Rio Rancho, New Mexico climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Rio Rancho's normal year runs from 24°F January nights to 96°F July afternoons, with 9.5 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 14.4°C, January lows of −5°C, July highs of 35°C, 242 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationRio Rancho #2
- Station IDUSC00297481
- Location35.25°N 106.63°W
- Elevation5,290 ft (1,612 m)
- Population112,524
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Rio Rancho.
- Jan 50° 24°
- Feb 56° 28°
- Mar 66° 34°
- Apr 73° 41°
- May 81° 49°
- Jun 93° 59°
- Jul 96° 64°
- Aug 92° 63°
- Sep 86° 56°
- Oct 74° 44°
- Nov 61° 31°
- Dec 50° 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 Rio Rancho each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 96°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 24°F. The most precipitation falls in August (1.73 in), the least in March (0.35 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50°F | 24°F | 36.8°F | 0.49 | 3 | <1 | 28 | 10 h |
| February | 56°F | 28°F | 41.8°F | 0.46 | 3 | <1 | 23 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 66°F | 34°F | 50.0°F | 0.35 | 2 | <1 | 13 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 73°F | 41°F | 56.9°F | 0.50 | 3 | <1 | 4 | 13 h |
| May | 81°F | 49°F | 64.8°F | 0.56 | 3 | 5 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 93°F | 59°F | 76.2°F | 0.56 | 3 | 25 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 96°F | 64°F | 79.8°F | 1.22 | 8 | 28 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 92°F | 63°F | 77.4°F | 1.73 | 7 | 25 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 86°F | 56°F | 70.8°F | 1.21 | 6 | 12 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 74°F | 44°F | 58.8°F | 1.32 | 4 | <1 | 2 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 61°F | 31°F | 46.0°F | 0.51 | 2 | <1 | 17 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 50°F | 24°F | 37.0°F | 0.61 | 4 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 73°F | 43°F | 58.0°F | 9.52 | 49 | 95 | 116 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10°C | −5°C | 2.7°C | 12 mm |
| February | 13°C | −2°C | 5.4°C | 12 mm |
| March | 19°C | 1°C | 10.0°C | 9 mm |
| April | 23°C | 5°C | 13.8°C | 13 mm |
| May | 27°C | 9°C | 18.2°C | 14 mm |
| June | 34°C | 15°C | 24.6°C | 14 mm |
| July | 35°C | 18°C | 26.6°C | 31 mm |
| August | 33°C | 17°C | 25.2°C | 44 mm |
| September | 30°C | 13°C | 21.6°C | 31 mm |
| October | 23°C | 7°C | 14.9°C | 34 mm |
| November | 16°C | 0°C | 7.8°C | 13 mm |
| December | 10°C | −4°C | 2.8°C | 15 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. Rio Rancho's own co-op station Rio Rancho #1 does: 9 inches of snow in a normal year (see the other stations below).
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00297481; 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 Rio Rancho?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in March, April, May and October. Of those, March 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 USC00297481.
When is the last frost in Rio Rancho?
In Rio Rancho, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 8 in half of years and after April 28 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 1 in half of years and before October 20 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 81 year in 10 after April 28; 9 in 10 after March 24
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 11 year in 10 before October 20; 9 in 10 before November 12
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 203 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 233 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 20 in half of springs and before November 9 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Rio Rancho in zone 7b across its 2 ZIP code areas (7b in 87144, the largest).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in New Mexico · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00297481; 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.
What hardiness zone is each Rio Rancho ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Rio Rancho's 2 ZIP code areas are all in zone 7b. Each ZIP's frost dates are in the frost tool.
Source: USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; ZIP areas in the place: Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-place relationship file. A ZIP area counts when at least a tenth of its land (and 0.5 km²) lies in the place.
How hot and how cold does it get in Rio Rancho?
In a normal year in Rio Rancho, 95 days a year reach 90°F (18 of them 100°F or more), 116 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 49 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 95a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 18a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 116a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 2high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 49a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00297481.
How sunny is Rio Rancho?
Over a year 86% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Rio Rancho, 5.5 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (90%) and December the cloudiest (81%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 81st (with 7 others) in sunshine.
| 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 Rio Rancho need?
A normal year in Rio Rancho brings 4,002 heating degree days, 26% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,484 cooling degree days, 63% 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 4,288 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 874 | 0 |
| February | 649 | 0 |
| March | 465 | 0 |
| April | 250 | 7 |
| May | 94 | 90 |
| June | 2 | 336 |
| July | 0 | 459 |
| August | 0 | 384 |
| September | 15 | 189 |
| October | 210 | 18 |
| November | 572 | 0 |
| December | 869 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,002 | 1,484 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00297481. 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 Rio Rancho been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 60.4°F, 2.4°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 58.0°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 59.0°F | +1.0°F | 4.83 |
| 2022 | 58.1°F | +0.1°F | 9.63 |
| 2023 | 58.9°F | +0.9°F | 6.11 |
| 2024 | 59.8°F | +1.8°F | 9.67 |
| 2025 | 60.4°F | +2.4°F | 8.25 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00297481. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Rio Rancho's climate compare?
Rio Rancho is warmer than 64 of the other 97 places with their own NOAA record in New Mexico, and wetter than 7. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 58.0°F is warmer than 69%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Rio Rancho 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.
Which places near Rio Rancho share this climate record?
Rio Rancho Estates has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its 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.
- Rio Rancho Estates, NM1,626 people · 10 mi W
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Rio Rancho's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Rio Rancho. This page uses Rio Rancho #2; the other differs 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Rancho #1 USC00297477 | 2 mi N | 5,230 ft | 56.2°F | 22°F | 94°F | 10.4 | 9 | April 16 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Rio Rancho's climate
What is the coldest month in Rio Rancho?
January, with a normal high of 50°F and a normal low of 24°F. The warmest is July (96°F by day, 64°F at night).
Does it snow in Rio Rancho?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Rio Rancho's NOAA station; Rio Rancho's own co-op station Rio Rancho #1 records 9 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Rio Rancho?
August, with 1.73 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is March with 0.35 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Rio Rancho in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Rio Rancho in zone 7b across its 2 ZIP code areas (7b in 87144, the largest).
How late can frost come in Rio Rancho?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 8; in one year in ten it comes after April 28. Waiting until April 28 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
- Corrales, NM2 miles from this station, 55.0°F a year
- Rio Rancho #1, NM2 miles from this station, 56.2°F a year
- Rio Grande Nature Center, NM9 miles from this station, 56.7°F a year
- Petroglyph National Mon, NM9 miles from this station, 57.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made