Ochoa, New Mexico climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Ochoa's normal year runs from 27°F January nights to 94°F July afternoons, with 13.4 inches of precipitation and 3 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 16.8°C, January lows of −3°C, July highs of 35°C, 341 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationOchoa
- Station IDUSC00296281
- Location32.17°N 103.42°W
- Elevation3,398 ft (1,036 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Ochoa is 76°F and the normal low 45°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 Ochoa.
- Jan 58° 27°
- Feb 62° 31°
- Mar 70° 38°
- Apr 79° 45°
- May 87° 55°
- Jun 95° 64°
- Jul 94° 67°
- Aug 94° 66°
- Sep 87° 59°
- Oct 79° 48°
- Nov 67° 37°
- Dec 58° 29°
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 Ochoa each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 94°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 27°F. The most precipitation falls in September (2.52 in), the least in April (0.46 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 58°F | 27°F | 42.4°F | 0.50 | 0.7 | 2 | <1 | 23 | 10 h 20 min |
| February | 62°F | 31°F | 46.8°F | 0.51 | 0.5 | 2 | <1 | 16 | 11 h |
| March | 70°F | 38°F | 54.2°F | 0.53 | 0.0 | 2 | <1 | 8 | 12 h |
| April | 79°F | 45°F | 62.0°F | 0.46 | 0.0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 13 h |
| May | 87°F | 55°F | 71.0°F | 1.32 | 0.0 | 4 | 15 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| June | 95°F | 64°F | 79.7°F | 1.29 | 0.0 | 4 | 26 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| July | 94°F | 67°F | 80.6°F | 2.24 | 0.0 | 4 | 25 | <1 | 14 h |
| August | 94°F | 66°F | 79.8°F | 1.64 | 0.0 | 4 | 26 | <1 | 13 h 20 min |
| September | 87°F | 59°F | 73.1°F | 2.52 | 0.0 | 4 | 14 | <1 | 12 h 20 min |
| October | 79°F | 48°F | 63.3°F | 1.16 | 0.0 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 11 h 30 min |
| November | 67°F | 37°F | 51.5°F | 0.67 | 0.0 | 2 | <1 | 9 | 10 h 30 min |
| December | 58°F | 29°F | 43.5°F | 0.59 | 1.9 | 2 | <1 | 22 | 10 h |
| Year (annual) | 77°F | 47°F | 62.3°F | 13.43 | 3.1 | 34 | 112 | 79 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14°C | −3°C | 5.8°C | 13 mm | 2 cm |
| February | 17°C | 0°C | 8.2°C | 13 mm | 1 cm |
| March | 21°C | 3°C | 12.3°C | 13 mm | 0 cm |
| April | 26°C | 7°C | 16.7°C | 12 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 30°C | 13°C | 21.7°C | 34 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 35°C | 18°C | 26.5°C | 33 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 35°C | 19°C | 27.0°C | 57 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 34°C | 19°C | 26.6°C | 42 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 31°C | 15°C | 22.8°C | 64 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 26°C | 9°C | 17.4°C | 29 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 19°C | 3°C | 10.8°C | 17 mm | 0 cm |
| December | 14°C | −2°C | 6.4°C | 15 mm | 5 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00296281; 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 Ochoa?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in March, April, October and November. Of those, April 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 USC00296281.
When is the last frost at Ochoa?
In Ochoa, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 4 in half of years and after April 23 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 6 in half of years and before October 24 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 41 year in 10 after April 23; 9 in 10 after March 13
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 61 year in 10 before October 24; 9 in 10 before November 21
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 217 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 241 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 17 in half of springs and before November 16 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Ochoa 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 USC00296281; 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 at Ochoa?
In a normal year in Ochoa, 112 days a year reach 90°F (22 of them 100°F or more), 79 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 34 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 112a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 22a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 79a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 3high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 34a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 1a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00296281.
How sunny is it at Ochoa?
Over a year 88% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Ochoa, 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 many heating and cooling degree days does Ochoa record?
A normal year at Ochoa brings 2,926 heating degree days, 46% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,982 cooling degree days, 2.2 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 5,341 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 700 | 0 |
| February | 509 | 0 |
| March | 342 | 8 |
| April | 139 | 47 |
| May | 29 | 217 |
| June | 1 | 443 |
| July | 0 | 482 |
| August | 0 | 459 |
| September | 12 | 257 |
| October | 119 | 67 |
| November | 408 | 3 |
| December | 666 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 2,926 | 1,982 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00296281. 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 Ochoa's climate compare?
Ochoa is warmer than 87 of the 98 places with their own NOAA record in New Mexico, and wetter than 51. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 62.3°F is warmer than 81%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Ochoa 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 Ochoa's climate
What is the coldest month at Ochoa?
January, with a normal high of 58°F and a normal low of 27°F. The warmest is July (94°F by day, 67°F at night).
Does it snow at Ochoa?
Yes: 3 inches in a normal year, falling on 1 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (1.9 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Ochoa?
September, with 2.52 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is April with 0.46 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Ochoa in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Ochoa in zone 8a in ZIP code 88252, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Ochoa?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 4; in one year in ten it comes after April 23. Waiting until April 23 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
- Jal, NM14 miles from this station, 63.4°F a year
- Waste Isolt'n Pilot Plant, NM26 miles from this station, 63.9°F a year
- Winkler County Airport, TX30 miles from this station, 65.5°F a year
- Kermit, TX30 miles from this station, 64.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made