McCarty Ranch, New Mexico climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
McCarty Ranch's normal year runs from 23°F January nights to 91°F July afternoons, with 15.0 inches of precipitation and 19 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 13.6°C, January lows of −5°C, July highs of 33°C, 382 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMcCarty Ranch
- Station IDUSC00295516
- Location35.60°N 103.36°W
- Elevation4,410 ft (1,344 m)
On October 23, the normal high in McCarty Ranch is 69°F and the normal low 39°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 10%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for McCarty Ranch.
- Jan 51° 23°
- Feb 55° 26°
- Mar 63° 32°
- Apr 71° 40°
- May 79° 49°
- Jun 88° 59°
- Jul 91° 63°
- Aug 89° 62°
- Sep 82° 54°
- Oct 72° 42°
- Nov 60° 31°
- Dec 50° 24°
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 McCarty Ranch each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 91°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 23°F. The most precipitation falls in August (2.58 in), the least in January (0.33 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51°F | 23°F | 36.9°F | 0.33 | 3.7 | 2 | <1 | 28 | 10 h |
| February | 55°F | 26°F | 40.1°F | 0.38 | 3.5 | 2 | <1 | 22 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 63°F | 32°F | 47.6°F | 0.77 | 3.2 | 3 | <1 | 16 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 71°F | 40°F | 55.1°F | 1.05 | 0.5 | 3 | <1 | 6 | 13 h |
| May | 79°F | 49°F | 64.2°F | 1.82 | 0.0 | 5 | 4 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 88°F | 59°F | 73.4°F | 1.74 | 0.0 | 5 | 14 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 91°F | 63°F | 77.1°F | 2.55 | 0.0 | 6 | 19 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 89°F | 62°F | 75.3°F | 2.58 | 0.0 | 6 | 15 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 82°F | 54°F | 68.4°F | 1.38 | 0.0 | 3 | 7 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 72°F | 42°F | 56.9°F | 1.39 | 0.4 | 3 | <1 | 4 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 60°F | 31°F | 45.7°F | 0.57 | 2.8 | 3 | <1 | 18 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 50°F | 24°F | 36.9°F | 0.46 | 4.6 | 3 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 71°F | 42°F | 56.5°F | 15.02 | 18.7 | 43 | 60 | 121 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10°C | −5°C | 2.7°C | 8 mm | 9 cm |
| February | 13°C | −4°C | 4.5°C | 10 mm | 9 cm |
| March | 17°C | 0°C | 8.7°C | 20 mm | 8 cm |
| April | 21°C | 4°C | 12.8°C | 27 mm | 1 cm |
| May | 26°C | 10°C | 17.9°C | 46 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 31°C | 15°C | 23.0°C | 44 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 33°C | 17°C | 25.1°C | 65 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 32°C | 16°C | 24.1°C | 66 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 28°C | 12°C | 20.2°C | 35 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 22°C | 6°C | 13.8°C | 35 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 16°C | −1°C | 7.6°C | 14 mm | 7 cm |
| December | 10°C | −5°C | 2.7°C | 12 mm | 12 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00295516; 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 McCarty Ranch?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, September and October. Of those, April 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 USC00295516.
When is the last frost at McCarty Ranch?
In McCarty Ranch, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 20 in half of years and after May 5 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 21 in half of years and before October 6 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 201 year in 10 after May 5; 9 in 10 after April 6
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 211 year in 10 before October 6; 9 in 10 before November 3
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 183 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 203 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 8 in half of springs and before November 1 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts McCarty Ranch in zone 7a in ZIP code 88426, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 2°F (16 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 USC00295516; 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 at McCarty Ranch?
In a normal year in McCarty Ranch, 60 days a year reach 90°F (4 of them 100°F or more), 121 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 43 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 60a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 4a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 121a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 10high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 43a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 7a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00295516.
How sunny is it at McCarty Ranch?
Over a year 87% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at McCarty Ranch, 5.5 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (90%) and December the cloudiest (82%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 84% | 3.2 |
| February | 83% | 4.1 |
| March | 84% | 5.4 |
| April | 86% | 6.7 |
| May | 87% | 7.5 |
| June | 90% | 7.9 |
| July | 90% | 7.5 |
| August | 89% | 6.7 |
| September | 89% | 5.8 |
| October | 86% | 4.5 |
| November | 86% | 3.5 |
| December | 82% | 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 many heating and cooling degree days does McCarty Ranch record?
A normal year at McCarty Ranch brings 4,282 heating degree days, 20% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,204 cooling degree days, 33% more than the median (908). Six months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 3,937 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 871 | 0 |
| February | 696 | 0 |
| March | 540 | 1 |
| April | 306 | 9 |
| May | 102 | 77 |
| June | 7 | 259 |
| July | 0 | 377 |
| August | 1 | 321 |
| September | 44 | 145 |
| October | 267 | 16 |
| November | 579 | 0 |
| December | 869 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,282 | 1,204 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00295516. 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 McCarty Ranch's climate compare?
McCarty Ranch is warmer than 59 of the 98 places with their own NOAA record in New Mexico, and wetter than 58. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 56.5°F is warmer than 65%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, McCarty Ranch 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 McCarty Ranch's climate
What is the coldest month at McCarty Ranch?
January, with a normal high of 51°F and a normal low of 23°F. The warmest is July (91°F by day, 63°F at night).
Does it snow at McCarty Ranch?
Yes: 19 inches in a normal year, falling on 9 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (4.6 inches).
What is the rainiest month at McCarty Ranch?
August, with 2.58 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.33 in.
What plant hardiness zone is McCarty Ranch in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts McCarty Ranch in zone 7a in ZIP code 88426, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 2°F (16 years, 1991-2020): zone 7a.
How late can frost come at McCarty Ranch?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 20; in one year in ten it comes after May 5. Waiting until May 5 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
- Bravo, TX20 miles from this station, 55.2°F a year
- Amistad (5 mi SSW), NM21 miles from this station, 54.7°F a year
- Rosebud (7 mi NW), NM23 miles from this station, 55.3°F a year
- Tucumcari, NM32 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