Gallup, New Mexico climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Gallup's normal year runs from 14°F December nights to 89°F July afternoons, with 10.7 inches of precipitation and 34 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.7°C, December lows of −10°C, July highs of 32°C, 272 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationGallup Municipal Airport
- Station IDUSW00023081
- Location35.51°N 108.79°W
- Elevation6,471 ft (1,972 m)
- From the center3 miles
- Population20,339
On October 14, the normal high in Gallup is 69°F and the normal low 32°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 16%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Gallup.
- Jan 45° 14°
- Feb 50° 19°
- Mar 59° 23°
- Apr 66° 28°
- May 75° 36°
- Jun 86° 45°
- Jul 89° 55°
- Aug 86° 53°
- Sep 80° 44°
- Oct 69° 31°
- Nov 56° 20°
- Dec 45° 14°
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 Gallup each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 89°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 14°F. The most precipitation falls in August (1.92 in), the least in June (0.36 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45°F | 14°F | 29.8°F | 0.81 | 6.3 | 6 | <1 | 30 | 10 h |
| February | 50°F | 19°F | 34.4°F | 0.71 | 5.9 | 6 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 59°F | 23°F | 40.6°F | 0.62 | 4.4 | 5 | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 66°F | 28°F | 47.0°F | 0.46 | 2.3 | 4 | <1 | 22 | 13 h |
| May | 75°F | 36°F | 55.6°F | 0.57 | 1.1 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 14 h |
| June | 86°F | 45°F | 65.7°F | 0.36 | 0.0 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 89°F | 55°F | 71.7°F | 1.63 | 0.0 | 10 | 15 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 86°F | 53°F | 69.7°F | 1.92 | 0.0 | 11 | 9 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 80°F | 44°F | 62.2°F | 1.27 | 0.0 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 69°F | 31°F | 49.7°F | 0.92 | 1.5 | 6 | <1 | 19 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 56°F | 20°F | 38.0°F | 0.70 | 4.5 | 5 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 45°F | 14°F | 29.5°F | 0.73 | 7.8 | 6 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 67°F | 32°F | 49.5°F | 10.70 | 33.8 | 73 | 35 | 198 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7°C | −10°C | −1.2°C | 21 mm | 16 cm |
| February | 10°C | −7°C | 1.3°C | 18 mm | 15 cm |
| March | 15°C | −5°C | 4.8°C | 16 mm | 11 cm |
| April | 19°C | −2°C | 8.3°C | 12 mm | 6 cm |
| May | 24°C | 2°C | 13.1°C | 14 mm | 3 cm |
| June | 30°C | 7°C | 18.7°C | 9 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 32°C | 13°C | 22.1°C | 41 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 30°C | 12°C | 20.9°C | 49 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 27°C | 7°C | 16.8°C | 32 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 20°C | −1°C | 9.8°C | 23 mm | 4 cm |
| November | 13°C | −7°C | 3.3°C | 18 mm | 11 cm |
| December | 7°C | −10°C | −1.4°C | 19 mm | 20 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00023081; 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 Gallup?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, September and October. Of those, April has the fewest days with rain (4).
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 USW00023081.
When is the last frost in Gallup?
In Gallup, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 31 in half of years and after June 14 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 28 in half of years and before September 17 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 14; 9 in 10 after May 15
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 281 year in 10 before September 17; 9 in 10 before October 9
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 119 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 140 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 17 in half of springs and before October 5 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Gallup in zone 6a in ZIP code 87301. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Gallup's NOAA station is in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −8°F (30 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 USW00023081; 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 Gallup?
