Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge's normal year runs from 21°F December nights to 96°F July afternoons, with 13.3 inches of precipitation and 4 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 15.2°C, December lows of −6°C, July highs of 35°C, 337 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge
- Station IDUSC00290992
- Location33.46°N 104.40°W
- Elevation3,664 ft (1,117 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge is 75°F and the normal low 38°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 16%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge.
- Jan 57° 21°
- Feb 62° 26°
- Mar 70° 32°
- Apr 78° 41°
- May 87° 50°
- Jun 95° 60°
- Jul 96° 64°
- Aug 94° 63°
- Sep 87° 55°
- Oct 77° 42°
- Nov 65° 29°
- Dec 56° 21°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 96°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 21°F. The most precipitation falls in July (2.33 in), the least in January (0.32 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 57°F | 21°F | 38.9°F | 0.32 | 1.2 | 3 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 10 min |
| February | 62°F | 26°F | 43.7°F | 0.36 | 0.4 | 3 | <1 | 23 | 11 h |
| March | 70°F | 32°F | 51.4°F | 0.59 | 0.0 | 3 | <1 | 16 | 12 h |
| April | 78°F | 41°F | 59.5°F | 0.62 | 0.0 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 13 h |
| May | 87°F | 50°F | 68.3°F | 1.49 | 0.0 | 4 | 15 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| June | 95°F | 60°F | 77.5°F | 1.44 | 0.0 | 5 | 25 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| July | 96°F | 64°F | 80.0°F | 2.33 | 0.0 | 6 | 27 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| August | 94°F | 63°F | 78.3°F | 1.70 | 0.0 | 6 | 26 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 87°F | 55°F | 70.8°F | 1.84 | 0.0 | 6 | 14 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 77°F | 42°F | 59.3°F | 1.52 | 0.4 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 65°F | 29°F | 47.0°F | 0.51 | 0.6 | 3 | <1 | 21 | 10 h 30 min |
| December | 56°F | 21°F | 38.7°F | 0.54 | 1.0 | 4 | <1 | 28 | 10 h |
| Year (annual) | 77°F | 42°F | 59.4°F | 13.26 | 3.6 | 53 | 114 | 126 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14°C | −6°C | 3.8°C | 8 mm | 3 cm |
| February | 17°C | −4°C | 6.5°C | 9 mm | 1 cm |
| March | 21°C | 0°C | 10.8°C | 15 mm | 0 cm |
| April | 26°C | 5°C | 15.3°C | 16 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 30°C | 10°C | 20.2°C | 38 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 35°C | 15°C | 25.3°C | 37 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 35°C | 18°C | 26.7°C | 59 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 34°C | 17°C | 25.7°C | 43 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 31°C | 13°C | 21.6°C | 47 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 25°C | 5°C | 15.2°C | 39 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 18°C | −2°C | 8.3°C | 13 mm | 2 cm |
| December | 14°C | −6°C | 3.7°C | 14 mm | 3 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00290992; 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.
Which months are mildest at Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in March, April, October and November. Of those, April 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 USC00290992.
When is the last frost at Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge?
In Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 20 in half of years and after May 3 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 20 in half of years and before October 5 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
- April 201 year in 10 after May 3; 9 in 10 after April 5
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 201 year in 10 before October 5; 9 in 10 before November 1
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 181 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 202 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 9 in half of springs and before October 29 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge in zone 7b in ZIP code 88201, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in New Mexico · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00290992; 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 at Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge?
In a normal year in Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge, 114 days a year reach 90°F (30 of them 100°F or more), 126 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 53 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 114a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 30a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 126a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 2high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 53a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 1a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1950) is 114°F, on June 28, 1994; the lowest is −22°F, on January 11, 1962.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2007, with 23.85 in; the snowiest season is 1987–88, with 29.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00290992; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00290992. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge?
Over a year 87% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge, 5.6 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (90%) and December the cloudiest (83%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 86% | 3.5 |
| February | 85% | 4.4 |
| March | 85% | 5.7 |
| April | 89% | 7.0 |
| May | 88% | 7.5 |
| June | 90% | 7.8 |
| July | 88% | 7.3 |
| August | 87% | 6.6 |
| September | 87% | 5.7 |
| October | 87% | 4.7 |
| November | 86% | 3.6 |
| December | 83% | 3.1 |
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 many heating and cooling degree days does Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge record?
A normal year at Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge brings 3,659 heating degree days, 32% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,659 cooling degree days, 83% more than 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 4,656 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 811 | 0 |
| February | 595 | 0 |
| March | 426 | 3 |
| April | 193 | 26 |
| May | 50 | 154 |
| June | 1 | 375 |
| July | 0 | 465 |
| August | 0 | 411 |
| September | 22 | 196 |
| October | 203 | 28 |
| November | 543 | 1 |
| December | 815 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 3,659 | 1,659 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00290992. 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 Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge's climate compare?
Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge is warmer than 75 of the 98 places with their own NOAA record in New Mexico, and wetter than 49. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 59.4°F is warmer than 73%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge is BSk: cold semi-arid steppe. 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 Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge's climate
What is the coldest month at Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge?
December, with a normal high of 56°F and a normal low of 21°F. The warmest is July (96°F by day, 64°F at night).
Does it snow at Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge?
Yes: 4 inches in a normal year, falling on 2 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (1.2 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge?
July, with 2.33 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.32 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge in zone 7b in ZIP code 88201, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 20; in one year in ten it comes after May 3. Waiting until May 3 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- New Mexico climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Roswell, NM12 miles from this station, 63.2°F a year
- Caprock, NM43 miles from this station, 58.8°F a year
- Picacho, NM43 miles from this station, 58.6°F a year
- Artesia, NM48 miles from this station, 60.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made