Capitan, New Mexico climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Capitan's normal year runs from 24°F December nights to 85°F July afternoons, with 16.6 inches of precipitation and 27 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 12.0°C, December lows of −4°C, July highs of 29°C, 421 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationCapitan
- Station IDUSC00291440
- Location33.53°N 105.59°W
- Elevation6,480 ft (1,975 m)
- Population1,409
On October 12, the normal high in Capitan is 72°F and the normal low 39°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 14%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Capitan.
- Jan 51° 24°
- Feb 55° 27°
- Mar 62° 30°
- Apr 69° 36°
- May 77° 44°
- Jun 87° 51°
- Jul 85° 55°
- Aug 83° 54°
- Sep 78° 48°
- Oct 70° 38°
- Nov 60° 30°
- Dec 50° 24°
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 Capitan each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 85°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 24°F. The most precipitation falls in July (3.62 in), the least in April (0.36 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51°F | 24°F | 37.4°F | 0.65 | 6.1 | 4 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 10 min |
| February | 55°F | 27°F | 40.6°F | 0.51 | 3.6 | 3 | <1 | 23 | 11 h |
| March | 62°F | 30°F | 45.8°F | 0.61 | 5.3 | 3 | <1 | 22 | 12 h |
| April | 69°F | 36°F | 52.5°F | 0.36 | 1.1 | 3 | <1 | 12 | 13 h |
| May | 77°F | 44°F | 60.5°F | 0.98 | 0.1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 13 h 50 min |
| June | 87°F | 51°F | 68.8°F | 1.69 | 0.0 | 5 | 8 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| July | 85°F | 55°F | 69.9°F | 3.62 | 0.0 | 11 | 5 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| August | 83°F | 54°F | 68.3°F | 2.70 | 0.0 | 10 | 2 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 78°F | 48°F | 63.0°F | 2.33 | 0.0 | 7 | <1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 70°F | 38°F | 54.2°F | 1.13 | 1.0 | 4 | <1 | 7 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 60°F | 30°F | 44.7°F | 1.10 | 1.4 | 2 | <1 | 20 | 10 h 30 min |
| December | 50°F | 24°F | 37.0°F | 0.88 | 8.7 | 4 | <1 | 27 | 10 h |
| Year (annual) | 69°F | 38°F | 53.6°F | 16.56 | 27.3 | 60 | 16 | 141 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11°C | −5°C | 3.0°C | 17 mm | 15 cm |
| February | 13°C | −3°C | 4.8°C | 13 mm | 9 cm |
| March | 17°C | −1°C | 7.7°C | 15 mm | 13 cm |
| April | 21°C | 2°C | 11.4°C | 9 mm | 3 cm |
| May | 25°C | 6°C | 15.8°C | 25 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 30°C | 11°C | 20.4°C | 43 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 29°C | 13°C | 21.1°C | 92 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 28°C | 12°C | 20.2°C | 69 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 26°C | 9°C | 17.2°C | 59 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 21°C | 3°C | 12.3°C | 29 mm | 3 cm |
| November | 15°C | −1°C | 7.1°C | 28 mm | 4 cm |
| December | 10°C | −4°C | 2.8°C | 22 mm | 22 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00291440; 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 Capitan?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, July, August, September and October. 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 USC00291440.
When is the last frost in Capitan?
In Capitan, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 3 in half of years and after May 17 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 12 in half of years and before October 1 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
- May 31 year in 10 after May 17; 9 in 10 after April 20
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 121 year in 10 before October 1; 9 in 10 before October 23
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 161 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 182 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 24 in half of springs and before October 24 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Capitan in zone 7a in ZIP code 88323, 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 USC00291440; 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 Capitan?
In a normal year in Capitan, 16 days a year reach 90°F, 141 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 60 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 16a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 141a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 3high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 60a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 10a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00291440.
How sunny is Capitan?
Over a year 86% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Capitan, 5.6 kWh per square metre a day. April is the sunniest month (89%) and July the cloudiest (81%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 86% | 3.5 |
| February | 85% | 4.5 |
| March | 86% | 5.8 |
| April | 89% | 7.1 |
| May | 88% | 7.7 |
| June | 88% | 7.7 |
| July | 81% | 6.8 |
| August | 81% | 6.3 |
| September | 85% | 5.7 |
| October | 88% | 4.8 |
| November | 87% | 3.8 |
| December | 84% | 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 much heating and cooling does Capitan need?
A normal year in Capitan brings 4,600 heating degree days, 14% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 444 cooling degree days, 51% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,819 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 856 | 0 |
| February | 682 | 0 |
| March | 595 | 0 |
| April | 376 | 1 |
| May | 164 | 23 |
| June | 14 | 130 |
| July | 4 | 156 |
| August | 7 | 108 |
| September | 89 | 27 |
| October | 335 | 1 |
| November | 611 | 0 |
| December | 868 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,600 | 444 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00291440. 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 Capitan's climate compare?
Capitan is warmer than 47 of the other 97 places with their own NOAA record in New Mexico, and wetter than 72. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 53.6°F is warmer than 55%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Capitan 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.
Which places near Capitan share this climate record?
Nogal has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Nogal, NM156 people · 7 mi W
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Capitan's climate
What is the coldest month in Capitan?
December, with a normal high of 50°F and a normal low of 24°F. The warmest is July (85°F by day, 55°F at night).
Does it snow in Capitan?
Yes: 27 inches in a normal year, falling on 11 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (8.7 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Capitan?
July, with 3.62 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is April with 0.36 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Capitan in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Capitan in zone 7a in ZIP code 88323, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Capitan?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 3; in one year in ten it comes after May 17. Waiting until May 17 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
- Ruidoso, NM12 miles from this station, 50.1°F a year
- Carrizozo, NM19 miles from this station, 56.2°F a year
- Picacho, NM29 miles from this station, 58.6°F a year
- Cloudcroft, NM40 miles from this station, 45.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made