Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Albuquerque’s winters are colder but less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Albuquerque at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Albuquerque’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Albuquerque’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Albuquerque feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 179 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 23 and the first by October 20. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Albuquerque International Airport, 5 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; frost dates and degree days from Rio Grande Nature Ctr, NM, 2.7 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Albuquerque’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 7°. 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 12 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Albuquerque 4.6 E, NM, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 9 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 62 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Albuquerque
78% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Rio Grande Nature Ctr, NM.
Living with Albuquerque’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
179 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 23 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 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and October. 322 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Albuquerque from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (58%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Albuquerque and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Albuquerque in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Albuquerque’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque, NM | 22° | 94° | 9" | 12" |
| Ontario, OR | 23° | 93° | 10" | 15" |
| Payette, ID | 23° | 94° | 10" | 15" |
| Fruitvale, CO | 19° | 94° | 10" | 13" |
| Winnemucca, NV | 21° | 93° | 8" | 22" |
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 Albuquerque averaged 2.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.2°).
A bigger shift than in 88% 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. In a city of 557,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Albuquerque compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Albuquerque’s place among New Mexico’s.
Albuquerque weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Albuquerque’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Albuquerque 4.6 E, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 22° | 0.4" | 1.6" | 4 | 31° – 41° |
| February | 57° | 26° | 0.4" | 3.3" | 3 | 37° – 46° |
| March | 66° | 32° | 0.5" | 0.7" | 4 | 45° – 54° |
| April | 73° | 39° | 0.5" | 0.3" | 4 | 51° – 60° |
| May | 82° | 47° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 5 | 60° – 69° |
| June | 92° | 56° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 70° – 78° |
| July | 94° | 62° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 75° – 82° |
| August | 91° | 61° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 73° – 80° |
| September | 85° | 53° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 63° – 72° |
| October | 73° | 40° | 0.9" | 0.6" | 5 | 54° – 61° |
| November | 60° | 29° | 0.6" | 0.9" | 3 | 38° – 51° |
| December | 50° | 22° | 0.5" | 4.7" | 5 | 31° – 40° |
| Year | 73° | 41° | 9.1" | 12.1" | 62 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 38° to 51°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Albuquerque’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 Albuquerque’s center.
- Snow: Albuquerque 4.6 E, NM.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Rio Grande Nature Ctr, NM, 2.7 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Albuquerque International Airport, 5 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; the city’s official station.
- 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 Albuquerque’s climate
What is the weather like in Albuquerque?
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 51% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 92% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Albuquerque in winter?
December nights average 22°. About 93 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 31°.
How much snow does Albuquerque get?
About 12 inches in a normal winter at Albuquerque 4.6 E, NM, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Albuquerque?
July, with a typical high of 94° and a low of 62°. About 64 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Rio Grande Nature Ctr, NM).
When is the first and last frost in Albuquerque?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 23 and the first fall frost by October 20, about 179 frost-free days, at Rio Grande Nature Ctr, NM.
What growing zone is Albuquerque in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Albuquerque?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Albuquerque getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 88% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Albuquerque.
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.