El Vado Dam, NM Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, plus PlainClimate's derived comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from El Vado Dam's primary NOAA station, EL VADO DAM.
The climate verdict for El Vado Dam
Dryness leads the climate profile for El Vado Dam, New Mexico, with 14.1 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 45°F. At 39/100 (below average) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 4% of scores.
- 45°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 39/100
- comfort score, above 4% of station-mapped location scores
- 14.1"
- annual precipitation · 36" snow
- 97 days
- frost-free growing season
El Vado Dam: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00292837 · El Vado Dam, NM 45°F mean · 14.1" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 45°F
- RANK-COOL #1,235
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Priest Rvr
- PRCP-DRY 14.1"
- SWING-MID 43°F
- COMF-LOW 39/100
- LOAD-HEAT 7,510 HDD
- STN-1 USC00292837
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Priest Rvr Exp Stn, ID (+ 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.
- El Vado Dam (this station) 45°F
- Cold Winchester, ID 45°F
- Hot Brazos Lodge, NM 45°F
- Near Priest Rvr, ID 45°F
- Near Koosharem, UT 45°F
Climate Living Index · El Vado Dam
El Vado Dam: 15/100 · grade F
El Vado Dam publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for El Vado Dam, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 39/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Snowfall burden | 35.7 inches/year | 32/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 14.1 in · 20.9 from 35 in | 25/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 44.7°F · 22.8° from 67.5°F | 19/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 223 calendar days | 4/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 97 days/year | 0/100 · F |
El Vado Dam · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
El Vado Dam is a continental Köppen climate: Dfb
Coldest-month mean 24.2°F and warmest-month mean 66.7°F place this station in continental, no dry season, warm summer climates (Dfb). Class Dfb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfb
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 66.7°F
- Coldest month
- 24.2°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 · heating-led station
Where El Vado Dam sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for El Vado Dam's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 82%
- Among 6,861 stations, El Vado Dam sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 85%
- El Vado Dam's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 46th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How El Vado Dam compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
El Vado Dam's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
39 4th percentile score exceeds 4% 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%). This entry sits in this band.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Above this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
El Vado Dam's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 65 complete annual observations from 1939 to 2024, EL VADO DAM warmed at a fitted rate of 0.11°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- El Vado Dam primary station fitted change +0.11 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40°F (4°C) | 9°F (-13°C) | 24°F (-4°C) | 0.9" | 10.4" | 30.7 | 0.0 |
| February | 43°F (6°C) | 14°F (-10°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 0.9" | 7.3" | 27.5 | 0.0 |
| March | 52°F (11°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 0.8" | 2.2" | 29.1 | 0.0 |
| April | 59°F (15°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 1.1" | 2.2" | 24.5 | 0.0 |
| May | 69°F (21°C) | 33°F (0°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 1.0" | 0.0" | 14.8 | 0.1 |
| June | 80°F (27°C) | 40°F (5°C) | 60°F (16°C) | 0.7" | 0.0" | 3.3 | 3.1 |
| July | 85°F (29°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 67°F (19°C) | 1.8" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 9.2 |
| August | 82°F (28°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 65°F (18°C) | 2.2" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 4.1 |
| September | 76°F (24°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 1.7" | 0.0" | 5.5 | 0.8 |
| October | 64°F (18°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 1.3" | 0.7" | 23.3 | 0.0 |
| November | 51°F (10°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 0.8" | 3.3" | 28.1 | 0.0 |
| December | 40°F (5°C) | 10°F (-12°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 0.9" | 9.6" | 30.7 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 85°F around July 12, short of 90°F on every date, while 223 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 8°F near January 3.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into May 13, then returns to freezing around October 4, covering 223 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 29, when 41% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is June 7 at 17%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 85 wet dates a year.
The widest day
June 12 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 41°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for El Vado Dam.
Where El Vado Dam Stands Nationally
Winters bite deep and often: the normal nightly low dips to freezing or below on around 223 nights a year, placing this among the most frost-prone tenth of ranked stations.
Day-to-night contrast is extreme by national standards — the widest normal daily swing reaches about 41°F, sharper than nine in ten ranked stations see.
El Vado Dam earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 10.4"
6.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 7.3"
6.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.2"
5.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.2"
6.5 days with precipitation
6.6 days with precipitation
4.7 days with precipitation
11.7 days with precipitation
11.4 days with precipitation
7.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.7"
6.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.3"
5.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 9.6"
6.0 days with precipitation
El Vado Dam spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 33% of the annual total and December through February 19%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. El Vado Dam has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 42.5°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: August averages 2.2" and June 0.7". The three wettest months together take 40% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
El Vado Dam is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 84 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 23% of the calendar, and they carry 14.1" between them. At roughly 0.17 inches on an average wet day, this is not the damp drizzle of a marine climate; it is an arid record in which precipitation is both uncommon and light when it appears.
The wettest month by count is July at about 12 wet days; the driest is June at about 5.
A low per-event average in a dry record is a statement about typical days only. Arid regions can still take a large share of a year's total from a single convective storm, which a normal cannot show.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, not the extremes within it.
Winter brings real snow to El Vado Dam
El Vado Dam averages 35.7 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 17 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 35.7 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 17 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 25% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
September 18
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
June 13
50% probability date
Growing Season
97 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
7,510
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
147
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside NM closest to El Vado Dam 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 (45°F here).
- Arlington, SD 45°F · 0.0°F off
- Buena Vista, CO 45°F · 0.0°F off
- Canby, MN 45°F · 0.0°F off
- Evergreen, CO 45°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (14.1" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Levan, UT 14.1" · 0.0" off
- Wheatland, WY 14.1" · 0.0" off
- Brighton, CO 14.1" · 0.0" off
- Missoula, MT 14.1" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define El Vado Dam
heating led · dry · mid swing
El Vado Dam's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 7,510 annual heating degree days against 147 for cooling. Its 42.5°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 97 days are frost-free in a normal year. That short interval is consistent with the cold-season signal, but the measure does not predict the exact first or last freeze in any one year.
-
1. El Vado Dam coldest normal
January
Averaging 24°F (-4°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. El Vado Dam typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. El Vado Dam snow peak
January
El Vado Dam averages 35.7 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about El Vado Dam's climate
How much snow does El Vado Dam get? ▼
How cold does El Vado Dam get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in El Vado Dam? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from El Vado Dam's primary station: EL VADO DAM (USC00292837). 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 El Vado Dam; 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 El Vado Dam 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.