Las Cruces, 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 Las Cruces's primary NOAA station, LAS CRUCES 20 N.
The climate verdict for Las Cruces
Dryness leads the climate profile for Las Cruces, New Mexico, with 10.3 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 59°F. Its climate comfort score of 68/100 (good) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 56% of station-mapped location scores.
- 59°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 68/100
- comfort score, above 56% of station-mapped location scores
- 10.3"
- precipitation, annual total
- 183 days
- frost-free growing season
Las Cruces: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USW00003074 · Las Cruces, NM 59°F mean · 10.3" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-ARID · SWING-MID · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 59°F
- RANK-UPPER #5,009
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Smithville
- PRCP-ARID 10.3"
- SWING-MID 40°F
- COMF-MID 68/100
- LOAD-HEAT 3,593 HDD
- STN-1 USW00003074
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Smithville, OK (+ 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.
- Las Cruces (this station) 59°F
- Cold Fort Sumner, NM 59°F
- Hot Smithville, OK 59°F
- Near Mousetail Landi…, TN 59°F
- Near Tellico Plains, TN 59°F
Climate Living Index · Las Cruces
Las Cruces: 36/100 · grade F
Las Cruces publishes 4 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 2 missing weights rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Las Cruces, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 68/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Annual temperature balance | 59.3°F · 8.2° from 67.5°F | 74/100 · B |
| Frost-free season | 183 days/year | 52/100 · D |
| Precipitation balance | 10.3 in · 24.7 from 35 in | 13/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 218 calendar days | 6/100 · F |
Las Cruces · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Las Cruces's normals sit in a dry climate class: BSk
Precipitation is low relative to temperature but above true desert thresholds: cold semi-arid steppe (BSk). Class BSk is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: dry (arid or semi-arid), specifically cold semi-arid steppe.
- Köppen code
- BSk
- Group
- Dry (arid or semi-arid)
- Warmest month
- 79.6°F
- Coldest month
- 39.2°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 Las Cruces sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Las Cruces's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Top 27% warmest
- Among 6,861 stations, Las Cruces sits in the warmer third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 93%
- Las Cruces's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 37th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Las Cruces compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Las Cruces's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
68 Top 44% score exceeds 56% 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%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). This entry sits in this band.
- 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
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56°F (13°C) | 24°F (-5°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 0.6" | 26.4 | 0.0 |
| February | 62°F (16°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 0.4" | 21.0 | 0.0 |
| March | 69°F (21°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 51°F (10°C) | 0.2" | 14.3 | 0.0 |
| April | 77°F (25°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 58°F (14°C) | 0.2" | 5.7 | 0.7 |
| May | 85°F (30°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 0.4" | 0.9 | 8.7 |
| June | 95°F (35°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 77°F (25°C) | 0.8" | 0.0 | 27.2 |
| July | 94°F (34°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 80°F (26°C) | 2.3" | 0.0 | 25.1 |
| August | 91°F (33°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 78°F (25°C) | 2.2" | 0.0 | 23.2 |
| September | 86°F (30°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 1.1" | 0.0 | 10.8 |
| October | 77°F (25°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 60°F (15°C) | 0.8" | 4.1 | 0.7 |
| November | 66°F (19°C) | 31°F (-1°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 0.6" | 18.8 | 0.0 |
| December | 55°F (13°C) | 23°F (-5°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 0.6" | 25.1 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Las Cruces works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 96°F by June 19 and hold at or above 90°F on 94 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 124 dates, bottoming at 22°F around December 25.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from May 27 through August 28, covering 94 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs March 18 to November 5.
This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 14, then returns to freezing around November 12, covering 124 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 27, when 34% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is March 31 at 4%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 47 wet dates a year.
The widest day
May 28 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 39°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Las Cruces.
Where Las Cruces Stands Nationally
Summers here run among the most heat-heavy normals calendars in the country: on about 94 days a year the normal daily high itself reaches 90°F — a count fewer than one station in ten exceeds.
Aridity defines the water calendar: about 10 inches in a normal year lands this among the driest tenth of ranked stations.
Las Cruces earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall
3.1 days with precipitation
1.8 days with precipitation
1.6 days with precipitation
1.5 days with precipitation
2.5 days with precipitation
2.4 days with precipitation
10.6 days with precipitation
9.0 days with precipitation
5.0 days with precipitation
3.4 days with precipitation
2.7 days with precipitation
3.7 days with precipitation
Las Cruces runs a summer-peaked wet season
52% of Las Cruces's yearly precipitation falls in June, July and August alone, against the 25% an evenly spread year would give those three months. The wettest month is July at 2.3", on a 40.4°F seasonal spread. Warm-season convection and, across the Southwest, the North American monsoon produce this shape: rain arrives in short heavy bursts during the hottest part of the year rather than as long cool-season soaking.
- Wettest three months: July, August, September, taking 55% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: April at 0.2".
- Winter share: 15% falls in December, January and February.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A summer-peaked label means the June-August share reaches 35%; it describes timing across an average year, not any single season, and says nothing about how heavy an individual storm can be.
How Las Cruces's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 47 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 10.3" between them, or roughly 0.22 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 24
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 24
50% probability date
Growing Season
183 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
3,593
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,526
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside NM closest to Las Cruces 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 (59°F here).
- Abernathy, TX 59°F · 0.0°F off
- Big Sandy, TN 59°F · 0.0°F off
- Coldwater, KS 59°F · 0.0°F off
- Colfax, CA 59°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (10.3" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Big Delta, AK 10.3" · 0.0" off
- Milford, UT 10.2" · 0.0" off
- Orovada, NV 10.2" · 0.0" off
- San Simon, AZ 10.3" · 0.1" off
Scarce-water calendar
Where Las Cruces's limited precipitation lands
heating led · dry · mid swing
Las Cruces's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 3,593 annual heating degree days against 1,526 for cooling. Its 40.4°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Las Cruces's frost-free season lasts about 183 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
July and December mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Las Cruces's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 40.4°F. The annual average is 59°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Las Cruces's cold-season load does not imply a wet climate. Annual precipitation is 10.3 inches, which places the station in PlainClimate's dry range. Snowfall is not added to the interpretation because its annual value is missing. The snowfall and rainfall fields should be read separately rather than inferred from temperature.
Las Cruces wettest normal
July
July concentrates the scarce annual total (10.3 inches).
Las Cruces driest normal
April
April is typically driest; arid stations are defined by when water is absent, not by a four-season grid.
Questions about Las Cruces's climate
How dry is Las Cruces? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Las Cruces get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Las Cruces? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Las Cruces's primary station: LAS CRUCES 20 N (USW00003074). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 3539380). Match rule for Las Cruces: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Las Cruces 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.