Photo: It'sOnlyMakeBelieve · CC BY-SA 4.0Arroyo Hondo’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 28 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Arroyo Hondo at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Arroyo Hondo’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Arroyo Hondo’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Arroyo Hondo feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 136 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 19 and the first by October 3. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Taos, NM, 11 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Arroyo Hondo’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −10°. 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 28 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Taos, NM, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 13 inches a year; August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 61 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Arroyo Hondo
95% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October 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 Taos, NM.
Living with Arroyo Hondo’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
136 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 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 Oct 3.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Arroyo Hondo from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (49%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Arroyo Hondo and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Arroyo Hondo yet.
Climates most like Arroyo Hondo’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arroyo Hondo, NM | 12° | 84° | 13" | 28" |
| Helena, MT | 15° | 85° | 12" | 37" |
| Gypsum, CO | 11° | 86° | 14" | 39" |
| Cody, WY | 14° | 85° | 11" | 45" |
| Rapid City, SD | 14° | 86° | 19" | 36" |
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 Arroyo Hondo averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.8°).
A bigger shift than in 59% 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 Arroyo Hondo compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Arroyo Hondo’s place among New Mexico’s.
Arroyo Hondo weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Arroyo Hondo’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Taos, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 12° | 0.5" | 6.0" | 4 | 19° – 33° |
| February | 45° | 17° | 0.5" | 3.3" | 4 | 24° – 38° |
| March | 54° | 24° | 0.8" | 4.0" | 4 | 35° – 43° |
| April | 62° | 29° | 0.8" | 1.9" | 4 | 41° – 50° |
| May | 71° | 37° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 5 | 50° – 59° |
| June | 81° | 46° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 59° – 68° |
| July | 84° | 51° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 65° – 72° |
| August | 81° | 50° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 62° – 69° |
| September | 76° | 43° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 6 | 54° – 62° |
| October | 65° | 31° | 1.2" | 1.4" | 5 | 45° – 53° |
| November | 52° | 21° | 0.8" | 2.8" | 4 | 29° – 43° |
| December | 41° | 12° | 0.7" | 9.0" | 4 | 20° – 33° |
| Year | 63° | 31° | 12.6" | 28.4" | 61 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 19° to 33°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Arroyo Hondo’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 Arroyo Hondo’s center.
- Snow: Taos, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Taos, NM, 11 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 Arroyo Hondo’s climate
What is the weather like in Arroyo Hondo?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 28 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 91% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 59% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Arroyo Hondo in winter?
January nights average 12°. About 183 nights a year reach 32° or below and 8 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Arroyo Hondo get?
About 28 inches in a normal winter at Taos, NM, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Arroyo Hondo?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 51°. About 23 days a year reach 90° (Taos, NM).
When is the first and last frost in Arroyo Hondo?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 19 and the first fall frost by October 3, about 136 frost-free days, at Taos, NM.
What growing zone is Arroyo Hondo in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Arroyo Hondo?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Arroyo Hondo getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 59% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Arroyo Hondo.
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.