Marathon, TX Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, plus PlainClimate's derived comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Marathon's primary NOAA station, MARATHON.
The climate verdict for Marathon
Dryness leads the climate profile for Marathon, Texas, with 12.6 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 62°F. It scores 83/100 for climate comfort (excellent), putting it in the top third of station-mapped location scores and exceeding 81% of them.
- 62°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 83/100
- comfort score, above 81% of station-mapped location scores
- 12.6"
- annual precipitation
- 208 days
- frost-free growing season
Marathon: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00415579 · Marathon, TX 62°F mean · 12.6" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-MID · COMF-TOP · LOAD-MIX · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 62°F
- RANK-UPPER #5,420
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Atlanta Peachtr…
- PRCP-DRY 12.6"
- SWING-MID 33°F
- COMF-TOP 83/100
- LOAD-MIX H/C balanced
- STN-1 USC00415579
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Atlanta Peachtree, GA (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every TX station list.
- Marathon (this station) 62°F
- Hot Clemson Univ, SC 62°F
- Near Atlanta Peachtr…, GA 62°F
- Near Chickasaw Nra, OK 62°F
- Near Clarendon, AR 62°F
Marathon sits in Texas, the #4 hottest U.S. state at 66.2°F statewide annual average - see all 50 hottest states ranked by NOAA normals
Climate Living Index · Marathon
Marathon: 52/100 · grade D
Marathon publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Marathon, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 83/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Snowfall burden | 0.3 inches/year | 88/100 · A |
| Annual temperature balance | 61.5°F · 6.0° from 67.5°F | 81/100 · B |
| Frost-free season | 208 days/year | 70/100 · B |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 186 calendar days | 22/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 12.6 in · 22.4 from 35 in | 20/100 · F |
Marathon · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Marathon's normals sit in a dry climate class: BSk
Precipitation is low relative to temperature but above true desert thresholds: cold semi-arid steppe (BSk). Class BSk is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: dry (arid or semi-arid), specifically cold semi-arid steppe.
- Köppen code
- BSk
- Group
- Dry (arid or semi-arid)
- Warmest month
- 76.6°F
- Coldest month
- 44.1°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · balanced station
Where Marathon sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Marathon's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Top 21% warmest
- Among 6,861 stations, Marathon sits in the warmer third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 89%
- Marathon's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 87%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Marathon is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Marathon compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Marathon's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
83 Top 19% score exceeds 81% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Below this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Below this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). This entry sits in this band.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 62°F (16°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 0.5" | 0.2" | 20.6 | 0.0 |
| February | 66°F (19°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 0.3" | 0.0" | 14.6 | 0.1 |
| March | 73°F (23°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 0.3" | 0.0" | 6.6 | 0.5 |
| April | 81°F (27°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 0.7" | 0.0" | 1.6 | 3.8 |
| May | 87°F (31°C) | 53°F (11°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 1.6" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 15.3 |
| June | 92°F (33°C) | 60°F (15°C) | 76°F (24°C) | 1.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 20.9 |
| July | 91°F (33°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 77°F (25°C) | 2.3" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 22.2 |
| August | 91°F (33°C) | 62°F (16°C) | 76°F (25°C) | 1.7" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 21.3 |
| September | 85°F (30°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 1.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 8.8 |
| October | 79°F (26°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 1.3" | 0.0" | 1.4 | 2.3 |
| November | 69°F (21°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 0.5" | 0.0" | 10.2 | 0.1 |
| December | 62°F (17°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 0.3" | 0.1" | 19.7 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Marathon works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 93°F by June 11 and hold at or above 90°F on 91 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 95 dates, bottoming at 26°F around January 2.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from May 26 through August 24, covering 91 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs March 6 to November 12.
This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into February 24, then returns to freezing around November 22, covering 95 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is June 8, when 15% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is March 4 at 5%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 35 wet dates a year.
The widest day
April 18 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 37°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Marathon.
