Raton, New Mexico climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Raton's normal year runs from 14°F December nights to 87°F July afternoons, with 13.7 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.8°C, December lows of −10°C, July highs of 30°C, 349 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationRaton Municipal Crews Airport
- Station IDUSW00023052
- Location36.74°N 104.50°W
- Elevation6,349 ft (1,935 m)
- Population6,005
On October 14, the normal high in Raton is 68°F and the normal low 34°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 18%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Raton.
- Jan 47° 14°
- Feb 50° 18°
- Mar 58° 23°
- Apr 65° 31°
- May 74° 40°
- Jun 84° 49°
- Jul 87° 54°
- Aug 85° 53°
- Sep 78° 45°
- Oct 68° 34°
- Nov 55° 22°
- Dec 46° 14°
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 Raton each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 87°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 14°F. The most precipitation falls in July (2.62 in), the least in February (0.32 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47°F | 14°F | 30.5°F | 0.37 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 50°F | 18°F | 33.7°F | 0.32 | 6 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 58°F | 23°F | 40.4°F | 0.81 | 6 | <1 | 27 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 65°F | 31°F | 48.1°F | 1.03 | 6 | <1 | 16 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 74°F | 40°F | 57.2°F | 1.06 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 84°F | 49°F | 66.5°F | 1.67 | 8 | 9 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 87°F | 54°F | 70.6°F | 2.62 | 12 | 13 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 85°F | 53°F | 68.6°F | 2.32 | 10 | 9 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 78°F | 45°F | 61.7°F | 1.79 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 68°F | 34°F | 50.6°F | 0.92 | 6 | <1 | 13 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 55°F | 22°F | 38.7°F | 0.46 | 4 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 46°F | 14°F | 30.2°F | 0.36 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 66°F | 33°F | 49.7°F | 13.73 | 82 | 35 | 177 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8°C | −10°C | −0.8°C | 9 mm |
| February | 10°C | −8°C | 0.9°C | 8 mm |
| March | 14°C | −5°C | 4.7°C | 21 mm |
| April | 18°C | −1°C | 8.9°C | 26 mm |
| May | 24°C | 5°C | 14.0°C | 27 mm |
| June | 29°C | 10°C | 19.2°C | 42 mm |
| July | 30°C | 12°C | 21.4°C | 67 mm |
| August | 29°C | 11°C | 20.3°C | 59 mm |
| September | 26°C | 7°C | 16.5°C | 45 mm |
| October | 20°C | 1°C | 10.3°C | 23 mm |
| November | 13°C | −5°C | 3.7°C | 12 mm |
| December | 8°C | −10°C | −1.0°C | 9 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. Raton's own co-op station Raton KRTN Radio does: 25 inches of snow in a normal year (see the other stations below).
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00023052; 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 Raton?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, August, September and October. Of those, October has the fewest days with rain (6).
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 USW00023052.
When is the last frost in Raton?
In Raton, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 11 in half of years and after May 24 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 4 in half of years and before September 21 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
- May 111 year in 10 after May 24; 9 in 10 after April 29
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 41 year in 10 before September 21; 9 in 10 before October 15
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 145 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 164 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 30 in half of springs and before October 12 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Raton in zone 6a in ZIP code 87740, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Raton's NOAA station is in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −7°F (21 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 USW00023052; 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 Raton?
In a normal year in Raton, 35 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more), 177 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 82 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 35a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 177a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 12high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 82a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1946) is 102°F, on June 24, 2011; the lowest is −31°F, on January 12, 1963.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1965, with 22.94 in; the snowiest season is 1957–58, with 36.4 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00023052; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00023052. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Raton?
Over a year 83% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Raton, 5.3 kWh per square metre a day. October is the sunniest month (86%) and July the cloudiest (81%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 84% | 3.2 |
| February | 83% | 4.1 |
| March | 83% | 5.4 |
| April | 83% | 6.5 |
| May | 83% | 7.3 |
| June | 84% | 7.5 |
| July | 81% | 6.9 |
| August | 82% | 6.4 |
| September | 85% | 5.6 |
| October | 86% | 4.5 |
| November | 86% | 3.4 |
| December | 83% | 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 Raton need?
A normal year in Raton brings 5,970 heating degree days, 11% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 431 cooling degree days, 53% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,493 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,070 | 0 |
| February | 875 | 0 |
| March | 764 | 0 |
| April | 507 | 0 |
| May | 253 | 11 |
| June | 46 | 91 |
| July | 4 | 178 |
| August | 14 | 125 |
| September | 124 | 25 |
| October | 447 | 1 |
| November | 788 | 0 |
| December | 1,079 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,970 | 431 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00023052. 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.
Has Raton been warmer than normal lately?
2024 averaged 51.7°F, 2.0°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 49.7°F. 4 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 51.0°F | +1.3°F | – |
| 2022 | 50.0°F | +0.3°F | 10.08 |
| 2023 | 50.5°F | +0.8°F | 17.35 |
| 2024 | 51.7°F | +2.0°F | 15.62 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00023052. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Raton's climate compare?
Raton is warmer than 21 of the other 97 places with their own NOAA record in New Mexico, and wetter than 52. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 49.7°F is warmer than 39%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Raton 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.
What do Raton's other NOAA stations record?
2 more NOAA stations keep 1991-2020 normals in or near Raton. This page uses Raton Municipal Crews Airport; the others differ by site and elevation, and the linked ones have pages of their own:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raton Filter Plant USC00297279 | 13 mi N | 6,932 ft | 49.7°F | 21°F | 81°F | 18.6 | 29 | May 5 |
| Raton KRTN Radio USC00297280 | 11 mi N | 6,640 ft | 48.6°F | 14°F | 85°F | 15.1 | 25 | May 19 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Raton's climate
What is the coldest month in Raton?
December, with a normal high of 46°F and a normal low of 14°F. The warmest is July (87°F by day, 54°F at night).
Does it snow in Raton?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Raton's NOAA station; Raton's own co-op station Raton KRTN Radio records 25 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Raton?
July, with 2.62 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.32 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Raton in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Raton in zone 6a in ZIP code 87740, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Raton's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −7°F (21 years, 1991-2020): zone 6a.
How late can frost come in Raton?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 11; in one year in ten it comes after May 24. Waiting until May 24 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
- Maxwell, NM13 miles from this station, 48.7°F a year
- Raton Filter Plant, NM13 miles from this station, 49.7°F a year
- Lake Maloya, NM18 miles from this station, 44.3°F a year
- Springer, NM27 miles from this station, 52.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made