Rio Grande Nature Center, New Mexico climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Rio Grande Nature Center's normal year runs from 21°F December nights to 95°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 13.7°C, December lows of −6°C, July highs of 35°C.
- NOAA stationRio Grande Nature Center
- Station IDUSC00297461
- Location35.13°N 106.68°W
- Elevation4,944 ft (1,507 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Rio Grande Nature Center is 72°F and the normal low 36°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Rio Grande Nature Center.
- Jan 52° 21°
- Feb 58° 24°
- Mar 67° 31°
- Apr 76° 37°
- May 84° 45°
- Jun 94° 53°
- Jul 95° 62°
- Aug 92° 59°
- Sep 87° 50°
- Oct 75° 39°
- Nov 61° 28°
- Dec 50° 21°
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 Rio Grande Nature Center each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 95°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 21°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 52°F | 21°F | 36.7°F | – | <1 | 29 | 10 h |
| February | 58°F | 24°F | 40.9°F | – | <1 | 23 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 67°F | 31°F | 48.9°F | – | <1 | 14 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 76°F | 37°F | 56.5°F | – | <1 | 5 | 13 h |
| May | 84°F | 45°F | 64.7°F | – | 9 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 94°F | 53°F | 73.8°F | – | 27 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 95°F | 62°F | 78.2°F | – | 27 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 92°F | 59°F | 75.6°F | – | 28 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 87°F | 50°F | 68.5°F | – | 14 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 75°F | 39°F | 57.0°F | – | <1 | 5 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 61°F | 28°F | 44.2°F | – | <1 | 20 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 50°F | 21°F | 35.1°F | – | <1 | 29 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 74°F | 39°F | 56.7°F | – | 106 | 125 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11°C | −6°C | 2.6°C |
| February | 14°C | −4°C | 4.9°C |
| March | 20°C | −1°C | 9.4°C |
| April | 24°C | 3°C | 13.6°C |
| May | 29°C | 7°C | 18.2°C |
| June | 35°C | 12°C | 23.2°C |
| July | 35°C | 16°C | 25.7°C |
| August | 33°C | 15°C | 24.2°C |
| September | 30°C | 10°C | 20.3°C |
| October | 24°C | 4°C | 13.9°C |
| November | 16°C | −2°C | 6.8°C |
| December | 10°C | −6°C | 1.7°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Albuquerque (7 miles away), gets 8 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00297461; 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 Rio Grande Nature Center?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in March, April, May and October.
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 USC00297461.
When is the last frost at Rio Grande Nature Center?
In Rio Grande Nature Center, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 23 in half of years and after May 6 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 20 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 231 year in 10 after May 6; 9 in 10 after April 7
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 201 year in 10 before October 8; 9 in 10 before November 1
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 179 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 206 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 5 in half of springs and before October 31 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Rio Grande Nature Center in zone 7b in ZIP code 87104, 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 USC00297461; 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 Rio Grande Nature Center?
In a normal year in Rio Grande Nature Center, 106 days a year reach 90°F (20 of them 100°F or more) and 125 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 106a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 20a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 125a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 1high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00297461.
How sunny is it at Rio Grande Nature Center?
Over a year 86% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Rio Grande Nature Center, 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 many heating and cooling degree days does Rio Grande Nature Center record?
A normal year at Rio Grande Nature Center brings 4,216 heating degree days, 22% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,201 cooling degree days, 32% 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 3,902 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 879 | 0 |
| February | 673 | 0 |
| March | 500 | 0 |
| April | 258 | 3 |
| May | 77 | 66 |
| June | 2 | 266 |
| July | 0 | 409 |
| August | 0 | 327 |
| September | 22 | 125 |
| October | 253 | 5 |
| November | 625 | 0 |
| December | 928 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,216 | 1,201 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00297461. 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 Rio Grande Nature Center's climate compare?
Rio Grande Nature Center is warmer than 60 of the 98 places with their own NOAA record in New Mexico. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 56.7°F is warmer than 66%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Rio Grande Nature Center share this climate record?
2 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- North Valley, NM11,474 people · 5 mi NE
- Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, NM5,833 people · 3 mi NE
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Rio Grande Nature Center's climate
What is the coldest month at Rio Grande Nature Center?
December, with a normal high of 50°F and a normal low of 21°F. The warmest is July (95°F by day, 62°F at night).
Does it snow at Rio Grande Nature Center?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Albuquerque (7 miles away), records 8 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Rio Grande Nature Center in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Rio Grande Nature Center in zone 7b in ZIP code 87104, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Rio Grande Nature Center?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 23; in one year in ten it comes after May 6. Waiting until May 6 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
- Petroglyph National Mon, NM2 miles from this station, 57.6°F a year
- Albuquerque, NM7 miles from this station, 57.9°F a year
- South Valley, NM7 miles from this station, 56.9°F a year
- Rio Rancho, NM9 miles from this station, 58.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made