Anderson House and Store · Photo: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0Salado reaches 100° on about 20 days a year, more than 95% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 96°, a January night drops to 37°, and snow is almost unheard of.
A year in Salado at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Salado’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Salado’s place in Texas beside it.
What a year in Salado feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 251 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 14 and the first by November 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Stillhouse Hollow Dam, TX, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Salado’s center in zone 8b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 19°. 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 35 inches of rain a year
May is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain falls on about 87 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Stillhouse Hollow Dam, TX, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Salado
44% 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 Stillhouse Hollow Dam, TX.
Living with Salado’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
251 frost-free days in zone 8b. The last frost comes by Mar 14 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 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: February, March, April, October and November. 1.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Salado from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (60%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Salado and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Salado yet.
Climates most like Salado’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salado, TX | 37° | 96° | 35" | 0.0" |
| Chico, CA | 38° | 96° | 31" | 0.0" |
| Lone Grove, OK | 31° | 94° | 39" | 2.7" |
| Cayce, SC | 35° | 93° | 46" | 1.2" |
| Dublin, GA | 37° | 93° | 47" | 0.0" |
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 Salado averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.4°).
A bigger shift than in 54% 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 Salado compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Salado’s place among Texas’.
Salado weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Salado’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Stillhouse Hollow Dam, TX. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 61° | 37° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 44° – 55° |
| February | 65° | 41° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 45° – 61° |
| March | 71° | 48° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 53° – 66° |
| April | 78° | 55° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 61° – 73° |
| May | 85° | 64° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| June | 92° | 70° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 78° – 85° |
| July | 96° | 73° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 80° – 88° |
| August | 97° | 73° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 79° – 90° |
| September | 90° | 67° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 74° – 85° |
| October | 81° | 57° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| November | 70° | 47° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 51° – 65° |
| December | 62° | 39° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 43° – 54° |
| Year | 79° | 56° | 35.0" | 0.0" | 87 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 45° to 61°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Salado’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 Salado’s center.
- Snow: Stillhouse Hollow Dam, TX.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Stillhouse Hollow Dam, TX, 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 Salado’s climate
What is the weather like in Salado?
A typical July afternoon reaches 96°, a January night drops to 37°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 85% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 97% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Salado in winter?
January nights average 37°. About 33 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 44°.
How much snow does Salado get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Stillhouse Hollow Dam, TX, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Salado?
July, with a typical high of 96° and a low of 73°. About 118 days a year reach 90° and 20 reach 100° (Stillhouse Hollow Dam, TX).
When is the first and last frost in Salado?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 14 and the first fall frost by November 20, about 251 frost-free days, at Stillhouse Hollow Dam, TX.
What growing zone is Salado in?
Zone 8b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 19°.
What is the best time of year to visit Salado?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), February, March, April, October and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Salado getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 54% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Salado.
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.