Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY-SA 3.0Sterling City reaches 100° on about 17 days a year, more than 94% of U.S. towns
Midwinter brings lows of about 31°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 89% of U.S. towns. March has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 0.9° rise. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly March 31 to November 6.
A year in Sterling City at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sterling City’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sterling City’s place in Texas beside it.
What a year in Sterling City feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 219 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 31 and the first by November 6. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Sterling City, TX, 0.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sterling City’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 12°. 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 2 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Sterling City, TX, is heaviest from November through December, about 1 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 20 inches a year; May is the wettest month and December the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 46 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sterling City
55% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November 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 Sterling City, TX.
Living with Sterling City’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
219 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 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 Nov 6.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, October and November. 0.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sterling City from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (50%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sterling City and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sterling City yet.
Climates most like Sterling City’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling City, TX | 31° | 95° | 20" | 1.5" |
| Sedona, AZ | 30° | 97° | 17" | 1.0" |
| Medford, OR | 32° | 92° | 19" | 3.4" |
| Lovington, NM | 26° | 93° | 15" | 1.4" |
| Willows, CA | 38° | 96° | 20" | 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 Sterling City averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.0°).
A smaller shift than in 84% 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 Sterling City compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sterling City’s place among Texas’.
Sterling City weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sterling City’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Sterling City, TX. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 58° | 31° | 0.9" | 0.1" | 3 | 0 | 39° – 50° |
| February | 63° | 35° | 1.0" | 0.4" | 3 | 0 | 42° – 56° |
| March | 71° | 43° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| April | 79° | 50° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| May | 87° | 60° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 68° – 80° |
| June | 93° | 68° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 76° – 87° |
| July | 95° | 71° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 78° – 87° |
| August | 94° | 70° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 77° – 87° |
| September | 87° | 62° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 70° – 81° |
| October | 78° | 52° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| November | 67° | 40° | 1.2" | 0.5" | 3 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| December | 59° | 33° | 0.8" | 0.5" | 3 | 0 | 42° – 50° |
| Year | 78° | 51° | 20.3" | 1.5" | 46 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 42° to 56°. October is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Sterling City’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 Sterling City’s center.
- Snow: Sterling City, TX (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Sterling City, TX, 0.4 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 Sterling City’s climate
What is the weather like in Sterling City?
A typical July afternoon reaches 95°, a January night drops to 31°, and about 2 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 74% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 95% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sterling City in winter?
January nights average 31°. About 72 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 39°.
How much snow does Sterling City get?
About 1.5 inches in a normal winter at Sterling City, TX, heaviest from November through December, about 1 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 0 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sterling City?
July, with a typical high of 95° and a low of 71°. About 105 days a year reach 90° and 17 reach 100° (Sterling City, TX).
When is the first and last frost in Sterling City?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 31 and the first fall frost by November 6, about 219 frost-free days, at Sterling City, TX.
What growing zone is Sterling City in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sterling City?
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 Sterling City getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 84% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sterling City.
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.