | 71° | 49° | 42.0" | 8.7" | 94 | 6 |
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 46°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Tulsa’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 Tulsa’s center.
- Snow: Tulsa International Airport (the official station).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Tulsa International Airport, 5 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; the city’s official station.
- 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 Tulsa’s climate
What is the weather like in Tulsa?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 9 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 68% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 90% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Tulsa in winter?
January nights average 27°. About 72 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 33°.
How much snow does Tulsa get?
About 8.7 inches in a normal winter at Tulsa International Airport, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 6 days a year.
How hot does it get in Tulsa?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 71°. About 74 days a year reach 90° and 11 reach 100° (Tulsa International Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Tulsa?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 31 and the first fall frost by November 4, about 220 frost-free days, at Tulsa International Airport.
What growing zone is Tulsa 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 Tulsa?
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 Tulsa getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than all but 165 U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Tulsa.
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.