McGaffey, New Mexico climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
McGaffey's normal year runs from 12°F January nights to 84°F July afternoons, with 19.7 inches of precipitation and 42 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.9°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 29°C, 500 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMcGaffey (5 mi SE)
- Station IDUSC00295560
- Location35.34°N 108.44°W
- Elevation8,000 ft (2,438 m)
- Population (census place)0
On October 24, the normal high in McGaffey is 64°F and the normal low 27°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 13%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for McGaffey.
- Jan 44° 12°
- Feb 46° 15°
- Mar 53° 22°
- Apr 60° 27°
- May 70° 34°
- Jun 82° 42°
- Jul 84° 49°
- Aug 81° 48°
- Sep 77° 42°
- Oct 67° 30°
- Nov 54° 20°
- Dec 44° 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 McGaffey each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 84°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 12°F. The most precipitation falls in August (3.14 in), the least in June (0.55 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44°F | 12°F | 27.7°F | 1.79 | 9.0 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 10 h |
| February | 46°F | 15°F | 30.6°F | 1.46 | 8.7 | 6 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 53°F | 22°F | 37.2°F | 1.51 | 6.6 | 5 | <1 | 30 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 60°F | 27°F | 43.3°F | 1.13 | 2.4 | 3 | <1 | 27 | 13 h |
| May | 70°F | 34°F | 51.8°F | 0.98 | 0.2 | 3 | <1 | 16 | 14 h |
| June | 82°F | 42°F | 61.7°F | 0.55 | 0.0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 84°F | 49°F | 66.6°F | 2.82 | 0.0 | 9 | 4 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 81°F | 48°F | 64.8°F | 3.14 | 0.0 | 10 | 1 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 77°F | 42°F | 59.2°F | 1.64 | 0.0 | 6 | <1 | 5 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 67°F | 30°F | 48.3°F | 1.43 | 2.5 | 4 | <1 | 24 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 54°F | 20°F | 36.8°F | 1.63 | 2.6 | 4 | <1 | 29 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 44°F | 12°F | 28.1°F | 1.61 | 10.1 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 63°F | 29°F | 46.3°F | 19.69 | 42.1 | 61 | 7 | 225 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6°C | −11°C | −2.4°C | 45 mm | 23 cm |
| February | 8°C | −9°C | −0.8°C | 37 mm | 22 cm |
| March | 12°C | −6°C | 2.9°C | 38 mm | 17 cm |
| April | 15°C | −3°C | 6.3°C | 29 mm | 6 cm |
| May | 21°C | 1°C | 11.0°C | 25 mm | 1 cm |
| June | 28°C | 5°C | 16.5°C | 14 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 29°C | 10°C | 19.2°C | 72 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 27°C | 9°C | 18.2°C | 80 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 25°C | 5°C | 15.1°C | 42 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 19°C | −1°C | 9.1°C | 36 mm | 6 cm |
| November | 12°C | −7°C | 2.7°C | 41 mm | 7 cm |
| December | 7°C | −11°C | −2.2°C | 41 mm | 26 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00295560; 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 McGaffey?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August, September and October. Of those, June has the fewest days with rain (2).
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 USC00295560.
When is the last frost in McGaffey?
In McGaffey, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after June 5 in half of years and after June 22 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 25 in half of years and before September 10 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
- June 51 year in 10 after June 22; 9 in 10 after May 21
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 251 year in 10 before September 10; 9 in 10 before October 6
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 109 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 127 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 26 in half of springs and before October 1 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts McGaffey in zone 6a in ZIP code 87347, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, McGaffey's NOAA station is in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −13°F (15 complete years); the map interpolates between stations and terrain, so the station and the ZIP area can differ by half a zone.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in New Mexico · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00295560; 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 McGaffey?
In a normal year in McGaffey, 7 days a year reach 90°F, 225 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 61 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 7a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 225a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 15high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 61a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 11a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1949) is 99°F, on July 29, 1960; the lowest is −32°F, on January 7, 1971.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1997, with 27.57 in; the snowiest season is 1968–69, with 101.1 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00295560; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00295560. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is McGaffey?
Over a year 85% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around McGaffey, 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 McGaffey need?
A normal year in McGaffey brings 6,939 heating degree days, 29% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 154 cooling degree days, 83% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,813 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,158 | 0 |
| February | 965 | 0 |
| March | 860 | 0 |
| April | 651 | 0 |
| May | 410 | 1 |
| June | 130 | 31 |
| July | 26 | 76 |
| August | 47 | 39 |
| September | 183 | 7 |
| October | 519 | 0 |
| November | 846 | 0 |
| December | 1,144 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,939 | 154 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00295560. 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 McGaffey's climate compare?
McGaffey is warmer than 7 of the other 97 places with their own NOAA record in New Mexico, and wetter than 87. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 46.3°F is warmer than 25%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, McGaffey is Dsb: continental, dry-summer, warm summer. 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 McGaffey share this climate record?
7 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.
- Iyanbito, NM1,213 people · 13 mi N
- Pinedale, NM572 people · 19 mi N
- Fort Wingate, NM451 people · 11 mi NW
- Timberlake, NM341 people · 10 mi S
- Continental Divide, NM174 people · 9 mi NE
- Jamestown, NM152 people · 9 mi N
- Pinehaven, NM7 people · 13 mi W
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about McGaffey's climate
What is the coldest month in McGaffey?
January, with a normal high of 44°F and a normal low of 12°F. The warmest is July (84°F by day, 49°F at night).
Does it snow in McGaffey?
Yes: 42 inches in a normal year, falling on 13 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (10.1 inches).
What is the rainiest month in McGaffey?
August, with 3.14 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is June with 0.55 in.
What plant hardiness zone is McGaffey in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts McGaffey in zone 6a in ZIP code 87347, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at McGaffey's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −13°F (15 years, 1991-2020): zone 5b.
How late can frost come in McGaffey?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after June 5; in one year in ten it comes after June 22. Waiting until June 22 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
- Thoreau (12 mi SE), NM17 miles from this station, 49.7°F a year
- El Morro National Mon, NM21 miles from this station, 47.7°F a year
- Gallup, NM23 miles from this station, 49.5°F a year
- Zuni, NM29 miles from this station, 51.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made