Sterling City, Texas climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Sterling City's normal year runs from 30°F January nights to 94°F July afternoons, with 20.4 inches of precipitation and 2 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 17.6°C, January lows of −1°C, July highs of 34°C, 518 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationSterling City
- Station IDUSC00418630
- Location31.83°N 100.98°W
- Elevation2,280 ft (695 m)
- Population1,127
On October 23, the normal high in Sterling City is 75°F and the normal low 49°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 13%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Sterling City.
- Jan 58° 30°
- Feb 62° 34°
- Mar 69° 42°
- Apr 78° 50°
- May 85° 61°
- Jun 91° 68°
- Jul 94° 71°
- Aug 93° 70°
- Sep 86° 63°
- Oct 77° 52°
- Nov 66° 39°
- Dec 58° 31°
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 Sterling City each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 94°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 30°F. The most precipitation falls in May (2.75 in), the least in December (0.87 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 58°F | 30°F | 43.7°F | 0.95 | 0.1 | 3 | <1 | 21 | 10 h 20 min |
| February | 62°F | 34°F | 47.6°F | 0.97 | 0.4 | 3 | <1 | 14 | 11 h |
| March | 69°F | 42°F | 55.3°F | 1.27 | 0.0 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 12 h |
| April | 78°F | 50°F | 63.8°F | 1.32 | 0.0 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 13 h |
| May | 85°F | 61°F | 72.9°F | 2.75 | 0.0 | 6 | 12 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| June | 91°F | 68°F | 79.6°F | 2.06 | 0.0 | 5 | 21 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| July | 94°F | 71°F | 82.3°F | 1.68 | 0.0 | 4 | 26 | <1 | 14 h |
| August | 93°F | 70°F | 81.6°F | 2.42 | 0.0 | 5 | 25 | <1 | 13 h 20 min |
| September | 86°F | 63°F | 74.2°F | 2.45 | 0.0 | 4 | 12 | <1 | 12 h 20 min |
| October | 77°F | 52°F | 64.4°F | 2.46 | 0.0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 11 h 30 min |
| November | 66°F | 39°F | 52.5°F | 1.20 | 0.5 | 3 | <1 | 9 | 10 h 30 min |
| December | 58°F | 31°F | 44.7°F | 0.87 | 0.5 | 3 | <1 | 19 | 10 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 76°F | 51°F | 63.6°F | 20.40 | 1.5 | 46 | 105 | 72 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14°C | −1°C | 6.5°C | 24 mm | 0 cm |
| February | 17°C | 1°C | 8.7°C | 25 mm | 1 cm |
| March | 21°C | 5°C | 12.9°C | 32 mm | 0 cm |
| April | 25°C | 10°C | 17.7°C | 34 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 29°C | 16°C | 22.7°C | 70 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 33°C | 20°C | 26.4°C | 52 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 34°C | 22°C | 27.9°C | 43 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 34°C | 21°C | 27.6°C | 61 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 30°C | 17°C | 23.4°C | 62 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 25°C | 11°C | 18.0°C | 62 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 19°C | 4°C | 11.4°C | 30 mm | 1 cm |
| December | 15°C | 0°C | 7.1°C | 22 mm | 1 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00418630; 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 Sterling City?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in March, April, May, October and November. Of those, November 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 USC00418630.
When is the last frost in Sterling City?
In Sterling City, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after March 31 in half of years and after April 16 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
- March 311 year in 10 after April 16; 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 21
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 219 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 244 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 14 in half of springs and before November 15 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Sterling City in zone 8a in ZIP code 76951, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Sterling City's NOAA station is in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 12°F (21 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Texas · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00418630; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. 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 Sterling City?
In a normal year in Sterling City, 105 days a year reach 90°F (17 of them 100°F or more), 72 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 46 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 105a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 17a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 72a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 3high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 46a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 1a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00418630.
How sunny is Sterling City?
Over a year 84% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Sterling City, 5.2 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (89%) and February the cloudiest (78%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 80% | 3.3 |
| February | 78% | 4.1 |
| March | 79% | 5.2 |
| April | 83% | 6.3 |
| May | 82% | 6.6 |
| June | 89% | 7.3 |
| July | 88% | 7.0 |
| August | 88% | 6.5 |
| September | 83% | 5.3 |
| October | 83% | 4.5 |
| November | 82% | 3.5 |
| December | 80% | 3.0 |
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 Sterling City need?
A normal year in Sterling City brings 2,733 heating degree days, 49% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 2,237 cooling degree days, 2.5 times 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 5,718 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 660 | 0 |
| February | 488 | 2 |
| March | 316 | 15 |
| April | 120 | 84 |
| May | 22 | 265 |
| June | 0 | 440 |
| July | 0 | 535 |
| August | 0 | 514 |
| September | 12 | 286 |
| October | 107 | 88 |
| November | 381 | 8 |
| December | 628 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 2,733 | 2,237 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00418630. 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 Sterling City's climate compare?
Sterling City is warmer than 75 of the other 320 places with their own NOAA record in Texas, and wetter than 58. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 63.6°F is warmer than 84%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Sterling City 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 Sterling City's climate
What is the coldest month in Sterling City?
January, with a normal high of 58°F and a normal low of 30°F. The warmest is July (94°F by day, 71°F at night).
Does it snow in Sterling City?
Yes: 2 inches in a normal year, falling on 1 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in November (0.5 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Sterling City?
May, with 2.75 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is December with 0.87 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Sterling City in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Sterling City in zone 8a in ZIP code 76951, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Sterling City's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 12°F (21 years, 1991-2020): zone 8a.
How late can frost come in Sterling City?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after March 31; in one year in ten it comes after April 16. Waiting until April 16 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Texas climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Water Valley, TX19 miles from this station, 64.7°F a year
- Robert Lee, TX27 miles from this station, 64.4°F a year
- Cope Ranch, TX27 miles from this station, 63.2°F a year
- Mertzon (12 mi NNW), TX28 miles from this station, 63.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made