Carlsbad Cavern City, 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 Carlsbad Cavern City's primary NOAA station, CARLSBAD CAVERN CITY AP.
The climate verdict for Carlsbad Cavern City
Dryness leads the climate profile for Carlsbad Cavern City, New Mexico, with 12.1 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 63°F. It scores 80/100 for climate comfort (excellent), putting it in the top third of station-mapped location scores and exceeding 76% of them.
- 63°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 80/100
- comfort score, above 76% of station-mapped location scores
- 12.1"
- precipitation, annual total
- 225 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Carlsbad Cavern City: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USW00093033 · Carlsbad Cavern City, NM 63°F mean · 12.1" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-MID · COMF-TOP · LOAD-MIX · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 63°F
- RANK-UPPER #5,763
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Allendale
- PRCP-DRY 12.1"
- SWING-MID 39°F
- COMF-TOP 80/100
- LOAD-MIX H/C balanced
- STN-1 USW00093033
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Allendale, SC (+ 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.
- Carlsbad Cavern… (this station) 63°F
- Hot Cascabel, AZ 63°F
- Near Allendale, SC 63°F
- Near Bankhead L&d, AL 63°F
- Near Canton, MS 63°F
Climate Living Index · Carlsbad Cavern City
Carlsbad Cavern City: 59/100 · grade C
Carlsbad Cavern City publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals · NOAA hourly normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Carlsbad Cavern City, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 80/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Annual temperature balance | 63.4°F · 4.1° from 67.5°F | 88/100 · A |
| Summer moisture balance | 56.3°F mean dew point | 85/100 · A |
| Frost-free season | 225 days/year | 79/100 · B |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 173 calendar days | 30/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 12.1 in · 22.9 from 35 in | 19/100 · F |
Carlsbad Cavern City · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Carlsbad Cavern City's normals sit in a dry climate class: BWk
Annual precipitation falls well below the aridity threshold for this temperature regime, so the normals classify as cold desert (BWk). Class BWk is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: dry (arid or semi-arid), specifically cold desert.
- Köppen code
- BWk
- Group
- Dry (arid or semi-arid)
- Warmest month
- 82.3°F
- Coldest month
- 43.5°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 · balanced station
Where Carlsbad Cavern City sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Carlsbad Cavern City's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Top 16% warmest
- Among 6,861 stations, Carlsbad Cavern City sits in the warmer third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 90%
- Carlsbad Cavern City's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 70%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Carlsbad Cavern City is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Carlsbad Cavern City compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Carlsbad Cavern City's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
80 Top 24% score exceeds 76% 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%). Below this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). This entry sits in this band.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Carlsbad Cavern City's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 63 complete annual observations from 1949 to 2025, CARLSBAD CAVERN CITY AP warmed at a fitted rate of 0.30°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Carlsbad Cavern City primary station fitted change +0.30 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 58°F (15°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 0.4" | 20.6 | 0.0 |
| February | 63°F (17°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 0.4" | 12.8 | 0.0 |
| March | 71°F (22°C) | 40°F (5°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 0.5" | 5.2 | 0.8 |
| April | 80°F (27°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 0.5" | 0.7 | 5.3 |
| May | 88°F (31°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 1.1" | 0.0 | 17.2 |
| June | 96°F (36°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 81°F (27°C) | 1.2" | 0.0 | 26.2 |
| July | 95°F (35°C) | 69°F (21°C) | 82°F (28°C) | 1.8" | 0.0 | 27.2 |
| August | 94°F (34°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 81°F (27°C) | 1.6" | 0.0 | 26.1 |
| September | 87°F (30°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 74°F (23°C) | 2.6" | 0.0 | 14.0 |
| October | 78°F (25°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 0.9" | 0.9 | 4.4 |
| November | 66°F (19°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 0.5" | 8.9 | 0.1 |
| December | 57°F (14°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 44°F (6°C) | 0.5" | 20.2 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Carlsbad Cavern City works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 97°F by June 17 and hold at or above 90°F on 106 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 67 dates, bottoming at 29°F around January 1.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from May 22 through September 4, covering 106 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs March 13 to November 6.
