Ochoa, NM Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Annual temperature and rainfall from NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 normals →; comfort score computed by PlainClimate
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Ochoa's primary NOAA station, OCHOA.
The climate verdict for Ochoa
Dryness leads the climate profile for Ochoa, New Mexico, with 13.4 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 62°F. It scores 83/100 for climate comfort (excellent), putting it in the top third of station-mapped location scores and exceeding 81% of them.
- 62°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 83/100
- comfort score, above 81% of station-mapped location scores
- 13.4"
- annual precipitation · 3" snow
- 216 days
- frost-free growing season
Ochoa: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00296281 · Ochoa, NM 62°F mean · 13.4" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-MID · COMF-TOP · LOAD-MIX · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 62°F
- RANK-UPPER #5,557
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Atlanta Fulton…
- PRCP-DRY 13.4"
- SWING-MID 38°F
- COMF-TOP 83/100
- LOAD-MIX H/C balanced
- STN-1 USC00296281
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Atlanta Fulton County, GA (+ 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.
- Ochoa (this station) 62°F
- Hot Douglas Bisbee…, AZ 62°F
- Near Atlanta Fulton…, GA 62°F
- Near Camp Pendleton…, CA 62°F
- Near Chickasha, OK 62°F
Climate Living Index · Ochoa
Ochoa: 53/100 · grade D
Ochoa publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Ochoa, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 83/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Annual temperature balance | 62.3°F · 5.2° from 67.5°F | 84/100 · B |
| Frost-free season | 216 days/year | 75/100 · B |
| Snowfall burden | 3.1 inches/year | 74/100 · B |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 184 calendar days | 23/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 13.4 in · 21.6 from 35 in | 23/100 · F |
Ochoa · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Ochoa'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
- 80.6°F
- Coldest month
- 42.4°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 · balanced station
Where Ochoa sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Ochoa's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Top 19% warmest
- Among 6,861 stations, Ochoa sits in the warmer third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 86%
- Ochoa's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 72%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Ochoa is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Ochoa compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Ochoa's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
83 Top 19% score exceeds 81% 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%). Below this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Below this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). This entry sits in this band.
- 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 | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 58°F (14°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 0.5" | 0.7" | 23.1 | 0.0 |
| February | 62°F (17°C) | 31°F (0°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 0.5" | 0.5" | 15.5 | 0.0 |
| March | 70°F (21°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 0.5" | 0.0" | 7.6 | 0.3 |
| April | 79°F (26°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 0.5" | 0.0" | 1.7 | 3.5 |
| May | 87°F (30°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 1.3" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 14.5 |
| June | 95°F (35°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 80°F (27°C) | 1.3" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 25.6 |
| July | 94°F (35°C) | 67°F (19°C) | 81°F (27°C) | 2.2" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 25.2 |
| August | 94°F (34°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 80°F (27°C) | 1.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 25.6 |
| September | 87°F (31°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 2.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 13.5 |
| October | 79°F (26°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 1.2" | 0.0" | 0.9 | 3.7 |
| November | 67°F (19°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 0.7" | 0.0" | 8.6 | 0.0 |
| December | 58°F (14°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 44°F (6°C) | 0.6" | 1.9" | 21.7 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Ochoa works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 96°F by June 17 and hold at or above 90°F on 103 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 81 dates, bottoming at 27°F around January 9.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from May 25 through September 4, covering 103 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs March 16 to November 6.
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 February 18, then returns to freezing around November 30, covering 81 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 September 9, when 15% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is December 6 at 5%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 35 wet dates a year.
The widest day
April 9 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 35°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Ochoa.
Where Ochoa Stands Nationally
Summers here run among the most heat-heavy normals calendars in the country: on about 103 days a year the normal daily high itself reaches 90°F — a count fewer than one station in ten exceeds.
A drier-than-most normal water year — around 13 inches, below what four out of five ranked stations collect.
Ochoa earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 0.7"
2.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.5"
2.0 days with precipitation
2.1 days with precipitation
1.6 days with precipitation
3.7 days with precipitation
3.6 days with precipitation
4.4 days with precipitation
3.6 days with precipitation
4.3 days with precipitation
3.2 days with precipitation
2.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.9"
1.6 days with precipitation
Ochoa runs a summer-peaked wet season
38% of Ochoa'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 September at 2.5", on a 38.2°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: September, July, August, taking 48% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: April at 0.5".
- Winter share: 12% 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.
When it rains in Ochoa, it arrives in quantity
13.4" of precipitation falls across only about 34 wet days here, averaging 0.39 inches each. Fewer days carry more water: the year's total is delivered in comparatively heavy events rather than persistent damp.
- Days with measurable precipitation
- about 34 a year, 9% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.39 inches
- Most wet days
- July, about 4
- Fewest wet days
- April, about 2
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, and a per-day average is not a forecast of any individual storm.
Snow reaches Ochoa, but rarely amounts to much
The normals record 3.1 inches of snow a year here, most likely in December. That is a real but marginal amount: enough that snow is part of the local record, not enough to define the winter.
A figure in this range usually reflects a handful of events that melt quickly rather than a season of accumulation; about 1 days a year record any measurable snow at all.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. An average across thirty years can smooth away a single heavy winter, so a small annual figure does not mean a significant snowfall is impossible.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
November 6
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 4
50% probability date
Growing Season
216 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
2,926
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,982
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside NM closest to Ochoa 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 (62°F here).
- Dunn, NC 62°F · 0.0°F off
- Elizabeth City, NC 62°F · 0.0°F off
- Houston, MS 62°F · 0.0°F off
- Madera, CA 62°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (13.4" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Briggsdale, CO 13.4" · 0.0" off
- Glendo, WY 13.4" · 0.0" off
- Chinook, MT 13.4" · 0.0" off
- Glasgow, MT 13.4" · 0.0" off
Scarce-water calendar
Where Ochoa's limited precipitation lands
mixed demand · dry · mid swing
Local precipitation is sparse in this otherwise mixed profile. The station reports 13.4 inches annually, within PlainClimate's dry band. Annual snowfall totals 3.1 inches. The monthly distribution matters because the total alone does not reveal the timing.
July and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Ochoa's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 38.2°F. The annual average is 62°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Heating and cooling both register in Ochoa's normal, at 2,926 and 1,982 degree days respectively. Neither total exceeds the other by more than two to one, so the record is better read as a mixed-demand calendar than as heating-led or cooling-led.
A roughly 216-day frost-free season sits inside this mixed heating-and-cooling profile. Start and end dates matter because both sides of the thermostat register during a normal year.
Ochoa wettest normal
September
September concentrates the scarce annual total (13.4 inches).
Ochoa driest normal
April
April is typically driest; arid stations are defined by when water is absent, not by a four-season grid.
Questions about Ochoa's climate
How dry is Ochoa? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Ochoa get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Ochoa? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Ochoa's primary station: OCHOA (USC00296281). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The conservative exact name-and-state crosswalk finds no Census place match, so PlainClimate treats this as a station-mapped location and does not claim it is a municipality. No exact Gazetteer row for Ochoa; facility counts that depend on place identity are therefore an upper bound, not a municipal census.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Ochoa 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.