Photo: TigerPaw2154 at English Wikipedia · Public domainHarper’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 35°, and snow is almost unheard of.
A year in Harper at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Harper’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Harper’s place in Texas beside it.
What a year in Harper feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 243 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 15 and the first by November 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Harper 3ene, TX, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Harper’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 14°. 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 29 inches of rain a year
May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain falls on about 47 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Cottonwood 2nw, TX, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Harper
51% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from December 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 Harper 3ene, TX.
Living with Harper’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
243 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 15 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 15.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, October and November. 3.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Harper from natural hazards, river flooding 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 →Harper and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Harper yet.
Climates most like Harper’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harper, TX | 35° | 93° | 29" | 0.0" |
| Jackson, CA | 38° | 94° | 30" | 0.0" |
| Grants Pass, OR | 34° | 90° | 33" | 0.9" |
| Duncan, OK | 29° | 95° | 35" | 2.8" |
| Nogales, AZ | 30° | 93° | 16" | 0.3" |
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 Harper averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+1.6°).
A smaller shift than in 80% 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 Harper compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Harper’s place among Texas’.
Harper weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Harper’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cottonwood 2nw, TX. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60° | 35° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 43° – 53° |
| February | 64° | 39° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 45° – 59° |
| March | 71° | 46° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 52° – 63° |
| April | 78° | 52° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 59° – 71° |
| May | 84° | 61° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| June | 90° | 68° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 75° – 82° |
| July | 93° | 69° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 77° – 85° |
| August | 94° | 69° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 77° – 86° |
| September | 87° | 63° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| October | 79° | 54° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 64° – 71° |
| November | 68° | 44° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| December | 61° | 36° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 43° – 51° |
| Year | 77° | 53° | 28.7" | 0.0" | 47 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 45° to 59°. October is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Harper’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 Harper’s center.
- Snow: Cottonwood 2nw, TX.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Harper 3ene, TX, 5 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 Harper’s climate
What is the weather like in Harper?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 35°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 80% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 91% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Harper in winter?
January nights average 35°. About 41 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 43°.
How much snow does Harper get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Cottonwood 2nw, TX, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Harper?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 69°. About 86 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Harper 3ene, TX).
When is the first and last frost in Harper?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 15 and the first fall frost by November 15, about 243 frost-free days, at Harper 3ene, TX.
What growing zone is Harper in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 14°.
What is the best time of year to visit Harper?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, May, October and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Harper getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 80% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Harper.
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.