Bitter Lakes WL Refuge, 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 Bitter Lakes WL Refuge's primary NOAA station, BITTER LAKES WL REFUGE.
The climate verdict for Bitter Lakes WL Refuge
Dryness leads the climate profile for Bitter Lakes WL Refuge, New Mexico, with 13.3 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 59°F. Its climate comfort score of 73/100 (good) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 66% of station-mapped location scores.
- 59°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 73/100
- comfort score, above 66% of station-mapped location scores
- 13.3"
- annual precipitation · 4" snow
- 183 days
- frost-free growing season
Bitter Lakes WL Refuge: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00290992 · Bitter Lakes WL Refuge, NM 59°F mean · 13.3" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-MID · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 59°F
- RANK-UPPER #5,009
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Alamo
- PRCP-DRY 13.3"
- SWING-MID 41°F
- COMF-MID 73/100
- LOAD-HEAT 3,659 HDD
- STN-1 USC00290992
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Alamo, TN (+ 0.1 °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.
- Hot Glasgow, KY 60°F
- Near Alamo, TN 60°F
- Near Bristow, OK 60°F
- Bitter Lakes WL… (this station) 59°F
- Cold Big Sandy, TN 59°F
Climate Living Index · Bitter Lakes WL Refuge
Bitter Lakes WL Refuge: 41/100 · grade D
Bitter Lakes WL Refuge publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Bitter Lakes WL Refuge, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 73/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Annual temperature balance | 59.4°F · 8.1° from 67.5°F | 74/100 · B |
| Snowfall burden | 3.6 inches/year | 73/100 · B |
| Frost-free season | 183 days/year | 52/100 · D |
| Precipitation balance | 13.3 in · 21.7 from 35 in | 22/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 232 calendar days | 1/100 · F |
Bitter Lakes WL Refuge · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Bitter Lakes WL Refuge'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
- 80.0°F
- Coldest month
- 38.7°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 Bitter Lakes WL Refuge sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Bitter Lakes WL Refuge's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Top 27% warmest
- Among 6,861 stations, Bitter Lakes WL Refuge sits in the warmer third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 87%
- Bitter Lakes WL Refuge's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 41st percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Bitter Lakes WL Refuge compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Bitter Lakes WL Refuge's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
73 Top 34% score exceeds 66% 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%). Below this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). This entry sits in this band.
- 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 | 57°F (14°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 0.3" | 1.2" | 28.3 | 0.0 |
| February | 62°F (17°C) | 26°F (-4°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 0.4" | 0.4" | 22.5 | 0.0 |
| March | 70°F (21°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 0.6" | 0.0" | 15.9 | 0.4 |
| April | 78°F (26°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 60°F (15°C) | 0.6" | 0.0" | 5.0 | 3.5 |
| May | 87°F (30°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 1.5" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 14.5 |
| June | 95°F (35°C) | 60°F (15°C) | 78°F (25°C) | 1.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 24.7 |
| July | 96°F (35°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 80°F (27°C) | 2.3" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 27.3 |
| August | 94°F (34°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 78°F (26°C) | 1.7" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 26.0 |
| September | 87°F (31°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 1.8" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 14.2 |
| October | 77°F (25°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 1.5" | 0.4" | 5.1 | 3.4 |
| November | 65°F (18°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 0.5" | 0.6" | 20.5 | 0.0 |
| December | 56°F (14°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 0.5" | 1.0" | 28.0 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Bitter Lakes WL Refuge works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 96°F by June 23 and hold at or above 90°F on 103 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 129 dates, bottoming at 20°F around December 26.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from May 26 through September 5, covering 103 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs March 15 to November 3.
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 14, then returns to freezing around November 7, covering 129 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 August 2, when 22% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is April 15 at 9%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 53 wet dates a year.
The widest day
March 28 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 38°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Bitter Lakes WL Refuge.
Where Bitter Lakes WL Refuge Stands Nationally
Summers here run among the most heat-heavy normals calendars in the country: on about 103 days a year the normal daily high itself reaches 90°F — a count fewer than one station in ten exceeds.
Day-to-night contrast is extreme by national standards — the widest normal daily swing reaches about 38°F, sharper than nine in ten ranked stations see.
Bitter Lakes WL Refuge 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: 1.2"
3.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.4"
2.9 days with precipitation
3.4 days with precipitation
2.6 days with precipitation
4.3 days with precipitation
5.3 days with precipitation
5.9 days with precipitation
6.4 days with precipitation
6.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.4"
5.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.6"
3.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.0"
3.7 days with precipitation
Bitter Lakes WL Refuge runs a summer-peaked wet season
41% of Bitter Lakes WL Refuge'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 July at 2.3", on a 41.3°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: July, September, August, taking 44% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: January at 0.3".
- Winter share: 9% 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.
How Bitter Lakes WL Refuge's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 53 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 13.3" between them, or roughly 0.25 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Snow reaches Bitter Lakes WL Refuge, but rarely amounts to much
The normals record 3.6 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 20
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 20
50% probability date
Growing Season
183 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
3,659
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,659
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside NM closest to Bitter Lakes WL Refuge 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 (59°F here).
- Levelland, TX 59°F · 0.0°F off
- Morton, TX 59°F · 0.0°F off
- Red Rock, OK 59°F · 0.0°F off
- Redwood City, CA 59°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (13.3" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Tonsina, AK 13.3" · 0.0" off
- Big Sandy, MT 13.3" · 0.0" off
- Emmett, ID 13.3" · 0.0" off
- Huntington, OR 13.2" · 0.0" off
Scarce-water calendar
Where Bitter Lakes WL Refuge's limited precipitation lands
heating led · dry · mid swing
Bitter Lakes WL Refuge's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 3,659 annual heating degree days against 1,659 for cooling. Its 41.3°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Bitter Lakes WL Refuge's frost-free season lasts about 183 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
July and December mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Bitter Lakes WL Refuge's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 41.3°F. The annual average is 59°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Bitter Lakes WL Refuge's cold-season load does not imply a wet climate. Annual precipitation is 13.3 inches, which places the station in PlainClimate's dry range. Annual snowfall totals 3.6 inches. The snowfall and rainfall fields should be read separately rather than inferred from temperature.
Bitter Lakes WL Refuge wettest normal
July
July concentrates the scarce annual total (13.3 inches).
Bitter Lakes WL Refuge driest normal
January
January is typically driest; arid stations are defined by when water is absent, not by a four-season grid.
Questions about Bitter Lakes WL Refuge's climate
How dry is Bitter Lakes WL Refuge? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Bitter Lakes WL Refuge get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Bitter Lakes WL Refuge? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Bitter Lakes WL Refuge's primary station: BITTER LAKES WL REFUGE (USC00290992). 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 Bitter Lakes WL Refuge; 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 Bitter Lakes WL Refuge 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.