Photo: Vasiliymeshko · CC BY 4.0Odessa reaches 100° on about 18 days a year, more than 95% of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 31°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 94% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.6° more than in 1901–2000, led by March. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings suit March, April and October, with highs of 72–81°.
A year in Odessa at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Odessa’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Odessa’s place in Texas beside it.
What a year in Odessa 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 16. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Odessa, TX, 0.8 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Odessa’s center in zone 8b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 15°. 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 2 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Odessa 1se, TX, falls mostly in December. 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 41 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Odessa
52% of the work is heating. 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 Odessa, TX.
Living with Odessa’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
243 frost-free days in zone 8b. 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 16.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April and October. 22 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Odessa from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (44%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 12%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Odessa and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Odessa yet.
Climates most like Odessa’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odessa, TX | 31° | 95° | 14" | 2.1" |
| Santa Teresa, NM | 33° | 95° | 9" | 2.0" |
| Benson, AZ | 34° | 94° | 14" | 1.2" |
| 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 Odessa averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.5°).
A bigger shift than in 67% 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 123,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Odessa compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Odessa’s place among Texas’.
Odessa weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Odessa’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Odessa 1se, TX. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 59° | 31° | 0.7" | 0.6" | 3 | 0 | 40° – 51° |
| February | 64° | 35° | 0.6" | 0.4" | 3 | 0 | 43° – 56° |
| March | 72° | 43° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| April | 81° | 50° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 59° – 71° |
| May | 88° | 60° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 68° – 81° |
| June | 95° | 68° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 77° – 88° |
| July | 95° | 71° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 78° – 87° |
| August | 94° | 70° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 77° – 87° |
| September | 87° | 63° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 70° – 80° |
| October | 79° | 52° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| November | 68° | 40° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| December | 59° | 32° | 0.6" | 1.1" | 3 | 0 | 41° – 49° |
| Year | 78° | 51° | 13.5" | 2.1" | 41 | 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 Odessa’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 Odessa’s center.
- Snow: Odessa 1se, TX.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Odessa, TX, 0.8 miles from the city’s center point, 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 Odessa’s climate
What is the weather like in Odessa?
A typical July afternoon reaches 95°, a January night drops to 31°, and about 2 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 Odessa in winter?
January nights average 31°. About 44 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 40°.
How much snow does Odessa get?
About 2.1 inches in a normal winter at Odessa 1se, TX, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Odessa?
July, with a typical high of 95° and a low of 71°. About 106 days a year reach 90° and 18 reach 100° (Odessa, TX).
When is the first and last frost in Odessa?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 15 and the first fall frost by November 16, about 243 frost-free days, at Odessa, TX.
What growing zone is Odessa in?
Zone 8b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 15°.
What is the best time of year to visit Odessa?
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 Odessa getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 67% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Odessa.
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.