Winston, New Mexico climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Winston's normal year runs from 19°F December nights to 87°F July afternoons, with 13.9 inches of precipitation and 10 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 11.7°C, December lows of −7°C, July highs of 30°C, 353 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationWinston
- Station IDUSC00299806
- Location33.35°N 107.65°W
- Elevation6,196 ft (1,889 m)
- Population (census place)0
On October 23, the normal high in Winston is 69°F and the normal low 32°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 9%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Winston.
- Jan 53° 20°
- Feb 57° 23°
- Mar 64° 27°
- Apr 71° 34°
- May 79° 41°
- Jun 89° 50°
- Jul 87° 56°
- Aug 84° 54°
- Sep 79° 47°
- Oct 71° 35°
- Nov 60° 25°
- Dec 52° 19°
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 Winston each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 87°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 19°F. The most precipitation falls in August (3.72 in), the least in April (0.30 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 53°F | 20°F | 36.3°F | 0.53 | 3.1 | 2 | <1 | 30 | 10 h 10 min |
| February | 57°F | 23°F | 39.7°F | 0.39 | 1.1 | 2 | <1 | 26 | 11 h |
| March | 64°F | 27°F | 45.4°F | 0.39 | 1.2 | 2 | <1 | 25 | 12 h |
| April | 71°F | 34°F | 52.3°F | 0.30 | 0.0 | 1 | <1 | 14 | 13 h |
| May | 79°F | 41°F | 60.1°F | 0.57 | 0.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 13 h 50 min |
| June | 89°F | 50°F | 69.3°F | 0.76 | 0.0 | 3 | 13 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| July | 87°F | 56°F | 71.2°F | 2.93 | 0.0 | 10 | 9 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| August | 84°F | 54°F | 68.8°F | 3.72 | 0.0 | 10 | 4 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 79°F | 47°F | 62.9°F | 1.76 | 0.0 | 5 | <1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 71°F | 35°F | 53.0°F | 1.04 | 0.6 | 3 | <1 | 11 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 60°F | 25°F | 42.6°F | 0.74 | 0.4 | 2 | <1 | 26 | 10 h 30 min |
| December | 52°F | 19°F | 35.5°F | 0.75 | 3.2 | 3 | <1 | 30 | 10 h |
| Year (annual) | 70°F | 36°F | 53.1°F | 13.88 | 9.6 | 47 | 28 | 166 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 12°C | −7°C | 2.4°C | 13 mm | 8 cm |
| February | 14°C | −5°C | 4.3°C | 10 mm | 3 cm |
| March | 18°C | −3°C | 7.4°C | 10 mm | 3 cm |
| April | 22°C | 1°C | 11.3°C | 8 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 26°C | 5°C | 15.6°C | 14 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 32°C | 10°C | 20.7°C | 19 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 30°C | 13°C | 21.8°C | 74 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 29°C | 12°C | 20.4°C | 94 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 26°C | 8°C | 17.2°C | 45 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 22°C | 2°C | 11.7°C | 26 mm | 2 cm |
| November | 16°C | −4°C | 5.9°C | 19 mm | 1 cm |
| December | 11°C | −7°C | 1.9°C | 19 mm | 8 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00299806; 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 Winston?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, August, September and October. Of those, April has the fewest days with rain (1).
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 USC00299806.
When is the last frost in Winston?
In Winston, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 10 in half of years and after May 22 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 8 in half of years and before September 26 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 101 year in 10 after May 22; 9 in 10 after April 27
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 81 year in 10 before September 26; 9 in 10 before October 20
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 151 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 170 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 30 in half of springs and before October 18 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Winston in zone 7a in ZIP code 87943, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Winston's NOAA station is in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 0°F (18 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 USC00299806; 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 Winston?
In a normal year in Winston, 28 days a year reach 90°F, 166 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 47 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 28a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 166a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 1high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 47a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 3a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00299806.
How sunny is Winston?
Over a year 86% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Winston, 5.6 kWh per square metre a day. April is the sunniest month (90%) and July the cloudiest (80%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 86% | 3.5 |
| February | 86% | 4.5 |
| March | 88% | 5.9 |
| April | 90% | 7.2 |
| May | 89% | 7.8 |
| June | 88% | 7.8 |
| July | 80% | 6.7 |
| August | 81% | 6.3 |
| September | 85% | 5.7 |
| October | 89% | 4.9 |
| November | 88% | 3.8 |
| December | 85% | 3.2 |
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 Winston need?
A normal year in Winston brings 4,844 heating degree days, 10% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 521 cooling degree days, 43% 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 2,829 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 890 | 0 |
| February | 710 | 0 |
| March | 608 | 0 |
| April | 382 | 1 |
| May | 173 | 23 |
| June | 17 | 146 |
| July | 2 | 195 |
| August | 7 | 124 |
| September | 94 | 31 |
| October | 374 | 1 |
| November | 674 | 0 |
| December | 914 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,844 | 521 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00299806. 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 Winston's climate compare?
Winston is warmer than 42 of the other 97 places with their own NOAA record in New Mexico, and wetter than 54. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 53.1°F is warmer than 54%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Winston 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.
Questions about Winston's climate
What is the coldest month in Winston?
December, with a normal high of 52°F and a normal low of 19°F. The warmest is July (87°F by day, 56°F at night).
Does it snow in Winston?
Yes: 10 inches in a normal year, falling on 4 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (3.2 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Winston?
August, with 3.72 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is April with 0.30 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Winston in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Winston in zone 7a in ZIP code 87943, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Winston's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 0°F (18 years, 1991-2020): zone 7a.
How late can frost come in Winston?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 10; in one year in ten it comes after May 22. Waiting until May 22 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
- Truth Or Consequence Airport, NM24 miles from this station, 61.6°F a year
- Truth or Consequences, NM29 miles from this station, 62.6°F a year
- Hillsboro, NM30 miles from this station, 58.1°F a year
- Elephant Butte, NM30 miles from this station, 63.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made