Fence Lake, New Mexico climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Fence Lake's normal year runs from 16°F December nights to 86°F July afternoons, with 12.6 inches of precipitation and 23 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.6°C, December lows of −9°C, July highs of 30°C, 320 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationFence Lake
- Station IDUSC00293180
- Location34.65°N 108.68°W
- Elevation7,065 ft (2,153 m)
- Population (census place)0
On October 23, the normal high in Fence Lake is 65°F and the normal low 29°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 18%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Fence Lake.
- Jan 46° 16°
- Feb 51° 20°
- Mar 58° 24°
- Apr 66° 28°
- May 76° 35°
- Jun 85° 44°
- Jul 86° 52°
- Aug 83° 51°
- Sep 79° 44°
- Oct 68° 32°
- Nov 56° 21°
- Dec 46° 16°
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 Fence Lake each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 86°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 16°F. The most precipitation falls in August (2.44 in), the least in May (0.43 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46°F | 16°F | 30.9°F | 0.87 | 6.4 | 6 | <1 | 30 | 10 h |
| February | 51°F | 20°F | 35.1°F | 0.71 | 2.7 | 5 | <1 | 27 | 11 h |
| March | 58°F | 24°F | 41.2°F | 0.75 | 4.5 | 6 | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 66°F | 28°F | 47.0°F | 0.45 | 0.9 | 4 | <1 | 23 | 13 h |
| May | 76°F | 35°F | 55.3°F | 0.43 | 0.0 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 14 h |
| June | 85°F | 44°F | 64.4°F | 0.45 | 0.0 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 86°F | 52°F | 69.1°F | 2.12 | 0.0 | 10 | 11 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 83°F | 51°F | 67.1°F | 2.44 | 0.0 | 14 | 4 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 79°F | 44°F | 61.4°F | 1.73 | 0.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 68°F | 32°F | 50.0°F | 1.09 | 1.6 | 6 | <1 | 16 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 56°F | 21°F | 38.4°F | 0.79 | 2.5 | 4 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 46°F | 16°F | 30.8°F | 0.76 | 4.7 | 5 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 67°F | 32°F | 49.2°F | 12.59 | 23.3 | 71 | 24 | 192 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8°C | −9°C | −0.6°C | 22 mm | 16 cm |
| February | 10°C | −7°C | 1.7°C | 18 mm | 7 cm |
| March | 15°C | −4°C | 5.1°C | 19 mm | 11 cm |
| April | 19°C | −2°C | 8.3°C | 11 mm | 2 cm |
| May | 24°C | 2°C | 12.9°C | 11 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 29°C | 7°C | 18.0°C | 11 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 30°C | 11°C | 20.6°C | 54 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 28°C | 11°C | 19.5°C | 62 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 26°C | 7°C | 16.3°C | 44 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 20°C | 0°C | 10.0°C | 28 mm | 4 cm |
| November | 13°C | −6°C | 3.6°C | 20 mm | 6 cm |
| December | 8°C | −9°C | −0.7°C | 19 mm | 12 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00293180; 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 Fence Lake?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, August, September and October. Of those, June has the fewest days with rain (3).
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 USC00293180.
When is the last frost in Fence Lake?
In Fence Lake, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 31 in half of years and after June 15 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 1 in half of years and before September 18 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
- May 311 year in 10 after June 15; 9 in 10 after May 15
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 11 year in 10 before September 18; 9 in 10 before October 13
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 122 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 144 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 17 in half of springs and before October 10 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Fence Lake in zone 6a in ZIP code 87315, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Fence Lake's NOAA station is in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −9°F (16 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in New Mexico · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00293180; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. 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 Fence Lake?
In a normal year in Fence Lake, 24 days a year reach 90°F, 192 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 71 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 24a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 192a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 4high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 71a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 8a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1933) is 101°F, on July 28, 1995; the lowest is −40°F, on January 6, 1971.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1982, with 18.93 in; the snowiest season is 1972–73, with 97.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00293180; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00293180. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Fence Lake?
Over a year 84% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Fence Lake, 5.5 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (89%) and July the cloudiest (78%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 82% | 3.3 |
| February | 81% | 4.2 |
| March | 85% | 5.7 |
| April | 87% | 7.0 |
| May | 88% | 7.8 |
| June | 89% | 8.0 |
| July | 78% | 6.7 |
| August | 80% | 6.3 |
| September | 84% | 5.7 |
| October | 88% | 4.8 |
| November | 86% | 3.6 |
| December | 80% | 2.9 |
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 Fence Lake need?
A normal year in Fence Lake brings 6,012 heating degree days, 12% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 283 cooling degree days, 69% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,207 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,057 | 0 |
| February | 837 | 0 |
| March | 738 | 0 |
| April | 540 | 0 |
| May | 304 | 4 |
| June | 70 | 51 |
| July | 6 | 133 |
| August | 16 | 80 |
| September | 123 | 16 |
| October | 464 | 0 |
| November | 798 | 0 |
| December | 1,059 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,012 | 283 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00293180. 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 Fence Lake's climate compare?
Fence Lake is warmer than 17 of the other 97 places with their own NOAA record in New Mexico, and wetter than 42. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 49.2°F is warmer than 37%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Fence Lake 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 Fence Lake's climate
What is the coldest month in Fence Lake?
December, with a normal high of 46°F and a normal low of 16°F. The warmest is July (86°F by day, 52°F at night).
Does it snow in Fence Lake?
Yes: 23 inches in a normal year, falling on 10 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (6.4 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Fence Lake?
August, with 2.44 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is May with 0.43 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Fence Lake in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Fence Lake in zone 6a in ZIP code 87315, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Fence Lake's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −9°F (16 years, 1991-2020): zone 6a.
How late can frost come in Fence Lake?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 31; in one year in ten it comes after June 15. Waiting until June 15 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
- Quemado, NM24 miles from this station, 48.5°F a year
- Zuni, NM30 miles from this station, 51.2°F a year
- El Morro National Mon, NM32 miles from this station, 47.7°F a year
- St. Johns, AZ41 miles from this station, 54.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made