Caprock, New Mexico climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Caprock's normal year runs from 24°F January nights to 93°F July afternoons, with 15.0 inches of precipitation and 8 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 14.9°C, January lows of −4°C, July highs of 34°C, 382 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationCaprock
- Station IDUSC00291445
- Location33.34°N 103.68°W
- Elevation4,350 ft (1,326 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Caprock is 73°F and the normal low 41°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 9%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Caprock.
- Jan 54° 24°
- Feb 59° 28°
- Mar 66° 35°
- Apr 75° 41°
- May 83° 51°
- Jun 92° 61°
- Jul 93° 63°
- Aug 91° 63°
- Sep 84° 55°
- Oct 75° 44°
- Nov 63° 32°
- Dec 55° 25°
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 Caprock each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 93°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 24°F. The most precipitation falls in July (2.66 in), the least in February (0.47 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54°F | 24°F | 39.0°F | 0.59 | 1.1 | 2 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 10 min |
| February | 59°F | 28°F | 43.5°F | 0.47 | 1.4 | 2 | <1 | 21 | 11 h |
| March | 66°F | 35°F | 50.5°F | 0.68 | 0.1 | 2 | <1 | 13 | 12 h |
| April | 75°F | 41°F | 57.9°F | 0.62 | 0.0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 13 h |
| May | 83°F | 51°F | 67.0°F | 1.00 | 0.0 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 13 h 50 min |
| June | 92°F | 61°F | 76.5°F | 1.44 | 0.0 | 4 | 22 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| July | 93°F | 63°F | 78.0°F | 2.66 | 0.0 | 6 | 21 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| August | 91°F | 63°F | 76.8°F | 2.21 | 0.0 | 5 | 22 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 84°F | 55°F | 69.6°F | 2.29 | 0.0 | 6 | 9 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 75°F | 44°F | 59.8°F | 1.45 | 0.3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 63°F | 32°F | 47.6°F | 0.81 | 1.2 | 2 | <1 | 14 | 10 h 30 min |
| December | 55°F | 25°F | 39.9°F | 0.81 | 3.8 | 2 | <1 | 26 | 10 h |
| Year (annual) | 74°F | 44°F | 58.8°F | 15.03 | 7.9 | 37 | 87 | 109 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 12°C | −4°C | 3.9°C | 15 mm | 3 cm |
| February | 15°C | −2°C | 6.4°C | 12 mm | 4 cm |
| March | 19°C | 1°C | 10.3°C | 17 mm | 0 cm |
| April | 24°C | 5°C | 14.4°C | 16 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 29°C | 10°C | 19.4°C | 25 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 33°C | 16°C | 24.7°C | 37 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 34°C | 17°C | 25.6°C | 68 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 33°C | 17°C | 24.9°C | 56 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 29°C | 13°C | 20.9°C | 58 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 24°C | 7°C | 15.4°C | 37 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 17°C | 0°C | 8.7°C | 21 mm | 3 cm |
| December | 13°C | −4°C | 4.4°C | 21 mm | 10 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00291445; 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 Caprock?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in March, April, May, September and October. Of those, April has the fewest days with rain (2).
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 USC00291445.
When is the last frost at Caprock?
In Caprock, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 14 in half of years and after April 30 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 28 in half of years and before October 16 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 141 year in 10 after April 30; 9 in 10 after April 1
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 281 year in 10 before October 16; 9 in 10 before November 10
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 195 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 215 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 2 in half of springs and before November 6 in half of autumns.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in New Mexico · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00291445. 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 Caprock?
In a normal year in Caprock, 87 days a year reach 90°F (15 of them 100°F or more), 109 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 37 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 87a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 15a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 109a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 6high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 37a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 3a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00291445.
How sunny is it at Caprock?
Over a year 87% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Caprock, 5.6 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (92%) and December the cloudiest (84%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 86% | 3.5 |
| February | 84% | 4.4 |
| March | 85% | 5.6 |
| April | 88% | 7.0 |
| May | 88% | 7.5 |
| June | 92% | 7.9 |
| July | 89% | 7.4 |
| August | 88% | 6.7 |
| September | 86% | 5.7 |
| October | 87% | 4.7 |
| November | 86% | 3.7 |
| 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 many heating and cooling degree days does Caprock record?
A normal year at Caprock brings 3,694 heating degree days, 31% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,476 cooling degree days, 63% 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 4,445 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 807 | 0 |
| February | 602 | 0 |
| March | 453 | 2 |
| April | 233 | 19 |
| May | 74 | 136 |
| June | 1 | 347 |
| July | 0 | 402 |
| August | 1 | 367 |
| September | 28 | 168 |
| October | 196 | 35 |
| November | 521 | 1 |
| December | 776 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 3,694 | 1,476 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00291445. 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.
Have recent years at Caprock been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 59.8°F, 1.0°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 58.8°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 60.1°F | +1.3°F | 15.42 | 5.5 |
| 2022 | 60.2°F | +1.4°F | 11.42 | 9.8 |
| 2023 | 61.0°F | +2.2°F | 10.04 | 2.6 |
| 2024 | 60.7°F | +1.9°F | 12.55 | 0.3 |
| 2025 | 59.8°F | +1.0°F | 18.91 | 7.0 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00291445. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Caprock's climate compare?
Caprock is warmer than 70 of the 98 places with their own NOAA record in New Mexico, and wetter than 58. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 58.8°F is warmer than 71%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Caprock 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 Caprock's climate
What is the coldest month at Caprock?
January, with a normal high of 54°F and a normal low of 24°F. The warmest is July (93°F by day, 63°F at night).
Does it snow at Caprock?
Yes: 8 inches in a normal year, falling on 4 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (3.8 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Caprock?
July, with 2.66 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.47 in.
How late can frost come at Caprock?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 14; in one year in ten it comes after April 30. Waiting until April 30 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
- Tatum, NM20 miles from this station, 58.6°F a year
- Elida, NM41 miles from this station, 59.0°F a year
- Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge, NM43 miles from this station, 59.4°F a year
- Roswell, NM48 miles from this station, 63.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made