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 February 5, then returns to freezing around December 1, covering 67 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 11, when 20% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is April 10 at 7%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 48 wet dates a year.
The widest day
April 5 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 33°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Carlsbad Cavern City.
Where Carlsbad Cavern City Stands Nationally
Summers here run among the most heat-heavy normals calendars in the country: on about 106 days a year the normal daily high itself reaches 90°F — a count fewer than one station in ten exceeds.
A drier-than-most normal water year — around 12 inches, below what four out of five ranked stations collect.
Carlsbad Cavern City earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall
3.5 days with precipitation
2.5 days with precipitation
2.7 days with precipitation
2.1 days with precipitation
4.1 days with precipitation
4.6 days with precipitation
6.4 days with precipitation
5.9 days with precipitation
5.5 days with precipitation
4.2 days with precipitation
3.2 days with precipitation
3.5 days with precipitation
Carlsbad Cavern City runs a summer-peaked wet season
38% of Carlsbad Cavern City'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 September at 2.6", on a 38.8°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: September, July, August, taking 50% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: January at 0.4".
- Winter share: 11% 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 Carlsbad Cavern City's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 48 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 12.0" 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.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
November 7
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
March 27
50% probability date
Growing Season
225 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
2,756
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
2,194
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Humidity & Wind
Monthly averages from hourly observations
| Month | Humidity | Wind (mph) | Clear Sky % | Overcast % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44% | 8.9 | 65% | 14% |
| February | 35% | 10.3 | 66% | 12% |
| March | 30% | 11.0 | 72% | 9% |
| April | 27% | 10.8 | 71% | 7% |
| May | 33% | 9.7 | 69% | 6% |
| June | 41% | 9.0 | 64% | 5% |
| July | 45% | 7.6 | 59% | 6% |
| August | 48% | 7.5 | 62% | 6% |
| September | 48% | 7.8 | 68% | 8% |
| October | 48% | 8.3 | 69% | 12% |
| November | 45% | 8.3 | 69% | 11% |
| December | 51% | 8.4 | 68% | 14% |
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside NM closest to Carlsbad Cavern City 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 (63°F here).
- Allendale, SC 63°F · 0.0°F off
- Canton, MS 63°F · 0.0°F off
- Emory, TX 63°F · 0.0°F off
- Los Banos, CA 63°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (12.1" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Seligman, AZ 12.1" · 0.0" off
- Long Beach, CA 12.0" · 0.0" off
- Camarillo, CA 12.0" · 0.0" off
- Balmorhea, TX 12.1" · 0.0" off
Scarce-water calendar
Where Carlsbad Cavern City's limited precipitation lands
mixed demand · dry · mid swing
Local precipitation is sparse in this otherwise mixed profile. The station reports 12.1 inches annually, within PlainClimate's dry band. Snowfall is not added to the interpretation because its annual value is missing. The monthly distribution matters because the total alone does not reveal the timing.
July and December mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Carlsbad Cavern City's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 38.8°F. The annual average is 63°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Heating and cooling both register in Carlsbad Cavern City's normal, at 2,756 and 2,194 degree days respectively. Neither total exceeds the other by more than two to one, so the record is better read as a mixed-demand calendar than as heating-led or cooling-led.
A roughly 225-day frost-free season sits inside this mixed heating-and-cooling profile. Start and end dates matter because both sides of the thermostat register during a normal year.
Carlsbad Cavern City wettest normal
September
September concentrates the scarce annual total (12.1 inches).
Carlsbad Cavern City driest normal
January
January is typically driest; arid stations are defined by when water is absent, not by a four-season grid.
Questions about Carlsbad Cavern City's climate
How dry is Carlsbad Cavern City? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Carlsbad Cavern City get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Carlsbad Cavern City? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Carlsbad Cavern City's primary station: CARLSBAD CAVERN CITY AP (USW00093033). 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 Carlsbad Cavern City; 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 Carlsbad Cavern City 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.