Sonora, Texas climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Sonora's normal year runs from 31°F January nights to 96°F July afternoons, with 22.7 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 18.8°C, January lows of −1°C, July highs of 35°C, 576 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationSonora
- Station IDUSC00418449
- Location30.58°N 100.65°W
- Elevation2,138 ft (652 m)
- Population2,420
On October 24, the normal high in Sonora is 78°F and the normal low 49°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 16%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Sonora.
- Jan 61° 31°
- Feb 66° 35°
- Mar 73° 43°
- Apr 81° 51°
- May 88° 62°
- Jun 94° 69°
- Jul 96° 72°
- Aug 96° 71°
- Sep 89° 64°
- Oct 81° 52°
- Nov 70° 41°
- Dec 62° 32°
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 Sonora each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 96°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 31°F. The most precipitation falls in September (3.21 in), the least in December (0.74 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 61°F | 31°F | 45.9°F | 1.01 | 3 | <1 | 21 | 10 h 20 min |
| February | 66°F | 35°F | 50.5°F | 1.24 | 4 | <1 | 13 | 11 h 10 min |
| March | 73°F | 43°F | 58.1°F | 1.55 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 12 h |
| April | 81°F | 51°F | 66.0°F | 1.69 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 12 h 50 min |
| May | 88°F | 62°F | 74.7°F | 2.37 | 5 | 13 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| June | 94°F | 69°F | 81.5°F | 2.62 | 5 | 22 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| July | 96°F | 72°F | 83.6°F | 2.28 | 4 | 27 | <1 | 14 h |
| August | 96°F | 71°F | 83.2°F | 2.60 | 5 | 27 | <1 | 13 h 20 min |
| September | 89°F | 64°F | 76.4°F | 3.21 | 4 | 15 | <1 | 12 h 20 min |
| October | 81°F | 52°F | 66.5°F | 2.15 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 11 h 30 min |
| November | 70°F | 41°F | 55.3°F | 1.20 | 4 | <1 | 8 | 10 h 40 min |
| December | 62°F | 32°F | 47.2°F | 0.74 | 3 | <1 | 18 | 10 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 80°F | 52°F | 65.8°F | 22.66 | 49 | 111 | 70 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16°C | −1°C | 7.7°C | 26 mm |
| February | 19°C | 2°C | 10.3°C | 31 mm |
| March | 23°C | 6°C | 14.5°C | 39 mm |
| April | 27°C | 11°C | 18.9°C | 43 mm |
| May | 31°C | 17°C | 23.7°C | 60 mm |
| June | 34°C | 21°C | 27.5°C | 67 mm |
| July | 35°C | 22°C | 28.7°C | 58 mm |
| August | 35°C | 21°C | 28.4°C | 66 mm |
| September | 32°C | 18°C | 24.7°C | 82 mm |
| October | 27°C | 11°C | 19.2°C | 55 mm |
| November | 21°C | 5°C | 12.9°C | 30 mm |
| December | 17°C | 0°C | 8.4°C | 19 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Eldorado (20 miles away), gets 1 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00418449; 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 Sonora?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in February, March, April, October and November. Of those, March has the fewest days with rain (3).
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 USC00418449.
When is the last frost in Sonora?
In Sonora, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 1 in half of years and after April 20 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 6 in half of years and before October 24 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 11 year in 10 after April 20; 9 in 10 after March 8
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 61 year in 10 before October 24; 9 in 10 before November 24
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 221 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 246 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 13 in half of springs and before November 16 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Sonora in zone 8a in ZIP code 76950, 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 USC00418449; 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 Sonora?
In a normal year in Sonora, 111 days a year reach 90°F (16 of them 100°F or more), 70 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 49 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 111a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 16a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 70a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 1high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 49a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1902) is 109°F, on June 28, 1980; the lowest is −8°F, on February 2, 1951.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1974, with 34.51 in; the snowiest season is 1914–15, with 16.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00418449; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00418449. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Sonora?
Over a year 82% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Sonora, 5.2 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (87%) and February the cloudiest (76%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 78% | 3.3 |
| February | 76% | 4.1 |
| March | 78% | 5.1 |
| April | 80% | 6.1 |
| May | 79% | 6.4 |
| June | 87% | 7.1 |
| July | 87% | 7.0 |
| August | 87% | 6.5 |
| September | 81% | 5.3 |
| October | 82% | 4.5 |
| November | 80% | 3.5 |
| December | 78% | 3.1 |
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 Sonora need?
A normal year in Sonora brings 2,263 heating degree days, 58% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 2,567 cooling degree days, 2.8 times the median (908). Four months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 6,271 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 593 | 1 |
| February | 409 | 3 |
| March | 239 | 27 |
| April | 80 | 110 |
| May | 8 | 310 |
| June | 0 | 493 |
| July | 0 | 575 |
| August | 0 | 564 |
| September | 5 | 347 |
| October | 76 | 124 |
| November | 302 | 13 |
| December | 553 | 1 |
| Year (annual) | 2,263 | 2,567 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00418449. 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 Sonora's climate compare?
Sonora is warmer than 164 of the other 320 places with their own NOAA record in Texas, and wetter than 84. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 65.8°F is warmer than 90%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Sonora is Cfa: temperate, no dry season, hot summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Questions about Sonora's climate
What is the coldest month in Sonora?
January, with a normal high of 61°F and a normal low of 31°F. The warmest is July (96°F by day, 72°F at night).
Does it snow in Sonora?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Sonora's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Eldorado (20 miles away), records 1 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Sonora?
September, with 3.21 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is December with 0.74 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Sonora in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Sonora in zone 8a in ZIP code 76950, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Sonora?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 1; in one year in ten it comes after April 20. Waiting until April 20 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Texas climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Eldorado, TX20 miles from this station, 63.8°F a year
- Ozona, TX34 miles from this station, 64.6°F a year
- Fort McKavett, TX36 miles from this station, 64.4°F a year
- Acton Ranch, TX39 miles from this station, 65.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made