Jal, New Mexico climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Jal's normal year runs from 27°F January nights to 96°F July afternoons, with 12.2 inches of precipitation and 2 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 17.4°C, January lows of −3°C, July highs of 36°C, 310 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationJal
- Station IDUSC00294346
- Location32.11°N 103.19°W
- Elevation3,054 ft (931 m)
- Population2,192
On October 23, the normal high in Jal is 78°F and the normal low 45°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 7%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Jal.
- Jan 60° 27°
- Feb 65° 31°
- Mar 72° 38°
- Apr 82° 47°
- May 89° 56°
- Jun 95° 65°
- Jul 96° 68°
- Aug 95° 67°
- Sep 88° 59°
- Oct 80° 47°
- Nov 69° 37°
- Dec 60° 28°
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 Jal each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 96°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 27°F. The most precipitation falls in September (2.22 in), the least in November (0.32 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60°F | 27°F | 43.5°F | 0.41 | 0.7 | 2 | <1 | 22 | 10 h 20 min |
| February | 65°F | 31°F | 47.9°F | 0.40 | 0.4 | 2 | <1 | 15 | 11 h |
| March | 72°F | 38°F | 55.4°F | 0.46 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 12 h |
| April | 82°F | 47°F | 64.1°F | 0.57 | 0.0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 13 h |
| May | 89°F | 56°F | 72.2°F | 1.45 | 0.0 | 3 | 17 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| June | 95°F | 65°F | 80.0°F | 1.19 | 0.0 | 3 | 25 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| July | 96°F | 68°F | 82.0°F | 2.09 | 0.0 | 3 | 28 | <1 | 14 h |
| August | 95°F | 67°F | 81.0°F | 1.27 | 0.0 | 3 | 27 | <1 | 13 h 20 min |
| September | 88°F | 59°F | 73.8°F | 2.22 | 0.0 | 4 | 16 | <1 | 12 h 20 min |
| October | 80°F | 47°F | 63.9°F | 1.25 | 0.1 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 11 h 30 min |
| November | 69°F | 37°F | 52.8°F | 0.32 | 0.2 | 1 | <1 | 9 | 10 h 30 min |
| December | 60°F | 28°F | 44.1°F | 0.56 | 0.5 | 2 | <1 | 21 | 10 h |
| Year (annual) | 79°F | 48°F | 63.4°F | 12.19 | 1.9 | 28 | 125 | 77 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16°C | −3°C | 6.4°C | 10 mm | 2 cm |
| February | 18°C | 0°C | 8.8°C | 10 mm | 1 cm |
| March | 22°C | 4°C | 13.0°C | 12 mm | 0 cm |
| April | 28°C | 8°C | 17.8°C | 14 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 31°C | 13°C | 22.3°C | 37 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 35°C | 18°C | 26.7°C | 30 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 36°C | 20°C | 27.8°C | 53 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 35°C | 20°C | 27.2°C | 32 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 31°C | 15°C | 23.2°C | 56 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 27°C | 9°C | 17.7°C | 32 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 20°C | 3°C | 11.6°C | 8 mm | 1 cm |
| December | 16°C | −2°C | 6.7°C | 14 mm | 1 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00294346; 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 Jal?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in March, April, October and November. Of those, November has the fewest days with rain (1).
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 USC00294346.
When is the last frost in Jal?
In Jal, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after March 31 in half of years and after April 19 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 3 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
- March 311 year in 10 after April 19; 9 in 10 after March 12
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 31 year in 10 before October 19; 9 in 10 before November 17
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 215 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 240 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 16 in half of springs and before November 13 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Jal in zone 8a in ZIP code 88252, 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 USC00294346; 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 in Jal?
In a normal year in Jal, 125 days a year reach 90°F (29 of them 100°F or more), 77 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 28 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 125a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 29a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 77a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 2high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 28a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 1a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1919) is 114°F, on June 13, 2011; the lowest is −11°F, on January 11, 1962.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1986, with 24.85 in; the snowiest season is 1976–77, with 16.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00294346; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00294346. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Jal?
Over a year 88% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Jal, 5.7 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (92%) and December the cloudiest (83%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 85% | 3.6 |
| February | 84% | 4.4 |
| March | 85% | 5.7 |
| April | 89% | 7.0 |
| May | 89% | 7.6 |
| June | 92% | 7.9 |
| July | 90% | 7.4 |
| August | 90% | 6.8 |
| September | 87% | 5.7 |
| October | 88% | 4.8 |
| November | 86% | 3.7 |
| December | 83% | 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 much heating and cooling does Jal need?
A normal year in Jal brings 2,701 heating degree days, 50% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 2,147 cooling degree days, 2.4 times 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 5,591 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 666 | 0 |
| February | 478 | 1 |
| March | 307 | 9 |
| April | 97 | 70 |
| May | 21 | 245 |
| June | 1 | 451 |
| July | 0 | 529 |
| August | 0 | 496 |
| September | 11 | 274 |
| October | 101 | 67 |
| November | 371 | 5 |
| December | 648 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 2,701 | 2,147 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00294346. 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 Jal's climate compare?
Jal is warmer than 94 of the other 97 places with their own NOAA record in New Mexico, and wetter than 38. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 63.4°F is warmer than 84%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Jal is BWk: cold desert. 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 Jal's climate
What is the coldest month in Jal?
January, with a normal high of 60°F and a normal low of 27°F. The warmest is July (96°F by day, 68°F at night).
Does it snow in Jal?
Yes: 2 inches in a normal year, falling on 1 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (0.7 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Jal?
September, with 2.22 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is November with 0.32 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Jal in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Jal in zone 8a in ZIP code 88252, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Jal?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after March 31; in one year in ten it comes after April 19. Waiting until April 19 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
- Ochoa, NM14 miles from this station, 62.3°F a year
- Kermit, TX19 miles from this station, 64.0°F a year
- Winkler County Airport, TX23 miles from this station, 65.5°F a year
- Waste Isolt'n Pilot Plant, NM40 miles from this station, 63.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made