Fort Brown · Photo: Pi3.124 · CC BY-SA 3.0Brownsville’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 52°, and snow is almost unheard of.
A year in Brownsville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Brownsville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Brownsville’s place in Texas beside it.
What a year in Brownsville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
Frost is rare
Frost and day counts come from Brownsville, TX, Brownsville’s official weather station (the one in National Weather Service reports), 6 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Brownsville’s center in zone 10a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 33°. 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 26 inches of rain a year
September is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain falls on about 77 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Brownsville, TX, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Brownsville
9% of the work is heating, so air conditioning is the bigger bill. No month averages under 55°.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Brownsville, TX.
Living with Brownsville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 10a. Frost comes about 1 winter in 4, so tender plants can often stay out through winter.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: January, February, March, November and December. 177 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Brownsville from natural hazards, hurricanes are the largest share (51%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 26%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Brownsville and its neighbors
San Benito the hottest July afternoons (96°, 1° warmer). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Brownsville’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brownsville, TX | 52° | 94° | 26" | 0.0" |
| Rancho Cucamonga, CA | 44° | 93° | 20" | 0.0" |
| Waihee-Waiehu, HI | 64° | 89° | 16" | 0.0" |
| Corona de Tucson, AZ | 36° | 96° | 14" | 0.1" |
| Grants Pass, OR | 34° | 90° | 33" | 0.9" |
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 Brownsville averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 63% 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 193,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Brownsville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Brownsville’s place among Texas’.
Brownsville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Brownsville’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Brownsville, TX. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 71° | 52° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| February | 75° | 56° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 59° – 73° |
| March | 80° | 61° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 65° – 77° |
| April | 85° | 66° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| May | 90° | 72° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 77° – 84° |
| June | 93° | 76° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 82° – 88° |
| July | 94° | 76° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 82° – 87° |
| August | 96° | 76° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 84° – 89° |
| September | 92° | 73° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 80° – 85° |
| October | 87° | 67° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 74° – 81° |
| November | 79° | 59° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 64° – 75° |
| December | 73° | 53° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 57° – 67° |
| Year | 85° | 66° | 25.7" | 0.0" | 77 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 59° to 73°. July is the most reliable, staying within 5°.
Where Brownsville’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 Brownsville’s center.
- Snow: Brownsville, TX (the official station).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Brownsville, TX, 6 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 Brownsville’s climate
What is the weather like in Brownsville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 52°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 98% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 94% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Brownsville in winter?
January nights average 52°. About 1 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 55°.
How much snow does Brownsville get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Brownsville, TX, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Brownsville?
July, with a typical high of 94° and a low of 76°. About 141 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Brownsville, TX).
When is the first and last frost in Brownsville?
Most years have no frost at all: a 32° night comes in about 26% of winters at Brownsville, TX, usually in December or January.
What growing zone is Brownsville in?
Zone 10a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 33°.
What is the best time of year to visit Brownsville?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), January, February, March, November and December. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Brownsville getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 63% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Brownsville.
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.