Photo: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0Helotes reaches 100° on about 21 days a year, more than 95% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 95°, a January night drops to 40°, and snow is almost unheard of.
A year in Helotes at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Helotes’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Helotes’ place in Texas beside it.
What a year in Helotes feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 296 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by February 18 and the first by December 9. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at San Antonio/seaworld, TX, 9 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Helotes’ center in zone 9a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 21°. 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 32 inches of rain a year
May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain falls on about 81 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.2" in a normal year at San Antonio International Airport, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Helotes
25% of the work is heating, so air conditioning is the bigger bill. Months averaging under 55°: December and January.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at San Antonio/seaworld, TX.
Living with Helotes’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
296 frost-free days in zone 9a. The last frost comes by Feb 18 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Dec 9.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: January, February, March, April, October, November and December. 1.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Helotes from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (66%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Helotes and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Helotes in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Helotes’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helotes, TX | 40° | 95° | 32" | 0.2" |
| Chico, CA | 38° | 96° | 31" | 0.0" |
| Grants Pass, OR | 34° | 90° | 33" | 0.9" |
| Lone Grove, OK | 31° | 94° | 39" | 2.7" |
| Lugoff, SC | 33° | 92° | 43" | 0.4" |
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 Helotes averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.9°).
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 Helotes compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Helotes’ place among Texas’.
Helotes weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Helotes’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from San Antonio International Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 64° | 40° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 47° – 57° |
| February | 68° | 44° | 1.8" | 0.1" | 7 | 0 | 48° – 64° |
| March | 74° | 51° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| April | 81° | 57° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 63° – 75° |
| May | 86° | 65° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 72° – 79° |
| June | 92° | 71° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 78° – 86° |
| July | 95° | 73° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 79° – 87° |
| August | 96° | 73° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 80° – 89° |
| September | 90° | 68° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 76° – 85° |
| October | 82° | 59° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| November | 72° | 49° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| December | 65° | 42° | 1.9" | 0.1" | 7 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| Year | 80° | 58° | 32.2" | 0.2" | 81 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 48° to 64°. May is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Helotes’ 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 Helotes’ center.
- Snow: San Antonio International Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: San Antonio/seaworld, TX, 9 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft lower; 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 Helotes’ climate
What is the weather like in Helotes?
A typical July afternoon reaches 95°, a January night drops to 40°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 89% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 95% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Helotes in winter?
January nights average 40°. About 14 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 47°.
How much snow does Helotes get?
About 0.2 inches in a normal winter at San Antonio International Airport, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Helotes?
July, with a typical high of 95° and a low of 73°. About 123 days a year reach 90° and 21 reach 100° (San Antonio/seaworld, TX).
When is the first and last frost in Helotes?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by February 18 and the first fall frost by December 9, about 296 frost-free days, at San Antonio/seaworld, TX.
What growing zone is Helotes in?
Zone 9a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 21°.
What is the best time of year to visit Helotes?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), January, February, March, April, October, November and December. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Helotes 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 Helotes.
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.