Photo: Who What Where Nguyen Why a/k/a Anonymous Cow · CC BY-SA 3.0Less rain and snow falls on Amarillo than on 90% of U.S. towns: 19 inches a year
High summer brings afternoon highs near 92°. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 88% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with March up the most. Homes need heating from November to March, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Amarillo at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Amarillo’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Amarillo’s place in Texas beside it.
What a year in Amarillo feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 195 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 13 and the first by October 27. Frost and day counts come from Amarillo, TX, Amarillo’s official weather station (the one in National Weather Service reports), 7 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Amarillo’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 3°. 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 17 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Amarillo, TX, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 19 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 69 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Amarillo
71% 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 Amarillo, TX.
Living with Amarillo’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
195 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 13 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 27.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 69 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Amarillo from natural hazards, tornadoes are the largest share (28%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Amarillo and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Amarillo yet.
Climates most like Amarillo’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amarillo, TX | 24° | 92° | 19" | 17" |
| Clinton, UT | 22° | 92° | 18" | 23" |
| Payson, AZ | 30° | 92° | 20" | 19" |
| Dodge City, KS | 20° | 93° | 23" | 19" |
| Yreka, CA | 29° | 91° | 20" | 12" |
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 Amarillo averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.0°).
A bigger shift than in 68% 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. In a city of 205,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Amarillo compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Amarillo’s place among Texas’.
Amarillo weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Amarillo’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Amarillo, TX. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 24° | 0.6" | 4.0" | 4 | 3 | 31° – 43° |
| February | 55° | 27° | 0.5" | 3.5" | 4 | 2 | 33° – 48° |
| March | 64° | 34° | 1.2" | 1.9" | 6 | 1 | 44° – 56° |
| April | 72° | 42° | 1.3" | 0.5" | 6 | 0 | 49° – 62° |
| May | 80° | 52° | 2.3" | 0.2" | 7 | 0 | 62° – 74° |
| June | 89° | 62° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 70° – 82° |
| July | 92° | 66° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 76° – 85° |
| August | 90° | 65° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 73° – 84° |
| September | 83° | 57° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 65° – 76° |
| October | 73° | 45° | 1.9" | 0.7" | 5 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| November | 61° | 33° | 0.7" | 2.6" | 4 | 1 | 40° – 53° |
| December | 51° | 25° | 0.7" | 3.8" | 4 | 3 | 33° – 42° |
| Year | 72° | 44° | 19.3" | 17.2" | 69 | 10 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 33° to 48°. July is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Amarillo’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 Amarillo’s center.
- Snow: Amarillo, TX (the official station).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Amarillo, TX, 7 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 Amarillo’s climate
What is the weather like in Amarillo?
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 17 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 60% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 88% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Amarillo in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 108 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 31°.
How much snow does Amarillo get?
About 17 inches in a normal winter at Amarillo, TX, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 10 days a year.
How hot does it get in Amarillo?
July, with a typical high of 92° and a low of 66°. About 72 days a year reach 90° and 9 reach 100° (Amarillo, TX).
When is the first and last frost in Amarillo?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 13 and the first fall frost by October 27, about 195 frost-free days, at Amarillo, TX.
What growing zone is Amarillo in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Amarillo?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Amarillo getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 68% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Amarillo.
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.