Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY-SA 3.0Sonora reaches 100° on about 16 days a year, more than 94% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 33°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Sonora at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sonora’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sonora’s place in Texas beside it.
What a year in Sonora feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 221 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 1 and the first by November 6. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Sonora, TX, 1.0 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sonora’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 13°. 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 1 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Eldorado, TX, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 21 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 53 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sonora
47% 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 Sonora, TX.
Living with Sonora’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
221 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Apr 1 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 6.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, October and November. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sonora from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (61%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sonora and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sonora yet.
Climates most like Sonora’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonora, TX | 33° | 94° | 21" | 1.1" |
| Central Point, OR | 32° | 93° | 22" | 3.4" |
| Nogales, AZ | 30° | 93° | 16" | 0.3" |
| Winters, CA | 38° | 94° | 24" | 0.0" |
| Hobbs, NM | 28° | 94° | 14" | 1.8" |
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 Sonora averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+1.8°).
A smaller shift than in 71% 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 Sonora compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sonora’s place among Texas’.
Sonora weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sonora’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Eldorado, TX. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60° | 33° | 0.9" | 0.6" | 3 | 0 | 42° – 52° |
| February | 65° | 37° | 1.1" | 0.3" | 4 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| March | 72° | 45° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 53° – 63° |
| April | 80° | 51° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| May | 87° | 61° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 70° – 79° |
| June | 92° | 69° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 77° – 84° |
| July | 94° | 71° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 78° – 87° |
| August | 94° | 70° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 78° – 86° |
| September | 88° | 63° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 71° – 81° |
| October | 79° | 53° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 64° – 70° |
| November | 68° | 42° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 49° – 60° |
| December | 61° | 34° | 1.0" | 0.2" | 3 | 0 | 44° – 52° |
| Year | 78° | 52° | 21.1" | 1.1" | 53 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 46° to 58°. October is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Sonora’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 Sonora’s center.
- Snow: Eldorado, TX.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Sonora, TX, 1.0 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 Sonora’s climate
What is the weather like in Sonora?
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 33°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 77% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 93% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sonora in winter?
January nights average 33°. About 70 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 42°.
How much snow does Sonora get?
About 1.1 inches in a normal winter at Eldorado, TX, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sonora?
July, with a typical high of 94° and a low of 71°. About 111 days a year reach 90° and 16 reach 100° (Sonora, TX).
When is the first and last frost in Sonora?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 1 and the first fall frost by November 6, about 221 frost-free days, at Sonora, TX.
What growing zone is Sonora in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 13°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sonora?
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 Sonora getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 71% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sonora.
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.