Dark Canyon Road, New Mexico climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Dark Canyon Road's normal year runs from 28°F January nights to 93°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 16.4°C, January lows of −2°C, July highs of 34°C.
- NOAA stationDark Canyon Road
- Station IDUSC00292365
- Location32.28°N 104.51°W
- Elevation3,924 ft (1,196 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Dark Canyon Road is 76°F and the normal low 43°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Dark Canyon Road.
- Jan 58° 28°
- Feb 63° 32°
- Mar 71° 38°
- Apr 79° 44°
- May 86° 54°
- Jun 94° 64°
- Jul 93° 66°
- Aug 91° 64°
- Sep 85° 57°
- Oct 78° 46°
- Nov 67° 35°
- Dec 58° 29°
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 Dark Canyon Road each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 93°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 28°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 58°F | 28°F | 42.7°F | – | <1 | 22 | 10 h 10 min |
| February | 63°F | 32°F | 47.7°F | – | <1 | 17 | 11 h |
| March | 71°F | 38°F | 54.2°F | – | 1 | 8 | 12 h |
| April | 79°F | 44°F | 61.8°F | – | 4 | 3 | 13 h |
| May | 86°F | 54°F | 69.6°F | – | 12 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| June | 94°F | 64°F | 79.3°F | – | 24 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| July | 93°F | 66°F | 79.5°F | – | 21 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| August | 91°F | 64°F | 77.4°F | – | 23 | <1 | 13 h 20 min |
| September | 85°F | 57°F | 71.1°F | – | 9 | <1 | 12 h 20 min |
| October | 78°F | 46°F | 61.6°F | – | 2 | 1 | 11 h 30 min |
| November | 67°F | 35°F | 51.0°F | – | <1 | 12 | 10 h 30 min |
| December | 58°F | 29°F | 43.7°F | – | <1 | 20 | 10 h |
| Year (annual) | 77°F | 46°F | 61.6°F | – | 97 | 83 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14°C | −2°C | 5.9°C |
| February | 17°C | 0°C | 8.7°C |
| March | 21°C | 3°C | 12.3°C |
| April | 26°C | 7°C | 16.6°C |
| May | 30°C | 12°C | 20.9°C |
| June | 35°C | 18°C | 26.3°C |
| July | 34°C | 19°C | 26.4°C |
| August | 33°C | 18°C | 25.2°C |
| September | 30°C | 14°C | 21.7°C |
| October | 25°C | 8°C | 16.4°C |
| November | 20°C | 1°C | 10.6°C |
| December | 15°C | −1°C | 6.5°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Carlsbad Caverns (8 miles away), gets 4 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00292365; 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 Dark Canyon Road?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in March, April, October and November.
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 USC00292365.
When is the last frost at Dark Canyon Road?
In Dark Canyon Road, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 6 in half of years and after April 25 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 1 in half of years and before October 19 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 61 year in 10 after April 25; 9 in 10 after March 20
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 11 year in 10 before October 19; 9 in 10 before November 13
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 206 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 232 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 21 in half of springs and before November 10 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Dark Canyon Road in zone 8a in ZIP code 88220, 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 USC00292365; 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 Dark Canyon Road?
In a normal year in Dark Canyon Road, 97 days a year reach 90°F (19 of them 100°F or more) and 83 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 97a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 19a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 83a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 4high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00292365.
How sunny is it at Dark Canyon Road?
Over a year 88% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Dark Canyon Road, 5.6 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (91%) and December the cloudiest (84%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 86% | 3.6 |
| February | 85% | 4.5 |
| March | 86% | 5.7 |
| April | 90% | 7.1 |
| May | 89% | 7.6 |
| June | 91% | 7.8 |
| July | 88% | 7.2 |
| August | 87% | 6.6 |
| September | 87% | 5.7 |
| October | 88% | 4.8 |
| November | 86% | 3.8 |
| December | 84% | 3.2 |
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 Dark Canyon Road record?
A normal year at Dark Canyon Road brings 2,954 heating degree days, 45% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,746 cooling degree days, 92% 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 5,070 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 691 | 0 |
| February | 484 | 1 |
| March | 344 | 8 |
| April | 147 | 52 |
| May | 42 | 183 |
| June | 0 | 427 |
| July | 0 | 448 |
| August | 1 | 385 |
| September | 14 | 197 |
| October | 147 | 42 |
| November | 423 | 2 |
| December | 660 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 2,954 | 1,746 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00292365. 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 Dark Canyon Road's climate compare?
Dark Canyon Road is warmer than 84 of the 98 places with their own NOAA record in New Mexico. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 61.6°F is warmer than 79%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Dark Canyon Road share this climate record?
Whites City 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.
- Whites City, NM0 people · 11 mi SE
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 Dark Canyon Road's climate
What is the coldest month at Dark Canyon Road?
January, with a normal high of 58°F and a normal low of 28°F. The warmest is July (93°F by day, 66°F at night).
Does it snow at Dark Canyon Road?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Carlsbad Caverns (8 miles away), records 4 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Dark Canyon Road in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Dark Canyon Road in zone 8a in ZIP code 88220, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Dark Canyon Road?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 6; in one year in ten it comes after April 25. Waiting until April 25 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
- Carlsbad, NM16 miles from this station, 63.4°F a year
- Brantley Dam, NM18 miles from this station, 63.1°F a year
- Pine Springs, TX32 miles from this station, 59.4°F a year
- Artesia, NM34 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