Photo: WmCheez · CC BY-SA 4.0El Paso reaches 100° on about 27 days a year, more than 97% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 96°, a January night drops to 32°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in El Paso at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about El Paso’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with El Paso’s place in Texas beside it.
What a year in El Paso feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 261 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 2 and the first by November 20. Frost and day counts come from El Paso International Airport, El Paso’s official weather station (the one in National Weather Service reports), 4 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts El Paso’s center in zone 8b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 19°. 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 3 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at El Paso International Airport, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 9 inches a year; July is the wettest month and April the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 48 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in El Paso
45% of the work is heating, so air conditioning is the bigger bill. Months averaging under 55° run from November through February.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at El Paso International Airport.
Living with El Paso’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
261 frost-free days in zone 8b. The last frost comes by Mar 2 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 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April and October. 265 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in El Paso from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (60%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 15%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →El Paso and its neighbors
Socorro has the coldest January nights next door (31°, 2° colder) and Socorro the hottest July afternoons (97°, 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 El Paso’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Paso, TX | 32° | 96° | 9" | 2.8" |
| Mojave, CA | 33° | 97° | 8" | 1.2" |
| Benson, AZ | 34° | 94° | 14" | 1.2" |
| Hobbs, NM | 28° | 94° | 14" | 1.8" |
| Ivins, UT | 32° | 100° | 11" | 1.2" |
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 El Paso averaged 2.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.9°).
A bigger shift than in 89% 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 683,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How El Paso compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with El Paso’s place among Texas’.
El Paso weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at El Paso’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from El Paso International Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 59° | 32° | 0.5" | 0.8" | 3 | 0 | 42° – 49° |
| February | 64° | 37° | 0.4" | 0.2" | 3 | 0 | 45° – 56° |
| March | 72° | 43° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 53° – 64° |
| April | 80° | 50° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 59° – 69° |
| May | 89° | 58° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| June | 97° | 68° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 79° – 86° |
| July | 96° | 71° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 78° – 88° |
| August | 94° | 69° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 78° – 87° |
| September | 89° | 63° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 70° – 80° |
| October | 80° | 51° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| November | 68° | 40° | 0.5" | 0.5" | 3 | 0 | 47° – 60° |
| December | 58° | 32° | 0.6" | 1.3" | 4 | 1 | 41° – 49° |
| Year | 79° | 51° | 9.1" | 2.8" | 48 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 47° to 60°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where El Paso’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 El Paso’s center.
- Snow: El Paso International Airport (the official station).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: El Paso International Airport, 4 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 El Paso’s climate
What is the weather like in El Paso?
A typical July afternoon reaches 96°, a January night drops to 32°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 75% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 97% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in El Paso in winter?
January nights average 32°. About 42 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 42°.
How much snow does El Paso get?
About 2.8 inches in a normal winter at El Paso International Airport, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in El Paso?
July, with a typical high of 96° and a low of 71°. About 117 days a year reach 90° and 27 reach 100° (El Paso International Airport).
When is the first and last frost in El Paso?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 2 and the first fall frost by November 20, about 261 frost-free days, at El Paso International Airport.
What growing zone is El Paso in?
Zone 8b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 19°.
What is the best time of year to visit El Paso?
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 El Paso getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 89% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in El Paso.
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.