Photo: Davishan99 · CC BY-SA 3.0Angel Fire gets about 115 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 171 U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 76°. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than 98% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.6° above 1901–2000. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about June 19, with the first autumn frost due around September 7.
A year in Angel Fire at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Angel Fire’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Angel Fire’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Angel Fire feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 77 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 19 and the first by September 7. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Red River, NM, 25 miles from the town’s center, 380 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Angel Fire’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −6°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 115 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Black Lake, NM, is heaviest from March through April, about 21 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 21 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 75 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Angel Fire
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from September through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Red River, NM.
Living with Angel Fire’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
77 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Jun 19 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 7.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 78 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Angel Fire from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (53%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Angel Fire and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Angel Fire yet.
Climates most like Angel Fire’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angel Fire, NM | 11° | 76° | 21" | 115" |
| Woodland Park, CO | 11° | 77° | 22" | 134" |
| Marquette, MI | 11° | 76° | 32" | 102" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
| Snyderville, UT | 18° | 80° | 26" | 153" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Angel Fire averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.9°).
A bigger shift than in 64% 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 Angel Fire compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Angel Fire’s place among New Mexico’s.
Angel Fire weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Angel Fire’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Black Lake, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 11° | 1.1" | 18.6" | 5 | 18° – 30° |
| February | 41° | 14° | 1.2" | 16.5" | 6 | 21° – 34° |
| March | 48° | 20° | 1.5" | 21.2" | 6 | 30° – 39° |
| April | 54° | 26° | 1.5" | 21.4" | 6 | 35° – 45° |
| May | 64° | 34° | 1.7" | 1.8" | 6 | 45° – 54° |
| June | 74° | 41° | 1.5" | 0.1" | 6 | 54° – 61° |
| July | 76° | 46° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 58° – 64° |
| August | 74° | 45° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 56° – 63° |
| September | 68° | 38° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 5 | 48° – 57° |
| October | 58° | 28° | 1.5" | 5.9" | 5 | 39° – 49° |
| November | 47° | 19° | 1.1" | 14.8" | 5 | 25° – 40° |
| December | 38° | 12° | 1.2" | 14.4" | 4 | 20° – 32° |
| Year | 57° | 28° | 20.9" | 114.7" | 75 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 25° to 40°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Angel Fire’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 Angel Fire’s center.
- Snow: Black Lake, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Red River, NM, 25 miles from the town’s center, 380 ft lower; 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 Angel Fire’s climate
What is the weather like in Angel Fire?
A typical July afternoon reaches 76°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 115 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 93% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 98% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Angel Fire in winter?
January nights average 11°. About 237 nights a year reach 32° or below and 19 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Angel Fire get?
About 115 inches in a normal winter at Black Lake, NM, heaviest from March through April, about 21 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Angel Fire?
July, with a typical high of 76°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Red River, NM.
When is the first and last frost in Angel Fire?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 19 and the first fall frost by September 7, about 77 frost-free days, at Red River, NM.
What growing zone is Angel Fire in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Angel Fire?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July and August. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Angel Fire getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 64% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Angel Fire.
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.