Fort Sumner (5 mi S), New Mexico climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Fort Sumner (5 mi S)'s normal year runs from 23°F December nights to 95°F July afternoons, with 14.6 inches of precipitation and 12 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 15.2°C, December lows of −5°C, July highs of 35°C, 370 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationFort Sumner (5 mi S)
- Station IDUSC00293296
- Location34.39°N 104.25°W
- Elevation4,050 ft (1,234 m)
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Fort Sumner (5 mi S).
- Jan 56° 23°
- Feb 60° 27°
- Mar 70° 34°
- Apr 78° 40°
- May 86° 50°
- Jun 95° 60°
- Jul 95° 65°
- Aug 93° 63°
- Sep 87° 55°
- Oct 76° 43°
- Nov 63° 28°
- Dec 55° 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 at Fort Sumner (5 mi S) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 95°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 23°F. The most precipitation falls in August (2.64 in), the least in February (0.33 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56°F | 23°F | 39.2°F | 0.38 | 3.1 | 2 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 10 min |
| February | 60°F | 27°F | 43.4°F | 0.33 | 2.1 | 2 | <1 | 23 | 11 h |
| March | 70°F | 34°F | 51.7°F | 0.68 | 0.8 | 2 | <1 | 14 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 78°F | 40°F | 58.9°F | 0.80 | 0.5 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 13 h |
| May | 86°F | 50°F | 68.1°F | 1.07 | 0.0 | 4 | 12 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 95°F | 60°F | 77.6°F | 1.38 | 0.0 | 5 | 26 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 95°F | 65°F | 80.0°F | 2.62 | 0.0 | 7 | 27 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 93°F | 63°F | 77.9°F | 2.64 | 0.0 | 7 | 25 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 87°F | 55°F | 70.8°F | 1.81 | 0.0 | 5 | 12 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 76°F | 43°F | 59.3°F | 1.84 | 0.4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 63°F | 28°F | 45.6°F | 0.50 | 1.3 | 2 | <1 | 20 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 55°F | 23°F | 39.1°F | 0.50 | 3.6 | 3 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 76°F | 43°F | 59.3°F | 14.55 | 11.8 | 45 | 106 | 120 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13°C | −5°C | 4.0°C | 10 mm | 8 cm |
| February | 16°C | −3°C | 6.3°C | 8 mm | 5 cm |
| March | 21°C | 1°C | 10.9°C | 17 mm | 2 cm |
| April | 25°C | 5°C | 14.9°C | 20 mm | 1 cm |
| May | 30°C | 10°C | 20.1°C | 27 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 35°C | 16°C | 25.3°C | 35 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 35°C | 18°C | 26.7°C | 67 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 34°C | 17°C | 25.5°C | 67 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 30°C | 13°C | 21.6°C | 46 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 24°C | 6°C | 15.2°C | 47 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 17°C | −2°C | 7.6°C | 13 mm | 3 cm |
| December | 13°C | −5°C | 3.9°C | 13 mm | 9 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00293296; 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 Fort Sumner (5 mi S)?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in March, April and October. Of those, March 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 USC00293296.
When is the last frost at Fort Sumner (5 mi S)?
In Fort Sumner (5 mi S), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 18 in half of years and after May 1 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 26 in half of years and before October 14 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 181 year in 10 after May 1; 9 in 10 after April 1
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 261 year in 10 before October 14; 9 in 10 before November 6
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 190 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 211 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 3 in half of springs and before November 3 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Fort Sumner (5 mi S) in zone 7a in ZIP code 88119, 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 USC00293296; 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 Fort Sumner (5 mi S)?
In a normal year in Fort Sumner (5 mi S), 106 days a year reach 90°F (23 of them 100°F or more), 120 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 45 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 106a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 23a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 120a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 3high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 45a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 4a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00293296.
How sunny is it at Fort Sumner (5 mi S)?
Over a year 87% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Fort Sumner (5 mi S), 5.6 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (90%) and December the cloudiest (84%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 86% | 3.4 |
| February | 84% | 4.3 |
| March | 85% | 5.6 |
| April | 87% | 6.9 |
| May | 87% | 7.6 |
| June | 90% | 7.9 |
| July | 88% | 7.4 |
| August | 87% | 6.7 |
| September | 87% | 5.8 |
| October | 86% | 4.6 |
| November | 86% | 3.6 |
| December | 84% | 3.0 |
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 Fort Sumner (5 mi S) record?
A normal year at Fort Sumner (5 mi S) brings 3,661 heating degree days, 32% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,620 cooling degree days, 79% 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 4,607 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 798 | 0 |
| February | 605 | 0 |
| March | 413 | 1 |
| April | 201 | 20 |
| May | 45 | 143 |
| June | 0 | 376 |
| July | 0 | 465 |
| August | 0 | 400 |
| September | 14 | 189 |
| October | 204 | 27 |
| November | 580 | 0 |
| December | 801 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 3,661 | 1,620 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00293296. 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.
Have recent years at Fort Sumner (5 mi S) been warmer than normal?
2023 averaged 58.7°F, 0.6°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 59.3°F. 0 of the 3 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 57.9°F | −1.4°F | 11.00 | 0.4 |
| 2022 | 57.2°F | −2.1°F | 11.10 | 1.9 |
| 2023 | 58.7°F | −0.6°F | 10.00 | – |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00293296. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Fort Sumner (5 mi S)'s climate compare?
Fort Sumner (5 mi S) is warmer than 75 of the 98 places with their own NOAA record in New Mexico, and wetter than 56. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 59.3°F is warmer than 73%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Fort Sumner (5 mi S) 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 Fort Sumner (5 mi S)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Fort Sumner (5 mi S)?
December, with a normal high of 55°F and a normal low of 23°F. The warmest is July (95°F by day, 65°F at night).
Does it snow at Fort Sumner (5 mi S)?
Yes: 12 inches in a normal year, falling on 5 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (3.6 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Fort Sumner (5 mi S)?
August, with 2.64 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.33 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Fort Sumner (5 mi S) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Fort Sumner (5 mi S) in zone 7a in ZIP code 88119, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Fort Sumner (5 mi S)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 18; in one year in ten it comes after May 1. Waiting until May 1 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
- Fort Sumner, NM5 miles from this station, 59.2°F a year
- Sumner Lake, NM16 miles from this station, 59.7°F a year
- Yeso (2 mi S), NM21 miles from this station, 58.2°F a year
- Melrose, NM35 miles from this station, 59.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made