Terlingua, Texas climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Terlingua's normal year runs from 33°F January nights to 101°F July afternoons, with 9.3 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 21.3°C, January lows of 1°C, July highs of 38°C, 236 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationTerlingua
- Station IDUSC00418924
- Location29.35°N 103.59°W
- Elevation2,633 ft (803 m)
- Population (census place)138
On October 23, the normal high in Terlingua is 85°F and the normal low 54°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 8%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Terlingua.
- Jan 66° 33°
- Feb 74° 39°
- Mar 81° 45°
- Apr 90° 54°
- May 98° 63°
- Jun 102° 71°
- Jul 101° 73°
- Aug 100° 72°
- Sep 94° 67°
- Oct 88° 57°
- Nov 75° 44°
- Dec 67° 35°
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 Terlingua each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 101°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 33°F. The most precipitation falls in August (1.47 in), the least in February (0.16 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 66°F | 33°F | 49.4°F | 0.33 | 2 | <1 | 14 | 10 h 30 min |
| February | 74°F | 39°F | 56.6°F | 0.16 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 11 h 10 min |
| March | 81°F | 45°F | 63.3°F | 0.38 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 12 h |
| April | 90°F | 54°F | 72.0°F | 0.28 | 2 | 19 | <1 | 12 h 50 min |
| May | 98°F | 63°F | 80.2°F | 1.04 | 4 | 27 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| June | 102°F | 71°F | 86.6°F | 1.22 | 4 | 29 | <1 | 14 h |
| July | 101°F | 73°F | 86.8°F | 1.11 | 7 | 30 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| August | 100°F | 72°F | 85.9°F | 1.47 | 5 | 29 | <1 | 13 h 10 min |
| September | 94°F | 67°F | 80.2°F | 1.33 | 5 | 23 | <1 | 12 h 20 min |
| October | 88°F | 57°F | 72.3°F | 0.35 | 3 | 18 | <1 | 11 h 30 min |
| November | 75°F | 44°F | 59.3°F | 1.12 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 10 h 40 min |
| December | 67°F | 35°F | 50.9°F | 0.52 | 2 | <1 | 11 | 10 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 86°F | 55°F | 70.3°F | 9.31 | 39 | 188 | 35 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19°C | 1°C | 9.7°C | 8 mm |
| February | 23°C | 4°C | 13.7°C | 4 mm |
| March | 27°C | 7°C | 17.4°C | 10 mm |
| April | 32°C | 12°C | 22.2°C | 7 mm |
| May | 37°C | 17°C | 26.8°C | 26 mm |
| June | 39°C | 22°C | 30.3°C | 31 mm |
| July | 38°C | 23°C | 30.4°C | 28 mm |
| August | 38°C | 22°C | 29.9°C | 37 mm |
| September | 34°C | 19°C | 26.8°C | 34 mm |
| October | 31°C | 14°C | 22.4°C | 9 mm |
| November | 24°C | 7°C | 15.2°C | 28 mm |
| December | 19°C | 2°C | 10.5°C | 13 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Lajitas (11 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 USC00418924; 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 Terlingua?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in January, February, March, November and December. Of those, January has the fewest days with rain (2).
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 USC00418924.
When is the last frost in Terlingua?
In Terlingua, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after March 4 in half of years and after March 22 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 26 in half of years and before November 10 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 41 year in 10 after March 22; 9 in 10 after February 9
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 261 year in 10 before November 10; 9 in 10 before December 10
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 264 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 294 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after February 15 in half of springs and before December 6 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Terlingua in zone 9a in ZIP code 79852, 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 USC00418924; 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 Terlingua?
In a normal year in Terlingua, 188 days a year reach 90°F (95 of them 100°F or more), 35 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 39 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 188a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 95a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 35a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- fewer than 1high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 39a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00418924.
How sunny is Terlingua?
Over a year 89% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Terlingua, 5.7 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (92%) and January the cloudiest (85%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 85% | 3.8 |
| February | 87% | 4.8 |
| March | 89% | 6.0 |
| April | 90% | 7.0 |
| May | 91% | 7.5 |
| June | 92% | 7.6 |
| July | 87% | 7.0 |
| August | 88% | 6.6 |
| September | 87% | 5.7 |
| October | 90% | 5.1 |
| November | 89% | 4.1 |
| December | 87% | 3.6 |
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 Terlingua need?
A normal year in Terlingua brings 1,529 heating degree days, 72% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 3,487 cooling degree days, 3.8 times the median (908). Two months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 7,658 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 482 | 0 |
| February | 250 | 14 |
| March | 122 | 71 |
| April | 15 | 225 |
| May | 3 | 472 |
| June | 0 | 647 |
| July | 0 | 676 |
| August | 0 | 647 |
| September | 1 | 457 |
| October | 26 | 252 |
| November | 195 | 23 |
| December | 436 | 1 |
| Year (annual) | 1,529 | 3,487 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00418924. 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.
Has Terlingua been warmer than normal lately?
2022 averaged 69.7°F, 0.6°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 70.3°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 69.7°F | −0.6°F | 10.75 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00418924. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Terlingua's climate compare?
Terlingua is warmer than 260 of the other 320 places with their own NOAA record in Texas, and wetter than 4. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 70.3°F is warmer than 95%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Terlingua is BWh: hot desert. 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.
What do Terlingua's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Terlingua. This page uses Terlingua; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terlingua Ranch 2 USC00418926 | 14 mi NE | 3,682 ft | 66.3°F | 35°F | 94°F | 11.7 | – | March 8 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Terlingua's climate
What is the coldest month in Terlingua?
January, with a normal high of 66°F and a normal low of 33°F. The warmest is July (101°F by day, 73°F at night).
Does it snow in Terlingua?
Rarely. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Terlingua's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Lajitas (11 miles away), records 1 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Terlingua?
August, with 1.47 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.16 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Terlingua in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Terlingua in zone 9a in ZIP code 79852, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Terlingua?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after March 4; in one year in ten it comes after March 22. Waiting until March 22 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Texas climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Study Butte, TX3 miles from this station, 71.1°F a year
- Lake Ament, TX9 miles from this station, 66.7°F a year
- Lajitas, TX11 miles from this station, 70.7°F a year
- Castolon, TX16 miles from this station, 72.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made