Roswell, New Mexico climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Roswell's normal year runs from 28°F December nights to 97°F July afternoons, with 11.6 inches of precipitation and 10 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 17.3°C, December lows of −2°C, July highs of 36°C, 295 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationRoswell Industrial Air Park
- Station IDUSW00023009
- Location33.31°N 104.51°W
- Elevation3,649 ft (1,112 m)
- Population47,176
On October 14, the normal high in Roswell is 79°F and the normal low 50°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 16%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Roswell.
- Jan 57° 28°
- Feb 63° 33°
- Mar 71° 39°
- Apr 79° 47°
- May 88° 57°
- Jun 96° 66°
- Jul 97° 70°
- Aug 95° 69°
- Sep 88° 61°
- Oct 78° 49°
- Nov 66° 36°
- Dec 57° 28°
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 Roswell each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 97°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 28°F. The most precipitation falls in July (1.82 in), the least in February (0.35 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 57°F | 28°F | 42.7°F | 0.36 | 2.4 | 3 | <1 | 25 | 10 h 10 min |
| February | 63°F | 33°F | 47.8°F | 0.35 | 1.1 | 3 | <1 | 17 | 11 h |
| March | 71°F | 39°F | 55.2°F | 0.54 | 0.7 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 12 h |
| April | 79°F | 47°F | 63.2°F | 0.57 | 0.0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 13 h |
| May | 88°F | 57°F | 72.3°F | 1.14 | 0.0 | 4 | 14 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| June | 96°F | 66°F | 81.0°F | 1.28 | 0.0 | 5 | 25 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| July | 97°F | 70°F | 83.2°F | 1.82 | 0.0 | 7 | 27 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| August | 95°F | 69°F | 81.6°F | 1.68 | 0.0 | 7 | 24 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 88°F | 61°F | 74.4°F | 1.55 | 0.0 | 6 | 13 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 78°F | 49°F | 63.2°F | 1.33 | 0.4 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 66°F | 36°F | 51.0°F | 0.45 | 1.2 | 3 | <1 | 12 | 10 h 30 min |
| December | 57°F | 28°F | 42.4°F | 0.56 | 3.8 | 4 | <1 | 24 | 10 h |
| Year (annual) | 78°F | 49°F | 63.2°F | 11.63 | 9.6 | 51 | 110 | 87 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14°C | −2°C | 5.9°C | 9 mm | 6 cm |
| February | 17°C | 0°C | 8.8°C | 9 mm | 3 cm |
| March | 22°C | 4°C | 12.9°C | 14 mm | 2 cm |
| April | 26°C | 8°C | 17.3°C | 14 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 31°C | 14°C | 22.4°C | 29 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 36°C | 19°C | 27.2°C | 33 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 36°C | 21°C | 28.4°C | 46 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 35°C | 20°C | 27.6°C | 43 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 31°C | 16°C | 23.6°C | 39 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 25°C | 9°C | 17.3°C | 34 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 19°C | 2°C | 10.6°C | 11 mm | 3 cm |
| December | 14°C | −2°C | 5.8°C | 14 mm | 10 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00023009; 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 Roswell?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in March, April, October and November. Of those, April has the fewest days with rain (3).
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 USW00023009.
When is the last frost in Roswell?
In Roswell, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after March 29 in half of years and after April 15 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 7 in half of years and before October 26 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
- March 291 year in 10 after April 15; 9 in 10 after March 8
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 71 year in 10 before October 26; 9 in 10 before November 19
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 223 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 250 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 10 in half of springs and before November 16 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Roswell in zone 7b in ZIP code 88230, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Roswell's NOAA station is in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 9°F (30 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 USW00023009; 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 Roswell?
