Photo: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0Palo Pinto reaches 100° on about 25 days a year, more than 97% of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 33°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 83% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 0.9° higher. Garden planting can start around March 23; autumn frost returns near November 10.
A year in Palo Pinto at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Palo Pinto’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Palo Pinto’s place in Texas beside it.
What a year in Palo Pinto feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 231 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 23 and the first by November 10. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Lake Palo Pinto, TX, 9 miles from the town’s center, 130 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Palo Pinto’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 32 inches of rain a year
May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain falls on about 62 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Palo Pinto, TX, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Palo Pinto
49% of the work is heating, so air conditioning is the bigger bill. 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 Lake Palo Pinto, TX.
Living with Palo Pinto’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
231 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 23 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 10.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, October and November.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Palo Pinto from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (52%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Palo Pinto and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Palo Pinto yet.
Climates most like Palo Pinto’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palo Pinto, TX | 33° | 96° | 32" | 0.0" |
| Chico, CA | 38° | 96° | 31" | 0.0" |
| Anadarko, OK | 27° | 95° | 33" | 2.3" |
| Grants Pass, OR | 34° | 90° | 33" | 0.9" |
| Lugoff, SC | 33° | 92° | 43" | 0.4" |
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 Palo Pinto averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 83% 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 Palo Pinto compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Palo Pinto’s place among Texas’.
Palo Pinto weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Palo Pinto’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Palo Pinto, TX. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 57° | 33° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 41° – 53° |
| February | 62° | 37° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 41° – 57° |
| March | 69° | 45° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| April | 78° | 52° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 60° – 70° |
| May | 84° | 62° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| June | 92° | 69° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 77° – 87° |
| July | 96° | 72° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 79° – 90° |
| August | 96° | 72° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 78° – 91° |
| September | 89° | 65° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 72° – 83° |
| October | 79° | 54° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 61° – 71° |
| November | 67° | 43° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 48° – 61° |
| December | 59° | 35° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 40° – 51° |
| Year | 77° | 53° | 32.4" | 0.0" | 62 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 41° to 57°. October is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Palo Pinto’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 Palo Pinto’s center.
- Snow: Palo Pinto, TX (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lake Palo Pinto, TX, 9 miles from the town’s center, 130 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 Palo Pinto’s climate
What is the weather like in Palo Pinto?
A typical July afternoon reaches 96°, a January night drops to 33°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 77% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 97% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Palo Pinto in winter?
January nights average 33°. About 56 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 41°.
How much snow does Palo Pinto get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Palo Pinto, TX, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Palo Pinto?
July, with a typical high of 96° and a low of 72°. About 104 days a year reach 90° and 25 reach 100° (Lake Palo Pinto, TX).
When is the first and last frost in Palo Pinto?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 23 and the first fall frost by November 10, about 231 frost-free days, at Lake Palo Pinto, TX.
What growing zone is Palo Pinto 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 Palo Pinto?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, October and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Palo Pinto getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 83% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Palo Pinto.
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.