Santa Rosa reaches 100° on about 63 days a year, more than all but 118 U.S. towns
January mornings start at about 48°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 52° apart. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 96% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around January 31; autumn frost returns near December 17.
A year in Santa Rosa at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Santa Rosa’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Santa Rosa’s place in Texas beside it.
What a year in Santa Rosa feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 321 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by January 31 and the first by December 17. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Rio Grande City, TX, 3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Santa Rosa’s center in zone 9b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 29°. 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 21 inches of rain a year
September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain falls on about 59 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.1" in a normal year at Rio Grande City, TX, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Santa Rosa
16% of the work is heating, so air conditioning is the bigger bill. No month averages under 55°.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Rio Grande City, TX.
Living with Santa Rosa’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
321 frost-free days in zone 9b. The last frost comes by Jan 31 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Dec 17.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: January, February, March, November and December.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 65% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Santa Rosa from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Santa Rosa and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Santa Rosa yet.
Climates most like Santa Rosa’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Rosa, TX | 48° | 99° | 21" | 0.1" |
| Cottonwood, CA | 39° | 98° | 26" | 0.0" |
| Scottsdale, AZ | 44° | 103° | 12" | 0.0" |
| Ivins, UT | 32° | 100° | 11" | 1.2" |
| Summerlin South, NV | 35° | 102° | 5" | 0.2" |
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 Santa Rosa averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 51% 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 Santa Rosa compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Santa Rosa’s place among Texas’.
Santa Rosa weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Santa Rosa’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Rio Grande City, TX. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 71° | 48° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| February | 76° | 52° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 57° – 72° |
| March | 83° | 59° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 64° – 77° |
| April | 89° | 64° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 70° – 82° |
| May | 94° | 71° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 77° – 86° |
| June | 98° | 75° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 84° – 90° |
| July | 99° | 76° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 84° – 91° |
| August | 100° | 76° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 86° – 91° |
| September | 94° | 72° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 79° – 86° |
| October | 89° | 65° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 73° – 81° |
| November | 79° | 56° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 62° – 74° |
| December | 72° | 49° | 1.0" | 0.1" | 6 | 0 | 54° – 66° |
| Year | 87° | 64° | 21.2" | 0.1" | 59 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 57° to 72°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Santa Rosa’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 Santa Rosa’s center.
- Snow: Rio Grande City, TX.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Rio Grande City, TX, 3 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 Santa Rosa’s climate
What is the weather like in Santa Rosa?
A typical July afternoon reaches 99°, a January night drops to 48°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than all but 145 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Santa Rosa in winter?
January nights average 48°. About 6 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 53°.
How much snow does Santa Rosa get?
About 0.1 inches in a normal winter at Rio Grande City, TX, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Santa Rosa?
July, with a typical high of 99° and a low of 76°. About 187 days a year reach 90° and 63 reach 100° (Rio Grande City, TX).
When is the first and last frost in Santa Rosa?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by January 31 and the first fall frost by December 17, about 321 frost-free days, at Rio Grande City, TX.
What growing zone is Santa Rosa in?
Zone 9b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 29°.
What is the best time of year to visit Santa Rosa?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), January, February, March, November and December. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Santa Rosa getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 51% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Santa Rosa.
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.