In a normal year in Roswell, 110 days a year reach 90°F (26 of them 100°F or more), 87 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 51 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 110a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 26a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 87a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 3high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 51a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 3a normal year
The highest temperature in Roswell's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1893) is 114°F, on June 27, 1994; the lowest is −24°F, on January 11, 1962.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1941, with 32.90 in; the snowiest season is 1987–88, with 32.6 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00023009; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record ROWthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Roswell, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 55°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 57°F; the driest air comes in January (22°F). April is the windiest month (10.4 mph on average), and May has the most clear or nearly clear hours (86%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22°F | 46% | 25% | 7.8 mph | 77% | 14% |
| February | 23°F | 37% | 20% | 9.2 mph | 80% | 10% |
| March | 27°F | 33% | 17% | 10.3 mph | 83% | 9% |
| April | 31°F | 29% | 15% | 10.4 mph | 84% | 7% |
| May | 43°F | 33% | 18% | 9.9 mph | 86% | 5% |
| June | 54°F | 41% | 23% | 9.3 mph | 83% | 5% |
| July | 57°F | 46% | 28% | 8.0 mph | 79% | 6% |
| August | 55°F | 47% | 28% | 7.6 mph | 82% | 6% |
| September | 46°F | 47% | 26% | 7.9 mph | 83% | 9% |
| October | 35°F | 49% | 27% | 7.6 mph | 80% | 13% |
| November | 24°F | 48% | 28% | 7.2 mph | 81% | 12% |
| December | 22°F | 54% | 33% | 6.9 mph | 77% | 16% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00023009. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Roswell?
Over a year 87% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Roswell, 5.6 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (90%) and December the cloudiest (83%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 86% | 3.5 |
| February | 85% | 4.4 |
| March | 85% | 5.7 |
| April | 89% | 7.0 |
| May | 88% | 7.5 |
| June | 90% | 7.8 |
| July | 88% | 7.3 |
| August | 87% | 6.6 |
| September | 87% | 5.7 |
| October | 87% | 4.7 |
| November | 86% | 3.6 |
| December | 83% | 3.1 |
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 Roswell need?
A normal year in Roswell brings 2,876 heating degree days, 46% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 2,236 cooling degree days, 2.5 times 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 5,604 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 691 | 0 |
| February | 481 | 1 |
| March | 313 | 9 |
| April | 117 | 63 |
| May | 20 | 245 |
| June | 0 | 479 |
| July | 0 | 564 |
| August | 0 | 515 |
| September | 9 | 291 |
| October | 122 | 67 |
| November | 422 | 2 |
| December | 701 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 2,876 | 2,236 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00023009. 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 Roswell been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 64.1°F, 0.9°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 63.2°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 63.5°F | +0.3°F | 15.78 | 6.0 |
| 2022 | 63.3°F | +0.1°F | 10.08 | 1.6 |
| 2023 | 65.4°F | +2.2°F | 5.58 | 2.2 |
| 2024 | 65.8°F | +2.6°F | 14.98 | 6.0 |
| 2025 | 64.1°F | +0.9°F | 11.85 | 4.6 |
Over 108 complete years from 1896 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 2.8°F per century (+0.15°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00023009; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Roswell's climate compare?
Roswell is warmer than 90 of the other 97 places with their own NOAA record in New Mexico, and wetter than 30. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 63.2°F is warmer than 83%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Roswell 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 Roswell share this climate record?
3 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.
- Dexter, NM1,055 people · 11 mi SE
- Hagerman, NM961 people · 17 mi SE
- Midway, NM571 people · 3 mi E
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 Roswell's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Roswell. This page uses Roswell Industrial Air Park; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roswell Climat USC00297605 | 5 mi N | 3,605 ft | 59.4°F | 23°F | 94°F | 11.6 | 10 | April 13 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Roswell's climate
What is the coldest month in Roswell?
December, with a normal high of 57°F and a normal low of 28°F. The warmest is July (97°F by day, 70°F at night).
Does it snow in Roswell?
Yes: 10 inches in a normal year, falling on 5 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (3.8 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Roswell?
July, with 1.82 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.35 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Roswell in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Roswell in zone 7b in ZIP code 88230, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Roswell's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 9°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 7b.
How late can frost come in Roswell?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after March 29; in one year in ten it comes after April 15. Waiting until April 15 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Roswell in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- New Mexico climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge, NM12 miles from this station, 59.4°F a year
- Picacho, NM37 miles from this station, 58.6°F a year
- Hope, NM37 miles from this station, 61.9°F a year
- Artesia, NM39 miles from this station, 60.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made