South Valley, New Mexico climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
South Valley's normal year runs from 22°F December nights to 93°F July afternoons, with 9.7 inches of precipitation and 7 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 13.8°C, December lows of −5°C, July highs of 34°C, 246 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationAlbuquerque Valley
- Station IDUSC00290231
- Location35.02°N 106.69°W
- Elevation4,955 ft (1,510 m)
- From the center1 miles
- Population (census place)36,605
On October 14, the normal high in South Valley is 73°F and the normal low 42°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 14%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for South Valley.
- Jan 51° 22°
- Feb 57° 27°
- Mar 66° 33°
- Apr 72° 40°
- May 81° 48°
- Jun 91° 57°
- Jul 93° 63°
- Aug 90° 62°
- Sep 83° 54°
- Oct 72° 41°
- Nov 60° 30°
- Dec 50° 22°
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 South Valley each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 93°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 22°F. The most precipitation falls in July (1.53 in), the least in January (0.45 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51°F | 22°F | 36.7°F | 0.45 | 1.4 | 4 | <1 | 29 | 10 h |
| February | 57°F | 27°F | 41.9°F | 0.47 | 1.3 | 4 | <1 | 23 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 66°F | 33°F | 49.3°F | 0.54 | 0.6 | 4 | <1 | 16 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 72°F | 40°F | 56.2°F | 0.59 | 0.3 | 3 | <1 | 5 | 13 h |
| May | 81°F | 48°F | 64.5°F | 0.48 | 0.0 | 4 | 3 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 91°F | 57°F | 73.9°F | 0.57 | 0.0 | 4 | 19 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 93°F | 63°F | 78.0°F | 1.53 | 0.0 | 9 | 24 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 90°F | 62°F | 76.0°F | 1.52 | 0.0 | 9 | 18 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 83°F | 54°F | 68.6°F | 1.26 | 0.0 | 6 | 5 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 72°F | 41°F | 56.8°F | 1.02 | 0.3 | 5 | <1 | 4 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 60°F | 30°F | 44.6°F | 0.59 | 0.6 | 3 | <1 | 21 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 50°F | 22°F | 36.1°F | 0.65 | 2.3 | 4 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 72°F | 42°F | 56.9°F | 9.67 | 6.8 | 56 | 69 | 126 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11°C | −5°C | 2.6°C | 11 mm | 4 cm |
| February | 14°C | −3°C | 5.5°C | 12 mm | 3 cm |
| March | 19°C | 1°C | 9.6°C | 14 mm | 2 cm |
| April | 22°C | 5°C | 13.4°C | 15 mm | 1 cm |
| May | 27°C | 9°C | 18.1°C | 12 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 33°C | 14°C | 23.3°C | 14 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 34°C | 17°C | 25.6°C | 39 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 32°C | 17°C | 24.4°C | 39 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 29°C | 12°C | 20.3°C | 32 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 22°C | 5°C | 13.8°C | 26 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 15°C | −1°C | 7.0°C | 15 mm | 2 cm |
| December | 10°C | −5°C | 2.3°C | 17 mm | 6 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00290231; 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 South Valley?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in March, April, May, September and October. 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 USC00290231.
When is the last frost in South Valley?
In South Valley, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 18 in half of years and after May 3 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 24 in half of years and before October 13 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 181 year in 10 after May 3; 9 in 10 after April 1
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 241 year in 10 before October 13; 9 in 10 before November 4
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 189 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 215 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 31 in half of springs and before November 2 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts South Valley in zone 7b in ZIP code 87105. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, South Valley's NOAA station is in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 7°F (28 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 USC00290231; 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 South Valley?
In a normal year in South Valley, 69 days a year reach 90°F (4 of them 100°F or more), 126 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 56 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 69a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 4a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 126a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 1high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 56a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 2a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1991) is 105°F, on June 27, 2013; the lowest is −5°F, on February 3, 2011.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2015, with 13.83 in; the snowiest season is 2006–07, with 32.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00290231; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00290231. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is South Valley?
Over a year 86% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around South Valley, 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 much heating and cooling does South Valley need?
A normal year in South Valley brings 4,155 heating degree days, 23% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,224 cooling degree days, 35% 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 3,935 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 877 | 0 |
| February | 645 | 0 |
| March | 487 | 0 |
| April | 267 | 4 |
| May | 82 | 66 |
| June | 4 | 269 |
| July | 0 | 401 |
| August | 0 | 341 |
| September | 27 | 137 |
| October | 260 | 6 |
| November | 612 | 0 |
| December | 894 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,155 | 1,224 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00290231. 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 South Valley been warmer than normal lately?
2021 averaged 58.4°F, 1.5°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 56.9°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 58.4°F | +1.5°F | 5.19 | 4.2 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00290231. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does South Valley's climate compare?
South Valley is warmer than 61 of the other 97 places with their own NOAA record in New Mexico, and wetter than 9. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 56.9°F is warmer than 66%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, South Valley 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 South Valley 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.
- Isleta, NM909 people · 8 mi S
- Pajarito Mesa, NM129 people · 6 mi SW
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 South Valley's climate
What is the coldest month in South Valley?
December, with a normal high of 50°F and a normal low of 22°F. The warmest is July (93°F by day, 63°F at night).
Does it snow in South Valley?
Yes: 7 inches in a normal year, falling on 5 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (2.3 inches).
What is the rainiest month in South Valley?
July, with 1.53 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.45 in.
What plant hardiness zone is South Valley in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts South Valley in zone 7b in ZIP code 87105. By the same method at South Valley's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 7°F (28 years, 1991-2020): zone 7b.
How late can frost come in South Valley?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 18; in one year in ten it comes after May 3. Waiting until May 3 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
- Albuquerque, NM4 miles from this station, 57.9°F a year
- Rio Grande Nature Center, NM7 miles from this station, 56.7°F a year
- Petroglyph National Mon, NM8 miles from this station, 57.6°F a year
- Rio Rancho, NM16 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