Arch, NM Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Pulled from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →: climate measurements used in PlainClimate's documented score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Arch's primary NOAA station, ARCH.
The climate verdict for Arch
Dryness leads the climate profile for Arch, New Mexico, with 16.7 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 58°F. Its climate comfort score of 68/100 (good) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 56% of station-mapped location scores.
- 58°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 68/100
- comfort score, above 56% of station-mapped location scores
- 16.7"
- annual precipitation · 5" snow
- 181 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Arch: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00290525 · Arch, NM 58°F mean · 16.7" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-MID · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 58°F
- RANK-UPPER #4,665
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Pfafftown
- PRCP-DRY 16.7"
- SWING-MID 41°F
- COMF-MID 68/100
- LOAD-HEAT 4,035 HDD
- STN-1 USC00290525
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Pfafftown, NC (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every NM station list.
- Arch (this station) 58°F
- Hot Pfafftown, NC 58°F
- Near Bowling Green, KY 58°F
- Near Charlotte, TN 58°F
- Cold Fayetteville Dr…, AR 57°F
Climate Living Index · Arch
Arch: 43/100 · grade D
Arch publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Arch, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 68/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Snowfall burden | 5.2 inches/year | 70/100 · B |
| Annual temperature balance | 57.6°F · 9.9° from 67.5°F | 68/100 · C |
| Frost-free season | 181 days/year | 51/100 · D |
| Precipitation balance | 16.7 in · 18.3 from 35 in | 35/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 212 calendar days | 8/100 · F |
Arch · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Arch's normals sit in a dry climate class: BSk
Precipitation is low relative to temperature but above true desert thresholds: cold semi-arid steppe (BSk). Class BSk is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: dry (arid or semi-arid), specifically cold semi-arid steppe.
- Köppen code
- BSk
- Group
- Dry (arid or semi-arid)
- Warmest month
- 78.1°F
- Coldest month
- 37.6°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Arch sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Arch's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 68th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 79%
- Arch's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 38th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Arch compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Arch's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
68 Top 44% score exceeds 56% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). This entry sits in this band.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54°F (12°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 0.5" | 2.5" | 29.1 | 0.0 |
| February | 59°F (15°C) | 24°F (-5°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 0.4" | 0.8" | 23.7 | 0.0 |
| March | 67°F (20°C) | 31°F (0°C) | 49°F (10°C) | 0.9" | 0.0" | 18.6 | 0.0 |
| April | 74°F (24°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 0.9" | 0.1" | 6.7 | 0.7 |
| May | 82°F (28°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 65°F (19°C) | 1.5" | 0.0" | 0.5 | 8.2 |
| June | 92°F (33°C) | 60°F (15°C) | 76°F (24°C) | 1.9" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 18.2 |
| July | 93°F (34°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 78°F (26°C) | 2.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 22.9 |
| August | 91°F (33°C) | 62°F (16°C) | 76°F (25°C) | 2.8" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 20.3 |
| September | 84°F (29°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 69°F (21°C) | 2.4" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 8.5 |
| October | 75°F (24°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 58°F (15°C) | 1.5" | 0.0" | 4.3 | 1.2 |
| November | 63°F (17°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 0.5" | 0.7" | 20.4 | 0.0 |
| December | 55°F (13°C) | 22°F (-6°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 0.7" | 1.1" | 28.2 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Arch works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 93°F by June 27 and hold at or above 90°F on 80 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 132 dates, bottoming at 21°F around January 1.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from June 7 through August 25, covering 80 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs March 25 to October 30.
This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 18, then returns to freezing around November 8, covering 132 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is July 30, when 20% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is January 1 at 6%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 42 wet dates a year.
The widest day
April 2 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 37°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Arch.
Where Arch Stands Nationally
Day-to-night contrast is extreme by national standards — the widest normal daily swing reaches about 37°F, sharper than nine in ten ranked stations see.
Heat is a defining feature of the normals calendar — the normal daily high reaches 90°F on roughly 80 days a year, more than four out of five ranked stations record.
Arch earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 2.5"
2.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.8"
1.9 days with precipitation
2.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
2.2 days with precipitation
4.1 days with precipitation
6.0 days with precipitation
5.2 days with precipitation
5.2 days with precipitation
4.7 days with precipitation
3.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.7"
2.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.1"
2.1 days with precipitation
Arch runs a summer-peaked wet season
44% of Arch's yearly precipitation falls in June, July and August alone, against the 25% an evenly spread year would give those three months. The wettest month is August at 2.8", on a 40.5°F seasonal spread. Warm-season convection and, across the Southwest, the North American monsoon produce this shape: rain arrives in short heavy bursts during the hottest part of the year rather than as long cool-season soaking.
- Wettest three months: August, July, September, taking 47% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: February at 0.4".
- Winter share: 10% falls in December, January and February.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A summer-peaked label means the June-August share reaches 35%; it describes timing across an average year, not any single season, and says nothing about how heavy an individual storm can be.
When it rains in Arch, it arrives in quantity
16.7" of precipitation falls across only about 41 wet days here, averaging 0.41 inches each. Fewer days carry more water: the year's total is delivered in comparatively heavy events rather than persistent damp.
- Days with measurable precipitation
- about 41 a year, 11% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.41 inches
- Most wet days
- June, about 6
- Fewest wet days
- February, about 2
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, and a per-day average is not a forecast of any individual storm.
Snow reaches Arch, but rarely amounts to much
The normals record 5.2 inches of snow a year here, most likely in January. That is a real but marginal amount: enough that snow is part of the local record, not enough to define the winter.
A figure in this range usually reflects a handful of events that melt quickly rather than a season of accumulation; about 2 days a year record any measurable snow at all.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. An average across thirty years can smooth away a single heavy winter, so a small annual figure does not mean a significant snowfall is impossible.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 21
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 23
50% probability date
Growing Season
181 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
4,035
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,361
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside NM closest to Arch on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (58°F here).
- Big Water, UT 58°F · 0.0°F off
- Gate, OK 58°F · 0.0°F off
- Gladeville, TN 58°F · 0.0°F off
- Independence, KS 58°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (16.7" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Newell, SD 16.6" · 0.0" off
- Wildrose, ND 16.6" · 0.0" off
- Bushnell, NE 16.7" · 0.0" off
- Kamas, UT 16.6" · 0.0" off
Data-derived climate profile
How Arch's climate pattern fits together
heating led · dry · mid swing
Arch's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 4,035 annual heating degree days against 1,361 for cooling. Its 40.5°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Arch's frost-free season lasts about 181 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
July and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Arch's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 40.5°F. The annual average is 58°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Arch's cold-season load does not imply a wet climate. Annual precipitation is 16.7 inches, which places the station in PlainClimate's dry range. Annual snowfall totals 5.2 inches. The snowfall and rainfall fields should be read separately rather than inferred from temperature.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Arch's primary station, so the winter figures are a thirty-year average and not a floor: a single hard season can run well below them. Treat each band as a descriptive range for Arch, not an official NOAA class or a year-ahead forecast.
Questions about Arch's climate
How much rain does Arch get? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Arch get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Arch? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Arch's primary station: ARCH (USC00290525). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The conservative exact name-and-state crosswalk finds no Census place match, so PlainClimate treats this as a station-mapped location and does not claim it is a municipality. No exact Gazetteer row for Arch; facility counts that depend on place identity are therefore an upper bound, not a municipal census.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Arch comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.