Red River, NM Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, plus PlainClimate's derived comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Red River's primary NOAA station, RED RIVER.
The climate verdict for Red River
Red River, New Mexico has a mixed annual climate rather than one dominant extreme. Its NOAA normal shows an annual average of 39°F. At 44/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 10% of scores.
- 39°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 44/100
- comfort score, above 10% of station-mapped location scores
- 22.0"
- annual precipitation · 157" snow
- 80 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Red River: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00297323 · Red River, NM 39°F mean · 22.0" precip
TEMP-COLD · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COLD 39°F
- RANK-COOL #274
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Hohnholz Rch
- PRCP-DRY 22.0"
- SWING-MID 37°F
- COMF-LOW 44/100
- LOAD-HEAT 9,416 HDD
- STN-1 USC00297323
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Hohnholz Rch, CO (+ 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.
- Red River (this station) 39°F
- Hot Deadwood Lodge, ID 39°F
- Near Hohnholz Rch, CO 39°F
- Near Scofield Dam, UT 39°F
- Near Cold Bay, AK 39°F
Climate Living Index · Red River
Red River: 10/100 · grade F
Red River publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Red River, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 44/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 22.0 in · 13.0 from 35 in | 54/100 · D |
| Annual temperature balance | 39.1°F · 28.4° from 67.5°F | 2/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 80 days/year | 0/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 248 calendar days | 0/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 156.7 inches/year | 0/100 · F |
Red River · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Red River is a continental Köppen climate: Dfb
Coldest-month mean 21.0°F and warmest-month mean 58.1°F place this station in continental, no dry season, warm summer climates (Dfb). Class Dfb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfb
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 58.1°F
- Coldest month
- 21.0°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 · heating-led station
Where Red River sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Red River's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 96%
- Among 6,861 stations, Red River sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- 31st percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 76%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Red River is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Red River compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Red River's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
44 10th percentile score exceeds 10% 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%). This entry sits in this band.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 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 | 35°F (2°C) | 7°F (-14°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 1.1" | 19.1" | 30.9 | 0.0 |
| February | 37°F (3°C) | 9°F (-13°C) | 23°F (-5°C) | 1.5" | 26.1" | 27.7 | 0.0 |
| March | 45°F (7°C) | 16°F (-9°C) | 31°F (-1°C) | 1.9" | 31.4" | 30.4 | 0.0 |
| April | 52°F (11°C) | 23°F (-5°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 2.0" | 26.7" | 27.6 | 0.0 |
| May | 62°F (17°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 1.8" | 6.2" | 20.6 | 0.0 |
| June | 72°F (22°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 1.1" | 0.0" | 4.7 | 0.0 |
| July | 75°F (24°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 58°F (15°C) | 3.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| August | 72°F (22°C) | 40°F (5°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 3.0" | 0.0" | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| September | 68°F (20°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 51°F (10°C) | 2.0" | 0.0" | 9.1 | 0.0 |
| October | 56°F (13°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 40°F (5°C) | 1.8" | 9.7" | 26.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 44°F (7°C) | 16°F (-9°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 1.6" | 19.0" | 29.1 | 0.0 |
| December | 35°F (2°C) | 8°F (-13°C) | 22°F (-6°C) | 1.2" | 18.5" | 30.8 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 75°F around July 5, short of 90°F on every date, while 248 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 7°F near January 2.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into May 27, then returns to freezing around September 23, covering 248 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 July 30, when 55% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is December 1 at 23%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 116 wet dates a year.
The widest day
June 14 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 37°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Red River.
Where Red River Stands Nationally
Winters bite deep and often: the normal nightly low dips to freezing or below on around 248 nights a year, placing this among the most frost-prone tenth of ranked stations.
Day-to-night contrast is extreme by national standards — the widest normal daily swing reaches about 37°F, sharper than nine in ten ranked stations see.
Red River 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: 19.1"
7.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 26.1"
8.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 31.4"
9.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 26.7"
8.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 6.2"
9.2 days with precipitation
8.9 days with precipitation
16.3 days with precipitation
16.2 days with precipitation
9.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 9.7"
6.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 19.0"
7.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 18.5"
7.3 days with precipitation
Red River spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 33% of the annual total and December through February 17%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Red River has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 37.1°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: July averages 3.1" and January 1.1". The three wettest months together take 37% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
Red River is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 115 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 32% of the calendar, and they carry 22.0" between them. At roughly 0.19 inches on an average wet day, this is not the damp drizzle of a marine climate; it is an arid record in which precipitation is both uncommon and light when it appears.
The wettest month by count is July at about 16 wet days; the driest is October at about 7.
A low per-event average in a dry record is a statement about typical days only. Arid regions can still take a large share of a year's total from a single convective storm, which a normal cannot show.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, not the extremes within it.
Winter brings real snow to Red River
Red River averages 156.7 inches of snowfall a year, with March the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 45 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 156.7 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 45 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 71% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
September 7
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
June 19
50% probability date
Growing Season
80 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
9,416
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
0
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside NM closest to Red River 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 (39°F here).
- Alta, UT 39°F · 0.0°F off
- Divide, CO 39°F · 0.0°F off
- Esmond, ND 39°F · 0.0°F off
- Hallock, MN 39°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (22.0" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Hoxie, KS 22.0" · 0.0" off
- Colorado City, TX 22.0" · 0.0" off
- Cooperstown, ND 22.0" · 0.0" off
- Dodge City, KS 22.0" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Red River
heating led · moderate · mid swing
Red River's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 9,416 annual heating degree days against 0 for cooling. Its 37.1°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 80 days are frost-free in a normal year. That short interval is consistent with the cold-season signal, but the measure does not predict the exact first or last freeze in any one year.
-
1. Red River coldest normal
January
Averaging 21°F (-6°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. Red River typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Red River snow peak
March
Red River averages 156.7 inches of snow a year, with March the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Red River's climate
How much snow does Red River get? ▼
How cold does Red River get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Red River? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Red River's primary station: RED RIVER (USC00297323). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 3562200). Match rule for Red River: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Red River 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.