Hardly any U.S. towns collect less precipitation than Acomita Lake: 10 inches a year
In January the night’s low is typically 18°. A year here swings 73° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. In July, afternoons here are warmer than in 79% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 13, with the first autumn frost due around October 4.
A year in Acomita Lake at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Acomita Lake’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Acomita Lake’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Acomita Lake feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 145 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 13 and the first by October 4. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cubero, NM, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Acomita Lake’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −2°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 15 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cubero, NM, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 10 inches a year; August is the wettest month and April the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 45 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Acomita Lake
88% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Cubero, NM.
Living with Acomita Lake’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
145 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by May 13 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 4.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September. 2.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Acomita Lake from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (67%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 14%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Acomita Lake and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Acomita Lake in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Acomita Lake’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acomita Lake, NM | 18° | 90° | 10" | 15" |
| Richfield, UT | 16° | 90° | 11" | 18" |
| Montrose, CO | 15° | 90° | 10" | 22" |
| Johnson Lane, NV | 22° | 91° | 10" | 14" |
| Rupert, ID | 20° | 89° | 10" | 21" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Acomita Lake averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.6°).
A bigger shift than in 54% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Acomita Lake compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Acomita Lake’s place among New Mexico’s.
Acomita Lake weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Acomita Lake’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cubero, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 18° | 0.4" | 3.9" | 3 | 2 | 27° – 39° |
| February | 53° | 21° | 0.4" | 2.4" | 3 | 1 | 32° – 43° |
| March | 62° | 27° | 0.4" | 1.4" | 2 | 0 | 40° – 49° |
| April | 69° | 33° | 0.3" | 0.7" | 2 | 0 | 46° – 55° |
| May | 78° | 41° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| June | 89° | 51° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| July | 90° | 57° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| August | 87° | 55° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 75° |
| September | 81° | 48° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 60° – 67° |
| October | 71° | 35° | 0.8" | 0.6" | 3 | 0 | 50° – 58° |
| November | 58° | 24° | 0.8" | 1.4" | 2 | 0 | 35° – 48° |
| December | 48° | 17° | 0.5" | 4.6" | 2 | 2 | 27° – 39° |
| Year | 70° | 36° | 9.5" | 15.0" | 45 | 5 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 35° to 48°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Acomita Lake’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Acomita Lake’s center.
- Snow: Cubero, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cubero, NM, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Acomita Lake’s climate
What is the weather like in Acomita Lake?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 72% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 79% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Acomita Lake in winter?
December nights average 17°. About 162 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 27°.
How much snow does Acomita Lake get?
About 15 inches in a normal winter at Cubero, NM, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 5 days a year.
How hot does it get in Acomita Lake?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 57°. About 47 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Cubero, NM).
When is the first and last frost in Acomita Lake?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 13 and the first fall frost by October 4, about 145 frost-free days, at Cubero, NM.
What growing zone is Acomita Lake in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −2°.
What is the best time of year to visit Acomita Lake?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Acomita Lake getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 54% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Acomita Lake.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.