Taos, NM Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Average temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, with a derived climate comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Taos's primary NOAA station, TAOS.
The climate verdict for Taos
Dryness leads the climate profile for Taos, New Mexico, with 12.7 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 49°F. At 49/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 18% of scores.
- 49°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 49/100
- comfort score, above 18% of station-mapped location scores
- 12.7"
- annual precipitation · 28" snow
- 137 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Taos: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00298668 · Taos, NM 49°F mean · 12.7" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 49°F
- RANK-COOL #2,333
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Riverside
- PRCP-DRY 12.7"
- SWING-MID 43°F
- COMF-LOW 49/100
- LOAD-HEAT 6,350 HDD
- STN-1 USC00298668
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Riverside, OR (+ 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.
- Taos (this station) 49°F
- Hot Lava Beds Nat M…, CA 49°F
- Near Riverside, OR 49°F
- Near Fort Bidwell, CA 49°F
- Cold Pullman, WA 48°F
Climate Living Index · Taos
Taos: 26/100 · grade F
Taos publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Taos, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 49/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Snowfall burden | 28.4 inches/year | 40/100 · D |
| Annual temperature balance | 48.5°F · 19.0° from 67.5°F | 34/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 12.7 in · 22.3 from 35 in | 21/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 191 calendar days | 19/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 137 days/year | 17/100 · F |
Taos · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Taos'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
- 69.6°F
- Coldest month
- 27.1°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 Taos sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Taos's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 34th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 88%
- Taos's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 46th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Taos compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Taos's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
49 18th percentile score exceeds 18% 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%). This entry sits in this band.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 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 | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42°F (6°C) | 12°F (-11°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 0.7" | 6.0" | 30.5 | 0.0 |
| February | 46°F (8°C) | 19°F (-7°C) | 33°F (0°C) | 0.5" | 3.3" | 27.5 | 0.0 |
| March | 55°F (13°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 40°F (5°C) | 0.7" | 4.0" | 28.0 | 0.0 |
| April | 63°F (17°C) | 31°F (-1°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 0.8" | 1.9" | 17.5 | 0.0 |
| May | 73°F (23°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 1.2" | 0.0" | 4.2 | 1.1 |
| June | 84°F (29°C) | 47°F (9°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 0.9" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 5.4 |
| July | 87°F (30°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 1.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 11.5 |
| August | 84°F (29°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 1.8" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 4.2 |
| September | 78°F (26°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 1.4" | 0.0" | 1.2 | 0.6 |
| October | 67°F (19°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 1.3" | 1.4" | 15.7 | 0.0 |
| November | 53°F (12°C) | 22°F (-5°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 0.9" | 2.8" | 27.8 | 0.0 |
| December | 42°F (6°C) | 14°F (-10°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 1.1" | 9.0" | 30.4 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 87°F around July 7, short of 90°F on every date, while 191 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 11°F near January 3.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 24, then returns to freezing around October 17, covering 191 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 August 7, when 33% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is January 17 at 11%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 61 wet dates a year.
The widest day
June 2 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 37°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Taos.
Where Taos Stands Nationally
Day-to-night contrast is extreme by national standards — the widest normal daily swing reaches about 37°F, sharper than nine in ten ranked stations see.
Freezing is routine here by normals standards — the normal low reaches 32°F or colder on about 191 nights a year, more than most ranked stations.
Taos earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 6.0"
3.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.3"
3.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 4.0"
4.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.9"
3.8 days with precipitation
4.9 days with precipitation
4.8 days with precipitation
7.2 days with precipitation
10.2 days with precipitation
5.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.4"
4.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.8"
3.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 9.0"
4.2 days with precipitation
Taos spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 33% of the annual total and December through February 17%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Taos has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 42.5°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: August averages 1.8" and February 0.5". The three wettest months together take 37% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
How Taos's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 61 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 12.7" between them, or roughly 0.21 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Winter brings real snow to Taos
Taos averages 28.4 inches of snowfall a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 12 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 28.4 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 12 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 22% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 3
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 19
50% probability date
Growing Season
137 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
6,350
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
351
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside NM closest to Taos 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 (49°F here).
- Butler, PA 49°F · 0.0°F off
- Decorah, IA 49°F · 0.0°F off
- Fredericktown, OH 49°F · 0.0°F off
- Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 49°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (12.7" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- La Sal, UT 12.7" · 0.0" off
- Tok, AK 12.7" · 0.0" off
- Laguna Beach, CA 12.7" · 0.0" off
- Tehachapi, CA 12.7" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Taos
heating led · dry · mid swing
Taos's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 6,350 annual heating degree days against 351 for cooling. Its 42.5°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 137 days are frost-free in a normal year. That short interval is consistent with the cold-season signal, but the measure does not predict the exact first or last freeze in any one year.
-
1. Taos coldest normal
January
The monthly mean of 27°F (-3°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Taos typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Taos snow peak
December
Taos averages 28.4 inches of snow a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Taos's climate
How much snow does Taos get? ▼
How cold does Taos get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Taos? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Taos's primary station: TAOS (USC00298668). 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 3576200). Match rule for Taos: 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 Taos 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.