Marfa, Texas climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Marfa's normal year runs from 24°F January nights to 90°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 15.2°C, January lows of −4°C, July highs of 32°C.
- NOAA stationMarfa (3 mi W)
- Station IDUSC00415596
- Location30.31°N 104.07°W
- Elevation4,790 ft (1,460 m)
- Population1,641
On October 23, the normal high in Marfa is 75°F and the normal low 41°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Marfa.
- Jan 59° 24°
- Feb 63° 28°
- Mar 70° 34°
- Apr 78° 41°
- May 87° 50°
- Jun 92° 59°
- Jul 90° 61°
- Aug 87° 60°
- Sep 83° 53°
- Oct 76° 43°
- Nov 68° 33°
- Dec 59° 26°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Marfa each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 90°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 24°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 59°F | 24°F | 41.9°F | – | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| February | 63°F | 28°F | 45.4°F | – | <1 | 20 | 11 h 10 min |
| March | 70°F | 34°F | 51.9°F | – | <1 | 14 | 12 h |
| April | 78°F | 41°F | 59.6°F | – | <1 | 4 | 12 h 50 min |
| May | 87°F | 50°F | 68.0°F | – | 9 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| June | 92°F | 59°F | 75.1°F | – | 19 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| July | 90°F | 61°F | 75.2°F | – | 16 | <1 | 14 h |
| August | 87°F | 60°F | 73.8°F | – | 9 | <1 | 13 h 20 min |
| September | 83°F | 53°F | 68.3°F | – | 4 | <1 | 12 h 20 min |
| October | 76°F | 43°F | 59.8°F | – | <1 | 2 | 11 h 30 min |
| November | 68°F | 33°F | 50.5°F | – | <1 | 15 | 10 h 40 min |
| December | 59°F | 26°F | 42.4°F | – | <1 | 25 | 10 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 76°F | 43°F | 59.3°F | – | 58 | 107 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15°C | −4°C | 5.5°C |
| February | 17°C | −2°C | 7.4°C |
| March | 21°C | 1°C | 11.1°C |
| April | 26°C | 5°C | 15.3°C |
| May | 30°C | 10°C | 20.0°C |
| June | 33°C | 15°C | 23.9°C |
| July | 32°C | 16°C | 24.0°C |
| August | 31°C | 16°C | 23.2°C |
| September | 29°C | 12°C | 20.2°C |
| October | 25°C | 6°C | 15.4°C |
| November | 20°C | 0°C | 10.3°C |
| December | 15°C | −4°C | 5.8°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Alpine (7 mi NW) (18 miles away), gets 5 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00415596; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Marfa?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in March, April, September, October and November.
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00415596.
When is the last frost in Marfa?
In Marfa, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 14 in half of years and after May 1 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 27 in half of years and before October 13 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- April 141 year in 10 after May 1; 9 in 10 after March 30
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 271 year in 10 before October 13; 9 in 10 before November 13
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 196 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 216 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 2 in half of springs and before November 7 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Marfa in zone 8a in ZIP code 79734, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Texas · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00415596; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get in Marfa?
In a normal year in Marfa, 58 days a year reach 90°F (2 of them 100°F or more) and 107 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 58a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 2a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 107a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 2high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1958) is 106°F, on June 19, 1980; the lowest is −2°F, on January 5, 1972.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1990, with 27.47 in; the snowiest season is 1964–65, with 9.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00415596; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00415596. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Marfa?
Over a year 87% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Marfa, 5.7 kWh per square metre a day. May is the sunniest month (91%) and July the cloudiest (82%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 86% | 3.8 |
| February | 87% | 4.8 |
| March | 88% | 6.0 |
| April | 90% | 7.2 |
| May | 91% | 7.7 |
| June | 89% | 7.6 |
| July | 82% | 6.7 |
| August | 84% | 6.4 |
| September | 85% | 5.7 |
| October | 89% | 5.1 |
| November | 88% | 4.0 |
| December | 86% | 3.5 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Marfa need?
A normal year in Marfa brings 3,228 heating degree days, 40% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,183 cooling degree days, 30% more than the median (908). Five months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 4,263 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 716 | 0 |
| February | 550 | 0 |
| March | 405 | 1 |
| April | 178 | 16 |
| May | 36 | 130 |
| June | 1 | 303 |
| July | 0 | 315 |
| August | 0 | 273 |
| September | 30 | 129 |
| October | 174 | 15 |
| November | 437 | 1 |
| December | 701 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 3,228 | 1,183 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00415596. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
How does Marfa's climate compare?
Marfa is warmer than 27 of the other 320 places with their own NOAA record in Texas. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 59.3°F is warmer than 73%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Questions about Marfa's climate
What is the coldest month in Marfa?
January, with a normal high of 59°F and a normal low of 24°F. The warmest is July (90°F by day, 61°F at night).
Does it snow in Marfa?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Marfa's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Alpine (7 mi NW) (18 miles away), records 5 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Marfa in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Marfa in zone 8a in ZIP code 79734, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Marfa?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 14; in one year in ten it comes after May 1. Waiting until May 1 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Texas climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Fort Davis, TX23 miles from this station, 62.8°F a year
- Alpine, TX25 miles from this station, 62.8°F a year
- Mount Locke, TX27 miles from this station, 59.2°F a year
- Valentine, TX32 miles from this station, 62.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made