Sunray’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 9 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Sunray at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sunray’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sunray’s place in Texas beside it.
What a year in Sunray feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 183 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 21 and the first by October 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Dumas, TX, 13 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sunray’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 3°. 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 9 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Dumas, TX, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 18 inches a year; August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 47 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sunray
76% 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 Dumas, TX.
Living with Sunray’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
183 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 21 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 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 0.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sunray from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (69%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 12%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sunray and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sunray yet.
Climates most like Sunray’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunray, TX | 23° | 93° | 18" | 9.1" |
| Portales, NM | 25° | 93° | 16" | 7.6" |
| Emmett, ID | 23° | 93° | 13" | 7.4" |
| Prescott Valley, AZ | 26° | 91° | 14" | 10" |
| Clinton, UT | 22° | 92° | 18" | 23" |
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 Sunray averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.9°).
A smaller shift than in 65% 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 Sunray compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sunray’s place among Texas’.
Sunray weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sunray’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Dumas, TX. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50° | 23° | 0.5" | 2.2" | 2 | 1 | 31° – 43° |
| February | 54° | 26° | 0.4" | 0.8" | 2 | 2 | 31° – 47° |
| March | 63° | 33° | 1.0" | 1.2" | 3 | 0 | 43° – 56° |
| April | 71° | 41° | 1.5" | 0.1" | 4 | 0 | 48° – 62° |
| May | 80° | 51° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 60° – 73° |
| June | 90° | 61° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 70° – 81° |
| July | 93° | 66° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 77° – 85° |
| August | 91° | 64° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 73° – 84° |
| September | 84° | 57° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 65° – 77° |
| October | 73° | 44° | 1.6" | 0.4" | 4 | 0 | 52° – 65° |
| November | 60° | 32° | 0.6" | 1.3" | 2 | 1 | 39° – 52° |
| December | 50° | 24° | 0.7" | 3.1" | 3 | 1 | 32° – 41° |
| Year | 72° | 43° | 18.0" | 9.1" | 47 | 5 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 31° to 47°. July is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Sunray’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 Sunray’s center.
- Snow: Dumas, TX.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Dumas, TX, 13 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft higher; 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 Sunray’s climate
What is the weather like in Sunray?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 9 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 55% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 92% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sunray in winter?
January nights average 23°. About 124 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 31°.
How much snow does Sunray get?
About 9.1 inches in a normal winter at Dumas, TX, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 5 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sunray?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 66°. About 73 days a year reach 90° and 9 reach 100° (Dumas, TX).
When is the first and last frost in Sunray?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 21 and the first fall frost by October 24, about 183 frost-free days, at Dumas, TX.
What growing zone is Sunray in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sunray?
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 Sunray getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 65% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sunray.
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.