Velma reaches 100° on about 17 days a year, more than 94% of U.S. towns
Nights in January average 29°. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in May and the lightest in January. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 73% of U.S. towns. Plan time outside from March to May and October to November, when highs sit at 63–81°.
A year in Velma at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Velma’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Velma’s place in Oklahoma beside it.
What a year in Velma feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 227 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 28 and the first by November 7. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Velma 7nw Mesonet, OK, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Velma’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 10°. 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 1 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Loco, OK, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 37 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 66 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Velma
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 Velma 7nw Mesonet, OK.
Living with Velma’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
227 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 28 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 7.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, October and November.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Velma from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (30%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 18%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Velma and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Velma yet.
Climates most like Velma’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Velma, OK | 29° | 95° | 37" | 1.4" |
| Stephenville, TX | 34° | 95° | 34" | 0.7" |
| Clearlake, CA | 35° | 93° | 40" | 0.4" |
| Arkansas City, KS | 23° | 93° | 37" | 6.2" |
| Lugoff, SC | 33° | 92° | 43" | 0.4" |
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 Velma averaged 0.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+1.6°).
A smaller shift than in all but 112 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 Velma compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Velma’s place among Oklahoma’s.
Velma weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Velma’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Loco, OK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 53° | 29° | 1.6" | 0.8" | 4 | 0 | 37° – 49° |
| February | 57° | 34° | 1.9" | 0.2" | 4 | 0 | 38° – 53° |
| March | 66° | 42° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 48° – 61° |
| April | 74° | 49° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| May | 81° | 59° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| June | 89° | 68° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 75° – 85° |
| July | 95° | 72° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 79° – 91° |
| August | 94° | 71° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 76° – 91° |
| September | 86° | 63° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 70° – 82° |
| October | 75° | 51° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 57° – 68° |
| November | 63° | 40° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| December | 54° | 32° | 2.1" | 0.4" | 4 | 0 | 35° – 47° |
| Year | 74° | 51° | 36.5" | 1.4" | 66 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 38° to 53°. May is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Velma’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 Velma’s center.
- Snow: Loco, OK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Velma 7nw Mesonet, OK, 8 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 Velma’s climate
What is the weather like in Velma?
A typical July afternoon reaches 95°, a January night drops to 29°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 71% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 94% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Velma in winter?
January nights average 29°. About 65 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 37°.
How much snow does Velma get?
About 1.4 inches in a normal winter at Loco, OK, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Velma?
July, with a typical high of 95° and a low of 72°. About 86 days a year reach 90° and 17 reach 100° (Velma 7nw Mesonet, OK).
When is the first and last frost in Velma?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 28 and the first fall frost by November 7, about 227 frost-free days, at Velma 7nw Mesonet, OK.
What growing zone is Velma in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Velma?
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 Velma getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than all but 112 U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Velma.
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.