Climate - Amarillo (Texas)

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The climate of Amarillo is continental, with fairly cold (but dry and sunny) winters, and hot, sunny summers, but with some thunderstorms.
The city is located in north-west Texas, on a plateau, at 1,100 meters (3,600 ft) above sea level, and is windy and exposed to clashes between air masses which cause sudden changes in temperature. We are in the northernmost part of Texas, the square called "Texas Panhandle", but also in the western part, the semi-arid one.
Both for the position (north and far from the sea) and for the altitude, in winter it is the coldest city in Texas. In this season, there are strong differences between the night, when the temperature drops below freezing, and the day, when the air is normally mild. However, there can also be real cold waves, when lows can drop to -20 °C (-4 °F). In recent decades, the cold record is -24 °C (-11 °F), recorded in January 1984 and in February 2021. Sometimes, however, the temperature can reach 25 °C (77 °F) even in the middle of winter.
On average, 45 centimeters (18 inches) of snow fall per year. It generally snows from November to March, but sometimes snow can also be seen in April and, very rarely, even in early May (as in 2005) and in late September (as in 1984).
In summer, there can be periods that are not too hot and with frequent thunderstorms, but also periods characterized by intense heat, with highs about 38/40 °C (100/104 °F), and even higher. The record heat is 44 °C (111 °F), recorded at the end of June 2011.
The average temperature of the coldest month (December) is of 2.7 °C (37 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 25.7 °C (78 °F). Here are the average temperatures.

Precipitation amounts to 515 millimeters (20.3 inches) per year: so, it is not abundant. Winter is the driest season. The rains occur mainly in the form of thunderstorms in the afternoon or in the evening, sometimes accompanied by hail, in late spring and summer. From April to June (and more rarely in autumn), tornadoes can also develop (we are actually in the so-called "Tornado Alley"). On average, 45 cm (17.7 in) of snow fall per year. Here is the average precipitation.

On average, there are around 3,295 sunshine hours per year. Therefore, the sun shines very often. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.

Best Time

In Amarillo, there is no month in which it cannot be either hot or cold (or both), however, spring and autumn can be chosen, even if they are unstable seasons, and in particular, the months of April and October.

Return to the climate of Texas.