Photo: Leaflet · CC BY-SA 3.0Less rain and snow falls on Earth than on 90% of U.S. towns: 19 inches a year
January mornings start at about 24°. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 87% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.2° higher. The heating season runs November to February: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Earth at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Earth’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Earth’s place in Texas beside it.
What a year in Earth feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 180 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 22 and the first by October 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Muleshoe #1, TX, 19 miles from the town’s center, 140 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Earth’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 8 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Olton, TX, falls mostly in 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 55 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Earth
77% 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 Muleshoe #1, TX.
Living with Earth’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
180 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 22 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 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Earth from natural hazards, hail is the largest share (61%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Earth and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Earth yet.
Climates most like Earth’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earth, TX | 24° | 92° | 19" | 7.8" |
| Prescott, AZ | 26° | 90° | 15" | 10" |
| Emmett, ID | 23° | 93° | 13" | 7.4" |
| Yreka, CA | 29° | 91° | 20" | 12" |
| Liberal, KS | 21° | 94° | 20" | 14" |
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 Earth averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.6°).
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 Earth compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Earth’s place among Texas’.
Earth weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Earth’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Olton, TX. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 53° | 24° | 0.6" | 1.3" | 3 | 1 | 33° – 44° |
| February | 58° | 27° | 0.5" | 1.6" | 3 | 1 | 36° – 49° |
| March | 66° | 34° | 1.1" | 0.7" | 4 | 0 | 46° – 55° |
| April | 74° | 41° | 1.1" | 0.2" | 4 | 0 | 51° – 64° |
| May | 82° | 52° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 63° – 73° |
| June | 91° | 61° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 71° – 82° |
| July | 92° | 65° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 76° – 83° |
| August | 90° | 63° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 73° – 83° |
| September | 84° | 56° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| October | 74° | 44° | 1.8" | 0.2" | 4 | 0 | 54° – 63° |
| November | 62° | 32° | 0.7" | 1.6" | 3 | 0 | 41° – 53° |
| December | 53° | 26° | 0.8" | 2.2" | 4 | 1 | 34° – 43° |
| Year | 73° | 44° | 18.7" | 7.8" | 55 | 4 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 36° to 49°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Earth’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 Earth’s center.
- Snow: Olton, TX.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Muleshoe #1, TX, 19 miles from the town’s center, 140 ft higher; 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 Earth’s climate
What is the weather like in Earth?
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 8 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 60% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 87% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Earth in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 134 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 33°.
How much snow does Earth get?
About 7.8 inches in a normal winter at Olton, TX, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 4 days a year.
How hot does it get in Earth?
July, with a typical high of 92° and a low of 65°. About 78 days a year reach 90° and 8 reach 100° (Muleshoe #1, TX).
When is the first and last frost in Earth?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 22 and the first fall frost by October 20, about 180 frost-free days, at Muleshoe #1, TX.
What growing zone is Earth 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 Earth?
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 Earth 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 Earth.
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.