Carrizozo, New Mexico climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Carrizozo's normal year runs from 23°F December nights to 90°F July afternoons, with 13.3 inches of precipitation and 7 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 13.4°C, December lows of −5°C, July highs of 32°C, 339 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationCarrizozo (1 mi SW)
- Station IDUSC00291515
- Location33.63°N 105.90°W
- Elevation5,405 ft (1,647 m)
- Population968
On October 23, the normal high in Carrizozo is 70°F and the normal low 38°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 10%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Carrizozo.
- Jan 52° 23°
- Feb 58° 26°
- Mar 65° 32°
- Apr 73° 38°
- May 82° 47°
- Jun 91° 55°
- Jul 90° 60°
- Aug 88° 58°
- Sep 83° 52°
- Oct 73° 41°
- Nov 60° 29°
- Dec 51° 23°
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 Carrizozo each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 90°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 23°F. The most precipitation falls in July (2.87 in), the least in April (0.45 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 52°F | 23°F | 37.2°F | 0.84 | 2.1 | 3 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 10 min |
| February | 58°F | 26°F | 42.0°F | 0.64 | 0.8 | 3 | <1 | 22 | 11 h |
| March | 65°F | 32°F | 48.3°F | 0.58 | 1.0 | 3 | <1 | 18 | 12 h |
| April | 73°F | 38°F | 55.8°F | 0.45 | 0.0 | 2 | <1 | 8 | 13 h |
| May | 82°F | 47°F | 64.5°F | 0.51 | 0.0 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 13 h 50 min |
| June | 91°F | 55°F | 73.2°F | 0.91 | 0.0 | 4 | 19 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| July | 90°F | 60°F | 75.0°F | 2.87 | 0.0 | 7 | 20 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| August | 88°F | 58°F | 73.2°F | 2.19 | 0.0 | 7 | 15 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 83°F | 52°F | 67.7°F | 1.64 | 0.0 | 4 | 4 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 73°F | 41°F | 56.7°F | 1.29 | 0.3 | 3 | <1 | 5 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 60°F | 29°F | 44.2°F | 0.47 | 0.3 | 2 | <1 | 21 | 10 h 30 min |
| December | 51°F | 23°F | 36.7°F | 0.96 | 2.5 | 3 | <1 | 27 | 10 h |
| Year (annual) | 72°F | 40°F | 56.2°F | 13.35 | 7.0 | 44 | 64 | 130 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11°C | −5°C | 2.9°C | 21 mm | 5 cm |
| February | 14°C | −3°C | 5.6°C | 16 mm | 2 cm |
| March | 18°C | 0°C | 9.1°C | 15 mm | 3 cm |
| April | 23°C | 4°C | 13.2°C | 11 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 28°C | 8°C | 18.1°C | 13 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 33°C | 13°C | 22.9°C | 23 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 32°C | 16°C | 23.9°C | 73 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 31°C | 15°C | 22.9°C | 56 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 28°C | 11°C | 19.8°C | 42 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 23°C | 5°C | 13.7°C | 33 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 15°C | −2°C | 6.8°C | 12 mm | 1 cm |
| December | 11°C | −5°C | 2.6°C | 24 mm | 6 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00291515; 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 Carrizozo?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in 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 USC00291515.
When is the last frost in Carrizozo?
In Carrizozo, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 27 in half of years and after May 8 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 20 in half of years and before October 7 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 271 year in 10 after May 8; 9 in 10 after April 11
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 201 year in 10 before October 7; 9 in 10 before November 2
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 175 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 196 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 14 in half of springs and before October 30 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Carrizozo in zone 7a in ZIP code 88301, 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 USC00291515; 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 Carrizozo?
In a normal year in Carrizozo, 64 days a year reach 90°F (3 of them 100°F or more), 130 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 44 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 64a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 130a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 1high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 44a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 3a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1908) is 110°F, on July 1, 1930; the lowest is −18°F, on January 5, 1971.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1941, with 28.12 in; the snowiest season is 2006–07, with 26.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00291515; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00291515. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Carrizozo?
Over a year 86% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Carrizozo, 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 Carrizozo need?
A normal year in Carrizozo brings 4,181 heating degree days, 22% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,000 cooling degree days, 10% 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 3,692 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 860 | 0 |
| February | 645 | 0 |
| March | 518 | 0 |
| April | 279 | 4 |
| May | 80 | 64 |
| June | 2 | 250 |
| July | 0 | 310 |
| August | 2 | 255 |
| September | 30 | 111 |
| October | 266 | 7 |
| November | 623 | 0 |
| December | 877 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,181 | 1,000 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00291515. 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 Carrizozo's climate compare?
Carrizozo is warmer than 58 of the other 97 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 56.2°F is warmer than 64%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Carrizozo 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 Carrizozo's climate
What is the coldest month in Carrizozo?
December, with a normal high of 51°F and a normal low of 23°F. The warmest is July (90°F by day, 60°F at night).
Does it snow in Carrizozo?
Yes: 7 inches in a normal year, falling on 4 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (2.5 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Carrizozo?
July, with 2.87 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is April with 0.45 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Carrizozo in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Carrizozo in zone 7a in ZIP code 88301, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Carrizozo?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 27; in one year in ten it comes after May 8. Waiting until May 8 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
- Capitan, NM19 miles from this station, 53.6°F a year
- Ruidoso, NM22 miles from this station, 50.1°F a year
- Bingham (2 mi NE), NM32 miles from this station, 56.8°F a year
- Corona (10 mi SW), NM37 miles from this station, 53.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made