Photo: en:User:Billy Hathorn · CC BY 3.0Childress reaches 100° on about 25 days a year, more than 97% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 97°, a January night drops to 29°, and about 6 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Childress at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Childress’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Childress’ place in Texas beside it.
What a year in Childress feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 222 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 31 and the first by November 7. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Childress Muni Airport, 0.6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Childress’ center in zone 7b: 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 6 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Childress Muni Airport, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 24 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 68 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Childress
58% 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 Childress Muni Airport.
Living with Childress’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
222 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 7.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April and October. 1.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Childress from natural hazards, strong wind is the largest share (47%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Childress and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Childress yet.
Climates most like Childress’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Childress, TX | 29° | 97° | 24" | 5.5" |
| Oakhurst, CA | 34° | 95° | 29" | 2.5" |
| Sedona, AZ | 30° | 97° | 17" | 1.0" |
| Kingfisher, OK | 26° | 95° | 34" | 5.4" |
| Central Point, OR | 32° | 93° | 22" | 3.4" |
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 Childress averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.7°).
A smaller shift than in 61% 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.
How Childress compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Childress’ place among Texas’.
Childress weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Childress’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Childress Muni Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 55° | 29° | 0.8" | 1.4" | 4 | 1 | 36° – 50° |
| February | 59° | 32° | 0.9" | 0.6" | 4 | 1 | 39° – 53° |
| March | 68° | 40° | 1.4" | 0.6" | 5 | 0 | 48° – 61° |
| April | 76° | 48° | 2.3" | 0.2" | 6 | 0 | 55° – 68° |
| May | 84° | 58° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 78° |
| June | 92° | 67° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 75° – 88° |
| July | 97° | 71° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 80° – 91° |
| August | 95° | 70° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 78° – 91° |
| September | 87° | 62° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 70° – 81° |
| October | 77° | 50° | 2.0" | 0.4" | 6 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| November | 65° | 38° | 1.3" | 1.0" | 4 | 1 | 45° – 58° |
| December | 55° | 30° | 0.9" | 1.3" | 4 | 1 | 35° – 46° |
| Year | 76° | 50° | 24.3" | 5.5" | 68 | 4 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 39° to 53°. July is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Childress’ 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 Childress’ center.
- Snow: Childress Muni Airport (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Childress Muni Airport, 0.6 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 Childress’ climate
What is the weather like in Childress?
A typical July afternoon reaches 97°, a January night drops to 29°, and about 6 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 71% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 97% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Childress in winter?
January nights average 29°. About 71 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 36°.
How much snow does Childress get?
About 5.5 inches in a normal winter at Childress Muni Airport, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 4 days a year.
How hot does it get in Childress?
July, with a typical high of 97° and a low of 71°. About 102 days a year reach 90° and 25 reach 100° (Childress Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Childress?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 31 and the first fall frost by November 7, about 222 frost-free days, at Childress Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Childress in?
Zone 7b 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 Childress?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Childress getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 61% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Childress.
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.