Less rain and snow falls on Apache Creek than on 94% of U.S. towns: 14 inches a year
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 14° on average. Rain follows the seasons: August brings about 7.6 times as much as May. By January nights alone, it runs colder than 86% of U.S. towns. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly June 17 to September 21.
A year in Apache Creek at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Apache Creek’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Apache Creek’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Apache Creek feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 93 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 17 and the first by September 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Luna Rs, NM, 19 miles from the town’s center, 470 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Apache Creek’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −9°. 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 18 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Luna Rs, NM, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 14 inches a year; August is the wettest month and May the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 78 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Apache Creek
98% 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 Luna Rs, NM.
Living with Apache Creek’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
93 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Jun 17 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 21.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: September. 5.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Apache Creek from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (47%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Apache Creek and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Apache Creek yet.
Climates most like Apache Creek’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apache Creek, NM | 14° | 88° | 14" | 18" |
| Blackfoot, ID | 16° | 88° | 11" | 15" |
| Ephraim, UT | 14° | 89° | 12" | 20" |
| Montrose, CO | 15° | 90° | 10" | 22" |
| Sidney, NE | 15° | 89° | 17" | 29" |
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 Apache Creek averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 57% 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 Apache Creek compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Apache Creek’s place among New Mexico’s.
Apache Creek weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Apache Creek’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Luna Rs, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 53° | 14° | 0.8" | 5.4" | 5 | 7 | 29° – 38° |
| February | 56° | 18° | 0.7" | 1.7" | 5 | 3 | 32° – 43° |
| March | 63° | 22° | 0.6" | 1.4" | 5 | 1 | 35° – 48° |
| April | 70° | 27° | 0.4" | 0.7" | 3 | 0 | 42° – 53° |
| May | 78° | 34° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 51° – 61° |
| June | 87° | 42° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 60° – 68° |
| July | 88° | 50° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 66° – 73° |
| August | 85° | 50° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 64° – 71° |
| September | 81° | 42° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 58° – 64° |
| October | 72° | 31° | 1.2" | 0.1" | 5 | 0 | 48° – 56° |
| November | 61° | 21° | 0.8" | 1.4" | 4 | 1 | 34° – 49° |
| December | 52° | 14° | 0.9" | 6.9" | 5 | 6 | 28° – 39° |
| Year | 70° | 30° | 13.5" | 17.6" | 78 | 18 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 34° to 49°. September is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Apache Creek’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 Apache Creek’s center.
- Snow: Luna Rs, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Luna Rs, NM, 19 miles from the town’s center, 470 ft higher; 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 Apache Creek’s climate
What is the weather like in Apache Creek?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 18 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 86% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 66% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Apache Creek in winter?
December nights average 14°. About 233 nights a year reach 32° or below and 9 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 28°.
How much snow does Apache Creek get?
About 18 inches in a normal winter at Luna Rs, NM, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 18 days a year.
How hot does it get in Apache Creek?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 50°. About 15 days a year reach 90° (Luna Rs, NM).
When is the first and last frost in Apache Creek?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 17 and the first fall frost by September 21, about 93 frost-free days, at Luna Rs, NM.
What growing zone is Apache Creek in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −9°.
What is the best time of year to visit Apache Creek?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Apache Creek getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 57% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Apache Creek.
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.