First Presbyterian Church · Photo: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0Van Horn reaches 100° on about 12 days a year, more than 92% of U.S. towns
In January the night’s low is typically 29°. Seasons differ by 66°, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 97% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around March 21; autumn frost returns near November 11.
A year in Van Horn at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Van Horn’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Van Horn’s place in Texas beside it.
What a year in Van Horn feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 234 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 21 and the first by November 11. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Van Horn, TX, 0.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Van Horn’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 3 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Van Horn, TX, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 10 inches a year; July is the wettest month and March 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 Van Horn
56% 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 Van Horn, TX.
Living with Van Horn’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
234 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 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 Nov 11.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April and October. 0.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Van Horn from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (68%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Van Horn and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Van Horn yet.
Climates most like Van Horn’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Van Horn, TX | 29° | 94° | 10" | 3.3" |
| Truth or Consequences, NM | 29° | 94° | 10" | 0.9" |
| Douglas, AZ | 31° | 94° | 13" | 0.5" |
| Hermiston, OR | 29° | 91° | 9" | 3.7" |
| Fernley, NV | 25° | 93° | 6" | 4.5" |
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 Van Horn averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.4°).
A bigger shift than in 52% 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 Van Horn compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Van Horn’s place among Texas’.
Van Horn weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Van Horn’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Van Horn, TX. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60° | 29° | 0.5" | 0.7" | 3 | 0 | 39° – 49° |
| February | 65° | 33° | 0.4" | 0.6" | 3 | 0 | 44° – 54° |
| March | 73° | 39° | 0.3" | 0.2" | 2 | 0 | 52° – 63° |
| April | 80° | 46° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| May | 88° | 55° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| June | 95° | 64° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 76° – 84° |
| July | 94° | 66° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 77° – 84° |
| August | 92° | 65° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 76° – 84° |
| September | 87° | 59° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| October | 79° | 48° | 1.0" | 0.1" | 4 | 0 | 61° – 67° |
| November | 68° | 36° | 0.4" | 0.5" | 3 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| December | 60° | 30° | 0.5" | 1.2" | 3 | 1 | 40° – 49° |
| Year | 78° | 48° | 10.4" | 3.3" | 47 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 46° to 58°. October is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Van Horn’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 Van Horn’s center.
- Snow: Van Horn, TX (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Van Horn, TX, 0.2 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 Van Horn’s climate
What is the weather like in Van Horn?
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 29°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 71% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 93% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Van Horn in winter?
January nights average 29°. About 70 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 39°.
How much snow does Van Horn get?
About 3.3 inches in a normal winter at Van Horn, TX, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Van Horn?
July, with a typical high of 94° and a low of 66°. About 95 days a year reach 90° and 12 reach 100° (Van Horn, TX).
When is the first and last frost in Van Horn?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 21 and the first fall frost by November 11, about 234 frost-free days, at Van Horn, TX.
What growing zone is Van Horn 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 Van Horn?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Van Horn getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 52% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Van Horn.
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.