Socorro, NM Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Pulled from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →: climate measurements used in PlainClimate's documented score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Socorro's primary NOAA station, SOCORRO 20 N - 2 stations mapped to the area.
The climate verdict for Socorro
Dryness leads the climate profile for Socorro, New Mexico, with 8.6 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 58°F. Its climate comfort score of 56/100 (moderate) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 36% of station-mapped location scores.
- 58°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 56/100
- comfort score, above 36% of station-mapped location scores
- 8.6"
- precipitation, annual total
- 198 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Socorro: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USW00003048 · Socorro, NM 58°F mean · 8.6" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-ARID · SWING-MID · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-MULTI · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 58°F
- RANK-UPPER #4,803
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ White House
- PRCP-ARID 8.6"
- SWING-MID 43°F
- COMF-MID 56/100
- LOAD-HEAT 3,964 HDD
- STN-MULTI USW00003048
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: White House, TN (+ 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.
- Socorro (this station) 58°F
- Cold Royal Oak, MD 58°F
- Hot Patuxent River, MD 58°F
- Near White House, TN 58°F
- Near Quantico Mcas, VA 58°F
Climate Living Index · Socorro
Socorro: 39/100 · grade F
Socorro publishes 4 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 2 missing weights rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Socorro, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 56/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Annual temperature balance | 58.2°F · 9.3° from 67.5°F | 70/100 · B |
| Frost-free season | 198 days/year | 63/100 · C |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 197 calendar days | 16/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 8.6 in · 26.4 from 35 in | 8/100 · F |
Socorro · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Socorro's normals sit in a dry climate class: BSk
Precipitation is low relative to temperature but above true desert thresholds: cold semi-arid steppe (BSk). Class BSk is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: dry (arid or semi-arid), specifically cold semi-arid steppe.
- Köppen code
- BSk
- Group
- Dry (arid or semi-arid)
- Warmest month
- 79.6°F
- Coldest month
- 36.4°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 Socorro sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Socorro's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Top 30% warmest
- Among 6,861 stations, Socorro sits in the warmer third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 96%
- Socorro's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 49th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Socorro compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Socorro's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
56 36th percentile score exceeds 36% 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%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). This entry sits in this band.
- 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 | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51°F (11°C) | 22°F (-5°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 0.4" | 27.2 | 0.0 |
| February | 57°F (14°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 0.4" | 20.8 | 0.0 |
| March | 66°F (19°C) | 35°F (1°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 0.4" | 11.2 | 0.0 |
| April | 74°F (23°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 58°F (14°C) | 0.4" | 2.6 | 0.1 |
| May | 83°F (28°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 67°F (19°C) | 0.4" | 0.2 | 6.8 |
| June | 94°F (34°C) | 60°F (16°C) | 77°F (25°C) | 0.5" | 0.0 | 24.7 |
| July | 94°F (34°C) | 65°F (19°C) | 80°F (26°C) | 1.9" | 0.0 | 25.6 |
| August | 91°F (33°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 77°F (25°C) | 1.1" | 0.0 | 21.0 |
| September | 84°F (29°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 1.0" | 0.0 | 8.2 |
| October | 74°F (23°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 58°F (15°C) | 1.0" | 2.8 | 0.3 |
| November | 60°F (16°C) | 31°F (-1°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 0.4" | 18.2 | 0.0 |
| December | 50°F (10°C) | 23°F (-5°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 0.7" | 27.2 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Socorro works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 95°F by June 27 and hold at or above 90°F on 81 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 116 dates, bottoming at 22°F around January 1.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from June 2 through August 21, covering 81 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs March 29 to October 25.
This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 5, then returns to freezing around November 11, covering 116 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 29, when 32% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is April 15 at 7%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 53 wet dates a year.
The widest day
June 7 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 34°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Socorro.
Where Socorro Stands Nationally
Aridity defines the water calendar: about 9 inches in a normal year lands this among the driest tenth of ranked stations.
Heat is a defining feature of the normals calendar — the normal daily high reaches 90°F on roughly 81 days a year, more than four out of five ranked stations record.
Socorro earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall
3.5 days with precipitation
3.3 days with precipitation
3.0 days with precipitation
2.1 days with precipitation
3.2 days with precipitation
2.9 days with precipitation
9.1 days with precipitation
8.6 days with precipitation
6.3 days with precipitation
4.1 days with precipitation
2.8 days with precipitation
4.3 days with precipitation
Socorro runs a summer-peaked wet season
40% of Socorro's yearly precipitation falls in June, July and August alone, against the 25% an evenly spread year would give those three months. The wettest month is July at 1.9", on a 43.2°F seasonal spread. Warm-season convection and, across the Southwest, the North American monsoon produce this shape: rain arrives in short heavy bursts during the hottest part of the year rather than as long cool-season soaking.
- Wettest three months: July, August, September, taking 46% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: April at 0.4".
- Winter share: 18% falls in December, January and February.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A summer-peaked label means the June-August share reaches 35%; it describes timing across an average year, not any single season, and says nothing about how heavy an individual storm can be.
Socorro is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 53 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 15% of the calendar, and they carry 8.5" between them. At roughly 0.16 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 9 wet days; the driest is April at about 2.
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.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 27
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 12
50% probability date
Growing Season
198 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
3,964
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,511
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside NM closest to Socorro 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 (58°F here).
- Bardwell, KY 58°F · 0.0°F off
- Batesville, AR 58°F · 0.0°F off
- Clarksville, TN 58°F · 0.0°F off
- Henderson, NC 58°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (8.6" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- La Barge, WY 8.6" · 0.0" off
- Boardman, OR 8.6" · 0.0" off
- Riverton, WY 8.6" · 0.0" off
- Hanford, CA 8.5" · 0.0" off
Scarce-water calendar
Where Socorro's limited precipitation lands
heating led · dry · mid swing
Socorro's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 3,964 annual heating degree days against 1,511 for cooling. Its 43.2°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Socorro's frost-free season lasts about 198 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
July and December mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Socorro's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 43.2°F. The annual average is 58°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Socorro's cold-season load does not imply a wet climate. Annual precipitation is 8.6 inches, which places the station in PlainClimate's dry range. Snowfall is not added to the interpretation because its annual value is missing. The snowfall and rainfall fields should be read separately rather than inferred from temperature.
Socorro wettest normal
July
July concentrates the scarce annual total (8.6 inches).
Socorro driest normal
April
April is typically driest; arid stations are defined by when water is absent, not by a four-season grid.
Questions about Socorro's climate
How dry is Socorro? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Socorro get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Socorro? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Socorro's primary station: SOCORRO 20 N (USW00003048). 2 NOAA stations are mapped to the Socorro area; the primary station's record is used for consistency. 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 3573540). Match rule for Socorro: 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 Socorro 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.