White Sands Natl Mon, 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 White Sands Natl Mon's primary NOAA station, WHITE SANDS NATL MON.
The climate verdict for White Sands Natl Mon
Dryness leads the climate profile for White Sands Natl Mon, New Mexico, with 9.8 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 61°F. Its climate comfort score of 73/100 (good) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 66% of station-mapped location scores.
- 61°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 73/100
- comfort score, above 66% of station-mapped location scores
- 9.8"
- annual precipitation · 2" snow
- 183 days
- frost-free days per growing season
White Sands Natl Mon: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00299686 · White Sands Natl Mon, NM 61°F mean · 9.8" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-ARID · SWING-MID · COMF-MID · LOAD-MIX · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 61°F
- RANK-UPPER #5,214
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Blue Mtn Dam
- PRCP-ARID 9.8"
- SWING-MID 42°F
- COMF-MID 73/100
- LOAD-MIX H/C balanced
- STN-1 USC00299686
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Blue Mtn Dam, AR (+ 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.
- White Sands Nat… (this station) 61°F
- Hot Clinton, OK 61°F
- Near Blue Mtn Dam, AR 61°F
- Near Booneville, AR 61°F
- Near Burlington Fire, NC 61°F
Climate Living Index · White Sands Natl Mon
White Sands Natl Mon: 40/100 · grade D
White Sands Natl Mon publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for White Sands Natl Mon, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 73/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Snowfall burden | 1.6 inches/year | 79/100 · B |
| Annual temperature balance | 60.5°F · 7.0° from 67.5°F | 78/100 · B |
| Frost-free season | 183 days/year | 52/100 · D |
| Precipitation balance | 9.8 in · 25.2 from 35 in | 12/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 235 calendar days | 0/100 · F |
White Sands Natl Mon · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
White Sands Natl Mon'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
- 81.2°F
- Coldest month
- 39.4°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 · balanced station
Where White Sands Natl Mon sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for White Sands Natl Mon's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Top 24% warmest
- Among 6,861 stations, White Sands Natl Mon sits in the warmer third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 94%
- White Sands Natl Mon's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 43rd percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How White Sands Natl Mon compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
White Sands Natl Mon's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
73 Top 34% score exceeds 66% 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%). Below this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Below this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). This entry sits in this band.
- 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
White Sands Natl Mon's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 53 complete annual observations from 1949 to 2023, WHITE SANDS NATL MON warmed at a fitted rate of 0.33°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- White Sands Natl Mon primary station fitted change +0.33 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 57°F (14°C) | 22°F (-5°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 0.5" | 0.8" | 27.8 | 0.0 |
| February | 63°F (17°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 0.4" | 0.0" | 21.3 | 0.0 |
| March | 71°F (22°C) | 33°F (1°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 0.2" | 0.0" | 15.2 | 0.0 |
| April | 79°F (26°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 60°F (16°C) | 0.3" | 0.0" | 6.1 | 2.0 |
| May | 88°F (31°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 69°F (21°C) | 0.5" | 0.0" | 0.8 | 14.5 |
| June | 97°F (36°C) | 60°F (16°C) | 79°F (26°C) | 0.7" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 27.5 |
| July | 97°F (36°C) | 65°F (19°C) | 81°F (27°C) | 1.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 28.6 |
| August | 95°F (35°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 79°F (26°C) | 1.9" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 26.6 |
| September | 89°F (32°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 1.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 16.9 |
| October | 79°F (26°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 1.1" | 0.1" | 4.2 | 2.8 |
| November | 67°F (19°C) | 29°F (-1°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 0.5" | 0.0" | 20.2 | 0.0 |
| December | 57°F (14°C) | 22°F (-5°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 0.7" | 0.7" | 27.5 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
White Sands Natl Mon works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 98°F by June 21 and hold at or above 90°F on 113 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 122 dates, bottoming at 22°F around December 25.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from May 22 through September 11, covering 113 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs March 13 to November 7.
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 9, then returns to freezing around November 9, covering 122 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 31, when 24% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is March 31 at 6%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 44 wet dates a year.
The widest day
April 1 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 39°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for White Sands Natl Mon.
Where White Sands Natl Mon Stands Nationally
Summers here run among the most heat-heavy normals calendars in the country: on about 113 days a year the normal daily high itself reaches 90°F — a count fewer than one station in ten exceeds.
Aridity defines the water calendar: about 10 inches in a normal year lands this among the driest tenth of ranked stations.
White Sands Natl Mon 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: 0.8"
3.3 days with precipitation
2.7 days with precipitation
2.2 days with precipitation
1.9 days with precipitation
2.4 days with precipitation
3.3 days with precipitation
6.9 days with precipitation
6.8 days with precipitation
4.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
4.0 days with precipitation
2.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.7"
2.8 days with precipitation
White Sands Natl Mon runs a summer-peaked wet season
43% of White Sands Natl Mon'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 August at 1.9", on a 41.8°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: August, July, September, taking 51% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: March at 0.2".
- Winter share: 17% 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.
How White Sands Natl Mon's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 44 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 9.8" between them, or roughly 0.22 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.
Snow reaches White Sands Natl Mon, but rarely amounts to much
The normals record 1.6 inches of snow a year here, most likely in January. That is a real but marginal amount: enough that snow is part of the local record, not enough to define the winter.
A figure in this range usually reflects a handful of events that melt quickly rather than a season of accumulation; about 1 days a year record any measurable snow at all.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. An average across thirty years can smooth away a single heavy winter, so a small annual figure does not mean a significant snowfall is impossible.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 22
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 22
50% probability date
Growing Season
183 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
3,443
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,827
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside NM closest to White Sands Natl Mon 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 (61°F here).
- Booneville, AR 61°F · 0.0°F off
- Clinton, OK 61°F · 0.0°F off
- Corinth, MS 61°F · 0.0°F off
- Crosbyton, TX 61°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (9.8" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Hagerman, ID 9.8" · 0.0" off
- Castle Valley, UT 9.8" · 0.0" off
- San Diego, CA 9.8" · 0.0" off
- Blanca, CO 9.8" · 0.0" off
Scarce-water calendar
Where White Sands Natl Mon's limited precipitation lands
mixed demand · dry · mid swing
Local precipitation is sparse in this otherwise mixed profile. The station reports 9.8 inches annually, within PlainClimate's dry band. Annual snowfall totals 1.6 inches. The monthly distribution matters because the total alone does not reveal the timing.
July and December mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in White Sands Natl Mon's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 41.8°F. The annual average is 61°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Heating and cooling both register in White Sands Natl Mon's normal, at 3,443 and 1,827 degree days respectively. Neither total exceeds the other by more than two to one, so the record is better read as a mixed-demand calendar than as heating-led or cooling-led.
A roughly 183-day frost-free season sits inside this mixed heating-and-cooling profile. Start and end dates matter because both sides of the thermostat register during a normal year.
White Sands Natl Mon wettest normal
August
August concentrates the scarce annual total (9.8 inches).
White Sands Natl Mon driest normal
March
March is typically driest; arid stations are defined by when water is absent, not by a four-season grid.
Questions about White Sands Natl Mon's climate
How dry is White Sands Natl Mon? ▼
How many days above 90°F does White Sands Natl Mon get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in White Sands Natl Mon? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from White Sands Natl Mon's primary station: WHITE SANDS NATL MON (USC00299686). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The conservative exact name-and-state crosswalk finds no Census place match, so PlainClimate treats this as a station-mapped location and does not claim it is a municipality. No exact Gazetteer row for White Sands Natl Mon; facility counts that depend on place identity are therefore an upper bound, not a municipal census.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for White Sands Natl Mon 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.