Where Marathon Stands Nationally
Day-to-night contrast is extreme by national standards — the widest normal daily swing reaches about 37°F, sharper than nine in ten ranked stations see.
Heat is a defining feature of the normals calendar — the normal daily high reaches 90°F on roughly 91 days a year, more than four out of five ranked stations record.
Marathon earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 0.2"
2.1 days with precipitation
1.7 days with precipitation
1.4 days with precipitation
1.8 days with precipitation
3.8 days with precipitation
4.6 days with precipitation
5.0 days with precipitation
4.4 days with precipitation
4.4 days with precipitation
3.1 days with precipitation
1.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
1.6 days with precipitation
Marathon runs a summer-peaked wet season
44% of Marathon's yearly precipitation falls in June, July and August alone, against the 25% an evenly spread year would give those three months. The wettest month is July at 2.3", on a 32.5°F seasonal spread. Warm-season convection and, across the Southwest, the North American monsoon produce this shape: rain arrives in short heavy bursts during the hottest part of the year rather than as long cool-season soaking.
- Wettest three months: July, August, September, taking 44% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: February at 0.3".
- Winter share: 9% falls in December, January and February.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A summer-peaked label means the June-August share reaches 35%; it describes timing across an average year, not any single season, and says nothing about how heavy an individual storm can be.
When it rains in Marathon, it arrives in quantity
12.6" of precipitation falls across only about 36 wet days here, averaging 0.35 inches each. Fewer days carry more water: the year's total is delivered in comparatively heavy events rather than persistent damp.
- Days with measurable precipitation
- about 36 a year, 10% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.35 inches
- Most wet days
- July, about 5
- Fewest wet days
- March, about 1
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, and a per-day average is not a forecast of any individual storm.
Snow reaches Marathon, but rarely amounts to much
The normals record 0.3 inches of snow a year here, most likely in January. That is a real but marginal amount: enough that snow is part of the local record, not enough to define the winter.
A figure in this range usually reflects a handful of events that melt quickly rather than a season of accumulation; about 0 days a year record any measurable snow at all.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. An average across thirty years can smooth away a single heavy winter, so a small annual figure does not mean a significant snowfall is impossible.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
November 1
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 7
50% probability date
Growing Season
208 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
2,732
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,494
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside TX closest to Marathon on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (62°F here).
- Clarendon, AR 62°F · 0.0°F off
- Clinton, NC 62°F · 0.0°F off
- Colusa, CA 62°F · 0.0°F off
- Jackson Springs, NC 62°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (12.6" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Carefree, AZ 12.6" · 0.0" off
- Ruth, NV 12.6" · 0.0" off
- Campo, CA 12.6" · 0.0" off
- Fence Lake, NM 12.6" · 0.0" off
Scarce-water calendar
Where Marathon's limited precipitation lands
mixed demand · dry · mid swing
Local precipitation is sparse in this otherwise mixed profile. The station reports 12.6 inches annually, within PlainClimate's dry band. Recorded annual snowfall is negligible. The monthly distribution matters because the total alone does not reveal the timing.
July and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Marathon's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 32.5°F. The annual average is 62°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Heating and cooling both register in Marathon's normal, at 2,732 and 1,494 degree days respectively. Neither total exceeds the other by more than two to one, so the record is better read as a mixed-demand calendar than as heating-led or cooling-led.
A roughly 208-day frost-free season sits inside this mixed heating-and-cooling profile. Start and end dates matter because both sides of the thermostat register during a normal year.
Marathon wettest normal
July
July concentrates the scarce annual total (12.6 inches).
Marathon driest normal
February
February is typically driest; arid stations are defined by when water is absent, not by a four-season grid.
Questions about Marathon's climate
How dry is Marathon? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Marathon get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Marathon? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Marathon's primary station: MARATHON (USC00415579). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as a census-designated place (GEOID 4846572), not an incorporated municipality. Match rule for Marathon: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Marathon comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.