Photo: Shane.torgerson · CC BY-SA 3.0Monahans reaches 100° on about 51 days a year, more than all but 147 U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 30°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 96% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.9° higher. The outdoor season, with highs of 75–84°, runs through March, April and October.
A year in Monahans at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Monahans’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Monahans’ place in Texas beside it.
What a year in Monahans feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 222 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 26 and the first by November 6. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Winkler Co Airport, 10 miles from the town’s center, 130 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Monahans’ 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 12 inches of rain a year
September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain falls on about 47 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.7" in a normal year at Monahans, TX, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Monahans
48% 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 Winkler Co Airport.
Living with Monahans’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
222 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 26 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 6.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April and October. 10 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Monahans from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (52%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Monahans and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Monahans yet.
Climates most like Monahans’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monahans, TX | 30° | 98° | 12" | 0.7" |
| Cottonwood, AZ | 31° | 99° | 14" | 1.0" |
| Ivins, UT | 32° | 100° | 11" | 1.2" |
| Rosamond, CA | 33° | 98° | 8" | 1.2" |
| Sunland Park, NM | 32° | 96° | 9" | 2.0" |
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 Monahans averaged 1.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.8°).
A bigger shift than in 87% 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 Monahans compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Monahans’ place among Texas’.
Monahans weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Monahans’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Monahans, TX. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 61° | 30° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 41° – 51° |
| February | 66° | 35° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| March | 75° | 42° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 53° – 64° |
| April | 84° | 49° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 61° – 72° |
| May | 91° | 59° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 69° – 82° |
| June | 98° | 68° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 79° – 89° |
| July | 98° | 71° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 80° – 89° |
| August | 97° | 70° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 80° – 89° |
| September | 90° | 63° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 70° – 82° |
| October | 81° | 51° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| November | 70° | 39° | 0.5" | 0.2" | 3 | 0 | 49° – 59° |
| December | 61° | 31° | 0.6" | 0.5" | 3 | 0 | 42° – 50° |
| Year | 81° | 51° | 11.5" | 0.7" | 47 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. May swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 69° to 82°. December is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Monahans’ 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 Monahans’ center.
- Snow: Monahans, TX.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Winkler Co Airport, 10 miles from the town’s center, 130 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 Monahans’ climate
What is the weather like in Monahans?
A typical July afternoon reaches 98°, a January night drops to 30°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 73% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 98% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Monahans in winter?
January nights average 30°. About 65 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 41°.
How much snow does Monahans get?
About 0.7 inches in a normal winter at Monahans, TX, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Monahans?
July, with a typical high of 98° and a low of 71°. About 142 days a year reach 90° and 51 reach 100° (Winkler Co Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Monahans?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 26 and the first fall frost by November 6, about 222 frost-free days, at Winkler Co Airport.
What growing zone is Monahans 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 Monahans?
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 Monahans getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 87% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Monahans.
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.