Maxwell, New Mexico climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Maxwell's normal year runs from 12°F December nights to 86°F July afternoons, with 14.1 inches of precipitation and 21 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.3°C, December lows of −11°C, July highs of 30°C, 357 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMaxwell (3 mi NW)
- Station IDUSC00295490
- Location36.57°N 104.59°W
- Elevation6,017 ft (1,834 m)
- Population224
On October 23, the normal high in Maxwell is 65°F and the normal low 28°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 9%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Maxwell.
- Jan 47° 13°
- Feb 51° 14°
- Mar 59° 21°
- Apr 65° 29°
- May 74° 38°
- Jun 83° 47°
- Jul 86° 52°
- Aug 84° 52°
- Sep 79° 44°
- Oct 68° 31°
- Nov 56° 20°
- Dec 46° 12°
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 Maxwell each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 86°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 12°F. The most precipitation falls in July (2.58 in), the least in February (0.29 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47°F | 13°F | 29.6°F | 0.34 | 5.2 | 2 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 51°F | 14°F | 32.3°F | 0.29 | 3.5 | 2 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 59°F | 21°F | 40.1°F | 0.70 | 3.3 | 3 | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 65°F | 29°F | 46.9°F | 0.81 | 2.1 | 4 | <1 | 20 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 74°F | 38°F | 56.0°F | 1.64 | 0.1 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 83°F | 47°F | 64.9°F | 1.89 | 0.0 | 7 | 8 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 86°F | 52°F | 69.2°F | 2.58 | 0.0 | 9 | 11 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 84°F | 52°F | 67.7°F | 2.47 | 0.0 | 10 | 7 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 79°F | 44°F | 61.3°F | 1.64 | 0.0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 68°F | 31°F | 49.7°F | 1.01 | 0.9 | 3 | <1 | 17 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 56°F | 20°F | 37.9°F | 0.35 | 1.9 | 2 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 46°F | 12°F | 29.1°F | 0.35 | 4.4 | 2 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 66°F | 31°F | 48.7°F | 14.07 | 21.4 | 55 | 28 | 189 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8°C | −11°C | −1.3°C | 9 mm | 13 cm |
| February | 10°C | −10°C | 0.2°C | 7 mm | 9 cm |
| March | 15°C | −6°C | 4.5°C | 18 mm | 8 cm |
| April | 18°C | −2°C | 8.3°C | 21 mm | 5 cm |
| May | 23°C | 3°C | 13.3°C | 42 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 28°C | 8°C | 18.3°C | 48 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 30°C | 11°C | 20.7°C | 66 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 29°C | 11°C | 19.8°C | 63 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 26°C | 7°C | 16.3°C | 42 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 20°C | 0°C | 9.8°C | 26 mm | 2 cm |
| November | 13°C | −7°C | 3.3°C | 9 mm | 5 cm |
| December | 8°C | −11°C | −1.6°C | 9 mm | 11 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00295490; 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 Maxwell?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, August, September and October. Of those, October 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 USC00295490.
When is the last frost in Maxwell?
In Maxwell, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 17 in half of years and after May 31 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 1 in half of years and before September 20 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 171 year in 10 after May 31; 9 in 10 after May 4
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 11 year in 10 before September 20; 9 in 10 before October 11
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 135 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 155 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 5 in half of springs and before October 8 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Maxwell in zone 6a in ZIP code 87728, 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 USC00295490; 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 Maxwell?
In a normal year in Maxwell, 28 days a year reach 90°F, 189 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 55 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 28a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 189a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 12high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 55a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 7a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1945) is 100°F, on June 27, 1953; the lowest is −35°F, on January 13, 1963.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2004, with 23.93 in; the snowiest season is 1972–73, with 52.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00295490; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00295490. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Maxwell?
Over a year 83% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Maxwell, 5.3 kWh per square metre a day. October is the sunniest month (86%) and July the cloudiest (81%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 84% | 3.2 |
| February | 83% | 4.1 |
| March | 83% | 5.4 |
| April | 83% | 6.5 |
| May | 83% | 7.3 |
| June | 84% | 7.5 |
| July | 81% | 6.9 |
| August | 82% | 6.4 |
| September | 85% | 5.6 |
| October | 86% | 4.5 |
| November | 86% | 3.4 |
| December | 83% | 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 Maxwell need?
A normal year in Maxwell brings 6,233 heating degree days, 16% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 328 cooling degree days, 64% 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 2,298 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,096 | 0 |
| February | 916 | 0 |
| March | 774 | 0 |
| April | 543 | 0 |
| May | 283 | 6 |
| June | 63 | 60 |
| July | 8 | 139 |
| August | 15 | 100 |
| September | 135 | 22 |
| October | 476 | 0 |
| November | 812 | 0 |
| December | 1,114 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,233 | 328 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00295490. 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 Maxwell's climate compare?
Maxwell is warmer than 14 of the other 97 places with their own NOAA record in New Mexico, and wetter than 55. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 48.7°F is warmer than 35%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Maxwell 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 Maxwell's climate
What is the coldest month in Maxwell?
December, with a normal high of 46°F and a normal low of 12°F. The warmest is July (86°F by day, 52°F at night).
Does it snow in Maxwell?
Yes: 21 inches in a normal year, falling on 9 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (5.2 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Maxwell?
July, with 2.58 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.29 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Maxwell in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Maxwell in zone 6a in ZIP code 87728, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Maxwell?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 17; in one year in ten it comes after May 31. Waiting until May 31 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
- Raton, NM13 miles from this station, 49.7°F a year
- Springer, NM14 miles from this station, 52.9°F a year
- Cimarron, NM21 miles from this station, 50.1°F a year
- Raton Filter Plant, NM25 miles from this station, 49.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made