Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Midland reaches 100° on about 24 days a year, more than 97% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 95°, a January night drops to 32°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Midland at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Midland’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Midland’s place in Texas beside it.
What a year in Midland feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 239 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 18 and the first by November 14. Frost and day counts come from Midland Odessa, TX, Midland’s official weather station (the one in National Weather Service reports), 7 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Midland’s center in zone 8b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 16°. 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 4 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Midland Odessa, TX, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 14 inches a year; September is the wettest month and December the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 49 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Midland
47% 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 Midland Odessa, TX.
Living with Midland’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
239 frost-free days in zone 8b. The last frost comes by Mar 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 Nov 14.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April and October. 92 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Midland from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (50%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Midland and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Midland yet.
Climates most like Midland’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midland, TX | 32° | 95° | 14" | 4.3" |
| Benson, AZ | 34° | 94° | 14" | 1.2" |
| Santa Teresa, NM | 33° | 95° | 9" | 2.0" |
| Yucca Valley, CA | 37° | 96° | 10" | 1.7" |
| Medford, OR | 32° | 92° | 19" | 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 Midland averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.5°).
A bigger shift than in 66% 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 148,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Midland compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Midland’s place among Texas’.
Midland weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Midland’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Midland Odessa, TX. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 59° | 32° | 0.7" | 1.6" | 4 | 1 | 39° – 51° |
| February | 64° | 35° | 0.6" | 0.7" | 3 | 0 | 43° – 56° |
| March | 72° | 43° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 53° – 64° |
| April | 81° | 50° | 0.8" | 0.1" | 3 | 0 | 59° – 72° |
| May | 88° | 60° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 68° – 81° |
| June | 95° | 68° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 77° – 87° |
| July | 95° | 71° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 79° – 88° |
| August | 95° | 70° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 77° – 87° |
| September | 87° | 63° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 70° – 81° |
| October | 79° | 52° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| November | 67° | 40° | 0.8" | 0.5" | 3 | 0 | 47° – 59° |
| December | 59° | 32° | 0.6" | 1.4" | 4 | 0 | 41° – 49° |
| Year | 78° | 51° | 14.4" | 4.3" | 49 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. May swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 68° to 81°. December is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Midland’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 Midland’s center.
- Snow: Midland Odessa, TX (the official station).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Midland Odessa, TX, 7 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 Midland’s climate
What is the weather like in Midland?
A typical July afternoon reaches 95°, a January night drops to 32°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 74% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 96% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Midland in winter?
January nights average 32°. About 58 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 39°.
How much snow does Midland get?
About 4.3 inches in a normal winter at Midland Odessa, TX, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Midland?
July, with a typical high of 95° and a low of 71°. About 115 days a year reach 90° and 24 reach 100° (Midland Odessa, TX).
When is the first and last frost in Midland?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 18 and the first fall frost by November 14, about 239 frost-free days, at Midland Odessa, TX.
What growing zone is Midland in?
Zone 8b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 16°.
What is the best time of year to visit Midland?
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 Midland getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 66% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Midland.
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.