First National Bank of Eddy · Photo: MRobison · CC BY-SA 3.0Carlsbad reaches 100° on about 29 days a year, more than 98% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 97°, a January night drops to 29°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Carlsbad at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Carlsbad’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Carlsbad’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Carlsbad feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 238 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 17 and the first by November 12. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Carlsbad, NM, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Carlsbad’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 13°. 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 3 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Carlsbad, NM, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 13 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 46 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Carlsbad
52% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through February.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Carlsbad, NM.
Living with Carlsbad’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
238 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 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 Nov 12.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April and October. 21 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Carlsbad from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (85%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Carlsbad and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Carlsbad in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Carlsbad’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlsbad, NM | 29° | 97° | 13" | 2.7" |
| Village of Oak Creek (Big Park), AZ | 31° | 98° | 16" | 1.0" |
| Rosamond, CA | 33° | 98° | 8" | 1.2" |
| Ivins, UT | 32° | 100° | 11" | 1.2" |
| Big Spring, TX | 33° | 95° | 18" | 2.0" |
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 Carlsbad averaged 2.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.6°).
A bigger shift than in 93% 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 Carlsbad compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Carlsbad’s place among New Mexico’s.
Carlsbad weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Carlsbad’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Carlsbad, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 59° | 29° | 0.5" | 1.0" | 3 | 0 | 39° – 49° |
| February | 64° | 33° | 0.5" | 0.4" | 3 | 0 | 44° – 55° |
| March | 72° | 40° | 0.5" | 0.1" | 3 | 0 | 52° – 61° |
| April | 81° | 47° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| May | 89° | 56° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| June | 97° | 65° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 78° – 85° |
| July | 97° | 69° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 78° – 88° |
| August | 96° | 68° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 79° – 88° |
| September | 88° | 60° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 69° – 80° |
| October | 79° | 48° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 62° – 68° |
| November | 68° | 37° | 0.6" | 0.5" | 3 | 0 | 46° – 57° |
| December | 59° | 30° | 0.6" | 0.7" | 3 | 1 | 39° – 48° |
| Year | 79° | 49° | 12.5" | 2.7" | 46 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 46° to 57°. October is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Carlsbad’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 Carlsbad’s center.
- Snow: Carlsbad, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Carlsbad, NM, 4 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 Carlsbad’s climate
What is the weather like in Carlsbad?
A typical July afternoon reaches 97°, a January night drops to 29°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 71% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 98% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Carlsbad in winter?
January nights average 29°. About 75 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 39°.
How much snow does Carlsbad get?
About 2.7 inches in a normal winter at Carlsbad, NM, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Carlsbad?
July, with a typical high of 97° and a low of 69°. About 119 days a year reach 90° and 29 reach 100° (Carlsbad, NM).
When is the first and last frost in Carlsbad?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 17 and the first fall frost by November 12, about 238 frost-free days, at Carlsbad, NM.
What growing zone is Carlsbad in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 13°.
What is the best time of year to visit Carlsbad?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Carlsbad getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 93% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Carlsbad.
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.