Placitas, New Mexico climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Placitas's normal year runs from 24°F December nights to 91°F July afternoons, with 10.9 inches of precipitation and 11 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 13.2°C, December lows of −4°C, July highs of 33°C, 276 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationPlacitas (4 mi W)
- Station IDUSC00296911
- Location35.31°N 106.48°W
- Elevation5,585 ft (1,702 m)
- Population (census place)4,375
On October 23, the normal high in Placitas is 68°F and the normal low 38°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 12%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Placitas.
- Jan 47° 24°
- Feb 53° 28°
- Mar 62° 33°
- Apr 71° 40°
- May 79° 49°
- Jun 89° 58°
- Jul 91° 63°
- Aug 89° 60°
- Sep 82° 53°
- Oct 71° 41°
- Nov 56° 31°
- Dec 46° 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 in Placitas each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 91°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 24°F. The most precipitation falls in August (1.95 in), the least in February (0.47 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47°F | 24°F | 35.5°F | 0.50 | 2.7 | 2 | <1 | 28 | 10 h |
| February | 53°F | 28°F | 40.2°F | 0.47 | 2.0 | 3 | <1 | 22 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 62°F | 33°F | 47.1°F | 0.72 | 1.5 | 3 | <1 | 16 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 71°F | 40°F | 55.2°F | 0.65 | 0.3 | 2 | <1 | 5 | 13 h |
| May | 79°F | 49°F | 63.7°F | 0.61 | 0.0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 14 h |
| June | 89°F | 58°F | 73.6°F | 0.58 | 0.0 | 3 | 18 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 91°F | 63°F | 76.9°F | 1.70 | 0.0 | 8 | 21 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 89°F | 60°F | 74.6°F | 1.95 | 0.0 | 8 | 16 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 82°F | 53°F | 67.8°F | 1.15 | 0.0 | 5 | 4 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 71°F | 41°F | 56.0°F | 1.10 | 0.1 | 4 | <1 | 4 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 56°F | 31°F | 43.3°F | 0.79 | 1.2 | 3 | <1 | 17 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 46°F | 24°F | 35.0°F | 0.65 | 2.9 | 2 | <1 | 26 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 70°F | 42°F | 55.7°F | 10.87 | 10.7 | 46 | 62 | 118 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8°C | −5°C | 1.9°C | 13 mm | 7 cm |
| February | 12°C | −2°C | 4.6°C | 12 mm | 5 cm |
| March | 16°C | 0°C | 8.4°C | 18 mm | 4 cm |
| April | 22°C | 4°C | 12.9°C | 17 mm | 1 cm |
| May | 26°C | 9°C | 17.6°C | 15 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 32°C | 14°C | 23.1°C | 15 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 33°C | 17°C | 24.9°C | 43 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 32°C | 16°C | 23.7°C | 50 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 28°C | 12°C | 19.9°C | 29 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 22°C | 5°C | 13.3°C | 28 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 13°C | −1°C | 6.3°C | 20 mm | 3 cm |
| December | 8°C | −4°C | 1.7°C | 17 mm | 7 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00296911; 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 Placitas?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, September and October. 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 USC00296911.
When is the last frost in Placitas?
In Placitas, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 16 in half of years and after May 5 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 23 in half of years and before October 8 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 161 year in 10 after May 5; 9 in 10 after March 31
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 231 year in 10 before October 8; 9 in 10 before November 4
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 187 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 213 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 2 in half of springs and before November 2 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Placitas in zone 7b in ZIP code 87043.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in New Mexico · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00296911; 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 Placitas?
In a normal year in Placitas, 62 days a year reach 90°F (3 of them 100°F or more), 118 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 46 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 62a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 118a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 6high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 46a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 3a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00296911.
How sunny is Placitas?
Over a year 86% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Placitas, 5.5 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (90%) and December the cloudiest (81%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 83% | 3.2 |
| February | 82% | 4.1 |
| March | 85% | 5.6 |
| April | 85% | 6.8 |
| May | 87% | 7.7 |
| June | 90% | 8.1 |
| July | 85% | 7.2 |
| August | 86% | 6.6 |
| September | 87% | 5.8 |
| October | 88% | 4.7 |
| November | 86% | 3.5 |
| December | 81% | 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 Placitas need?
A normal year in Placitas brings 4,490 heating degree days, 16% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,128 cooling degree days, 24% more than 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 3,727 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 916 | 0 |
| February | 694 | 0 |
| March | 557 | 0 |
| April | 299 | 5 |
| May | 113 | 73 |
| June | 5 | 261 |
| July | 0 | 367 |
| August | 1 | 297 |
| September | 34 | 116 |
| October | 289 | 9 |
| November | 651 | 0 |
| December | 931 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,490 | 1,128 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00296911. 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 Placitas's climate compare?
Placitas is warmer than 55 of the other 97 places with their own NOAA record in New Mexico, and wetter than 26. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 55.7°F is warmer than 63%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Placitas 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 Placitas's climate
What is the coldest month in Placitas?
December, with a normal high of 46°F and a normal low of 24°F. The warmest is July (91°F by day, 63°F at night).
Does it snow in Placitas?
Yes: 11 inches in a normal year, falling on 5 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (2.9 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Placitas?
August, with 1.95 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.47 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Placitas in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Placitas in zone 7b in ZIP code 87043.
How late can frost come in Placitas?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 16; 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
- Jemez Dam, NM6 miles from this station, 55.9°F a year
- Corrales, NM8 miles from this station, 55.0°F a year
- Rio Rancho #1, NM8 miles from this station, 56.2°F a year
- Sandia Park, NM9 miles from this station, 49.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made