Embudo Historic District · Photo: Carptrash, Einar Einarsson Kvaran · CC BY-SA 3.0Canova sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for precipitation, with 12 inches a year
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 18° on average. Only 70° separates winter nights from summer afternoons. Its January nights bite harder than in 71% of U.S. towns. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings suit May and September, with highs of 75–79°.
A year in Canova at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Canova’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Canova’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Canova 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 10 and the first by October 4. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Alcalde, NM, 7 miles from the town’s center, 310 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Canova’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 0°. 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 11 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Alcalde, NM, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 55 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Canova
92% 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 Alcalde, NM.
Living with Canova’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 10 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.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Canova from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (83%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Canova and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Canova yet.
Climates most like Canova’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canova, NM | 18° | 88° | 12" | 11" |
| Blackfoot, ID | 16° | 88° | 11" | 15" |
| Hamilton, MT | 20° | 86° | 13" | 17" |
| Cold Springs, NV | 23° | 88° | 13" | 17" |
| Show Low, AZ | 19° | 86° | 15" | 19" |
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 Canova averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.5°).
A smaller 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 Canova compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Canova’s place among New Mexico’s.
Canova weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Canova’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Alcalde, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 18° | 0.5" | 2.2" | 3 | 2 | 26° – 37° |
| February | 49° | 22° | 0.4" | 1.5" | 3 | 1 | 31° – 42° |
| March | 58° | 28° | 0.7" | 1.4" | 4 | 1 | 39° – 48° |
| April | 66° | 34° | 0.7" | 0.3" | 4 | 0 | 45° – 54° |
| May | 75° | 42° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 54° – 63° |
| June | 85° | 51° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| July | 88° | 57° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| August | 85° | 55° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 73° |
| September | 79° | 48° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 59° – 67° |
| October | 68° | 36° | 1.2" | 0.6" | 5 | 0 | 48° – 55° |
| November | 55° | 26° | 0.7" | 1.4" | 3 | 1 | 33° – 46° |
| December | 44° | 18° | 0.6" | 3.3" | 3 | 3 | 25° – 36° |
| Year | 66° | 36° | 11.5" | 10.7" | 55 | 7 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 33° to 46°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Canova’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 Canova’s center.
- Snow: Alcalde, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Alcalde, NM, 7 miles from the town’s center, 310 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 Canova’s climate
What is the weather like in Canova?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 11 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 71% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 65% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Canova in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 182 nights a year reach 32° or below and 1 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 26°.
How much snow does Canova get?
About 11 inches in a normal winter at Alcalde, NM, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 7 days a year.
How hot does it get in Canova?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 57°. About 40 days a year reach 90° (Alcalde, NM).
When is the first and last frost in Canova?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 10 and the first fall frost by October 4, about 145 frost-free days, at Alcalde, NM.
What growing zone is Canova in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 0°.
What is the best time of year to visit Canova?
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 Canova getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 54% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Canova.
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.