Thoreau (12 mi SE), New Mexico climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Thoreau (12 mi SE)'s normal year runs from 12°F January nights to 89°F July afternoons, with 12.3 inches of precipitation and 31 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.8°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 32°C, 311 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationThoreau (12 mi SE)
- Station IDUSC00298834
- Location35.30°N 108.15°W
- Elevation7,425 ft (2,263 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Thoreau (12 mi SE) is 68°F and the normal low 28°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 Thoreau (12 mi SE).
- Jan 48° 12°
- Feb 51° 18°
- Mar 59° 23°
- Apr 67° 29°
- May 76° 37°
- Jun 88° 46°
- Jul 89° 52°
- Aug 86° 50°
- Sep 81° 42°
- Oct 70° 30°
- Nov 58° 20°
- Dec 48° 13°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Thoreau (12 mi SE) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 89°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 12°F. The most precipitation falls in August (2.38 in), the least in June (0.57 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48°F | 12°F | 29.9°F | 0.84 | 8.9 | 5 | <1 | 30 | 10 h |
| February | 51°F | 18°F | 34.7°F | 0.62 | 5.9 | 4 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 59°F | 23°F | 40.9°F | 0.59 | 2.3 | 3 | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 67°F | 29°F | 48.1°F | 0.65 | 1.4 | 3 | <1 | 23 | 13 h |
| May | 76°F | 37°F | 56.4°F | 0.75 | 1.1 | 3 | <1 | 11 | 14 h |
| June | 88°F | 46°F | 66.9°F | 0.57 | 0.0 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 89°F | 52°F | 70.4°F | 2.02 | 0.0 | 10 | 5 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 86°F | 50°F | 68.1°F | 2.38 | 0.0 | 12 | 2 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 81°F | 42°F | 61.3°F | 1.39 | 0.0 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 70°F | 30°F | 50.0°F | 0.85 | 1.1 | 5 | <1 | 21 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 58°F | 20°F | 39.1°F | 0.74 | 3.4 | 3 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 48°F | 13°F | 30.3°F | 0.85 | 6.5 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 68°F | 31°F | 49.7°F | 12.25 | 30.6 | 63 | 13 | 205 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9°C | −11°C | −1.2°C | 21 mm | 23 cm |
| February | 11°C | −8°C | 1.5°C | 16 mm | 15 cm |
| March | 15°C | −5°C | 4.9°C | 15 mm | 6 cm |
| April | 19°C | −1°C | 8.9°C | 17 mm | 4 cm |
| May | 24°C | 3°C | 13.6°C | 19 mm | 3 cm |
| June | 31°C | 8°C | 19.4°C | 14 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 32°C | 11°C | 21.3°C | 51 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 30°C | 10°C | 20.1°C | 60 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 27°C | 6°C | 16.3°C | 35 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 21°C | −1°C | 10.0°C | 22 mm | 3 cm |
| November | 14°C | −7°C | 3.9°C | 19 mm | 9 cm |
| December | 9°C | −11°C | −0.9°C | 22 mm | 17 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00298834; 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.
Which months are mildest at Thoreau (12 mi SE)?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in 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 USC00298834.
When is the last frost at Thoreau (12 mi SE)?
In Thoreau (12 mi SE), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 29 in half of years and after June 12 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 26 in half of years and before September 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
- May 291 year in 10 after June 12; 9 in 10 after May 11
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 261 year in 10 before September 13; 9 in 10 before October 6
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 118 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 139 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 15 in half of springs and before October 3 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Thoreau (12 mi SE) in zone 6a in ZIP code 87005, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in New Mexico · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00298834; 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.
How hot and how cold does it get at Thoreau (12 mi SE)?
In a normal year in Thoreau (12 mi SE), 13 days a year reach 90°F, 205 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 63 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 13a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 205a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 15high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 63a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 15a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00298834.
How sunny is it at Thoreau (12 mi SE)?
Over a year 85% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Thoreau (12 mi SE), 5.5 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (91%) and December the cloudiest (79%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 82% | 3.2 |
| February | 81% | 4.1 |
| March | 85% | 5.6 |
| April | 86% | 6.9 |
| May | 87% | 7.8 |
| June | 91% | 8.3 |
| July | 82% | 7.0 |
| August | 83% | 6.5 |
| September | 86% | 5.8 |
| October | 89% | 4.8 |
| November | 86% | 3.6 |
| December | 79% | 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 many heating and cooling degree days does Thoreau (12 mi SE) record?
A normal year at Thoreau (12 mi SE) brings 5,990 heating degree days, 11% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 424 cooling degree days, 53% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,435 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,088 | 0 |
| February | 847 | 0 |
| March | 746 | 0 |
| April | 508 | 1 |
| May | 276 | 8 |
| June | 50 | 106 |
| July | 4 | 173 |
| August | 13 | 108 |
| September | 138 | 27 |
| October | 466 | 1 |
| November | 777 | 0 |
| December | 1,076 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,990 | 424 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00298834. 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.
How does Thoreau (12 mi SE)'s climate compare?
Thoreau (12 mi SE) is warmer than 21 of the 98 places with their own NOAA record in New Mexico, and wetter than 39. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 49.7°F is warmer than 39%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Thoreau (12 mi SE) 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 Thoreau (12 mi SE) share this climate record?
9 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.
- Thoreau, NM1,795 people · 9 mi N
- Las Tusas, NM716 people · 2 mi SE
- Prewitt, NM645 people · 6 mi NE
- Homer C Jones, NM480 people · 3 mi E
- Haystack, NM347 people · 12 mi E
- Bluewater, NM241 people · 4 mi NW
- Borrego Pass, NM109 people · 20 mi N
- Red Rock Ranch, NM0 people · 11 mi NE
- Stoneridge, NM0 people · 2 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.
Questions about Thoreau (12 mi SE)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Thoreau (12 mi SE)?
January, with a normal high of 48°F and a normal low of 12°F. The warmest is July (89°F by day, 52°F at night).
Does it snow at Thoreau (12 mi SE)?
Yes: 31 inches in a normal year, falling on 16 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (8.9 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Thoreau (12 mi SE)?
August, with 2.38 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is June with 0.57 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Thoreau (12 mi SE) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Thoreau (12 mi SE) in zone 6a in ZIP code 87005, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Thoreau (12 mi SE)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 29; in one year in ten it comes after June 12. Waiting until June 12 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
- Grants, NM17 miles from this station, 50.1°F a year
- McGaffey, NM17 miles from this station, 46.3°F a year
- El Morro National Mon, NM21 miles from this station, 47.7°F a year
- Cubero, NM39 miles from this station, 52.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made