Photo: The original uploader was Billy Hathorn at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 3.0Panhandle reaches 100° on about 14 days a year, more than 93% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 14 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Panhandle at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Panhandle’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Panhandle’s place in Texas beside it.
What a year in Panhandle feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 196 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 15 and the first by October 29. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Panhandle, TX, 0.6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Panhandle’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 2°. 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 14 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Panhandle, TX, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 21 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 51 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Panhandle
72% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Panhandle, TX.
Living with Panhandle’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
196 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 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 Oct 29.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Panhandle from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (47%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Panhandle and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Panhandle yet.
Climates most like Panhandle’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panhandle, TX | 24° | 92° | 21" | 14" |
| Clinton, UT | 22° | 92° | 18" | 23" |
| Dodge City, KS | 20° | 93° | 23" | 19" |
| Yreka, CA | 29° | 91° | 20" | 12" |
| Payson, AZ | 30° | 92° | 20" | 19" |
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 Panhandle averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.1°).
A bigger shift than in 57% 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 Panhandle compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Panhandle’s place among Texas’.
Panhandle weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Panhandle’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Panhandle, TX. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 24° | 0.6" | 2.2" | 2 | 31° – 44° |
| February | 54° | 27° | 0.5" | 2.1" | 3 | 32° – 48° |
| March | 64° | 35° | 1.3" | 1.4" | 4 | 43° – 56° |
| April | 71° | 42° | 1.6" | 0.1" | 4 | 49° – 62° |
| May | 80° | 52° | 2.6" | 0.1" | 6 | 61° – 74° |
| June | 89° | 62° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 70° – 82° |
| July | 92° | 66° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 76° – 86° |
| August | 91° | 65° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 73° – 85° |
| September | 83° | 57° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 5 | 65° – 76° |
| October | 72° | 45° | 1.9" | 0.4" | 4 | 52° – 65° |
| November | 60° | 33° | 0.8" | 2.0" | 3 | 40° – 53° |
| December | 51° | 25° | 0.8" | 5.3" | 3 | 32° – 42° |
| Year | 72° | 44° | 20.6" | 13.6" | 51 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 32° to 48°. July is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Panhandle’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 Panhandle’s center.
- Snow: Panhandle, TX (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Panhandle, TX, 0.6 miles from the town’s center, 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 Panhandle’s climate
What is the weather like in Panhandle?
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 14 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 60% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 89% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Panhandle in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 122 nights a year reach 32° or below and 1 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 31°.
How much snow does Panhandle get?
About 14 inches in a normal winter at Panhandle, TX, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Panhandle?
July, with a typical high of 92° and a low of 66°. About 78 days a year reach 90° and 14 reach 100° (Panhandle, TX).
When is the first and last frost in Panhandle?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 15 and the first fall frost by October 29, about 196 frost-free days, at Panhandle, TX.
What growing zone is Panhandle in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 2°.
What is the best time of year to visit Panhandle?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Panhandle getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 57% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Panhandle.
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.