In a normal year in Gallup, 35 days a year reach 90°F, 198 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 73 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 35a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 198a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 7high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 73a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 12a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1973) is 101°F, on June 20, 2016; the lowest is −34°F, on December 23, 1990.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1997, with 15.83 in; the snowiest season is 1990–91, with 60.4 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00023081; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00023081. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Gallup, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 42°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 48°F; the driest air comes in December (16°F). April is the windiest month (9.2 mph on average), and May has the most clear or nearly clear hours (82%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 18°F | 62% | 34% | 5.5 mph | 71% | 17% |
| February | 18°F | 51% | 27% | 7.8 mph | 67% | 18% |
| March | 18°F | 39% | 19% | 9.1 mph | 73% | 12% |
| April | 21°F | 31% | 16% | 9.2 mph | 75% | 9% |
| May | 25°F | 26% | 13% | 8.4 mph | 82% | 5% |
| June | 34°F | 27% | 14% | 7.5 mph | 82% | 4% |
| July | 48°F | 48% | 28% | 6.0 mph | 62% | 11% |
| August | 44°F | 47% | 25% | 5.6 mph | 70% | 8% |
| September | 31°F | 41% | 19% | 6.1 mph | 80% | 6% |
| October | 23°F | 48% | 24% | 5.9 mph | 80% | 9% |
| November | 17°F | 58% | 31% | 5.5 mph | 77% | 13% |
| December | 16°F | 65% | 41% | 5.2 mph | 70% | 19% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00023081. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Gallup?
Over a year 85% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Gallup, 5.5 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (91%) and December the cloudiest (79%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 82% | 3.2 |
| February | 81% | 4.1 |
| March | 85% | 5.6 |
| April | 86% | 6.9 |
| May | 87% | 7.8 |
| June | 91% | 8.3 |
| July | 82% | 7.0 |
| August | 83% | 6.5 |
| September | 86% | 5.8 |
| October | 89% | 4.8 |
| November | 86% | 3.6 |
| December | 79% | 2.8 |
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 Gallup need?
A normal year in Gallup brings 6,105 heating degree days, 14% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 475 cooling degree days, 48% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,445 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,091 | 0 |
| February | 857 | 0 |
| March | 756 | 0 |
| April | 540 | 0 |
| May | 295 | 5 |
| June | 61 | 80 |
| July | 2 | 208 |
| August | 6 | 152 |
| September | 115 | 30 |
| October | 473 | 0 |
| November | 810 | 0 |
| December | 1,099 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,105 | 475 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00023081. 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.
Has Gallup been warmer than normal lately?
2023 averaged 49.9°F, 0.4°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 49.5°F. 2 of the 2 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 50.8°F | +1.3°F | 10.01 | – |
| 2023 | 49.9°F | +0.4°F | 8.98 | – |
Over 44 complete years from 1974 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 8.2°F per century (+0.45°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00023081; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Gallup's climate compare?
Gallup is warmer than 19 of the other 97 places with their own NOAA record in New Mexico, and wetter than 23. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 49.5°F is warmer than 38%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Gallup 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.
Which places near Gallup share this climate record?
9 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their 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.
- Gamerco, NM1,583 people · 4 mi NE
- Church Rock, NM1,413 people · 13 mi E
- Williams Acres, NM1,069 people · 4 mi W
- White Cliffs, NM610 people · 8 mi E
- Sundance, NM527 people · 9 mi E
- Crestview, NM144 people · 4 mi SW
- Catalpa Canyon, NM119 people · 4 mi E
- Oak Springs, AZ28 people · 19 mi W
- Lupton, AZ4 people · 18 mi SW
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Gallup's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Gallup. This page uses Gallup Municipal Airport; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From the center | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gallup Sand & Gravel USC00293428 | 3 mi NE | 6,577 ft | 50.1°F | 16°F | 87°F | 12.5 | 21 | May 11 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Gallup's climate
What is the coldest month in Gallup?
December, with a normal high of 45°F and a normal low of 14°F. The warmest is July (89°F by day, 55°F at night).
Does it snow in Gallup?
Yes: 34 inches in a normal year, falling on 23 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (7.8 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Gallup?
August, with 1.92 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is June with 0.36 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Gallup in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Gallup in zone 6a in ZIP code 87301. By the same method at Gallup's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −8°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 6a.
How late can frost come in Gallup?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 31; in one year in ten it comes after June 14. Waiting until June 14 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Gallup in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- New Mexico climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Window Rock, AZ18 miles from this station, 49.2°F a year
- McGaffey, NM23 miles from this station, 46.3°F a year
- Zuni, NM31 miles from this station, 51.2°F a year
- Sanders, AZ36 miles from this station, 52.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made