Foster Hotel · Photo: MRobison · CC BY-SA 3.0Chama gets about 92 inches of snow a winter, more than 97% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 92 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Chama at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Chama’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Chama’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Chama 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 14 and the first by September 18. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Chama, NM, 1.9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Chama’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −15°. 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 92 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Chama, NM, is heaviest from January through February, about 23 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 20 inches a year; August is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 96 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Chama
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. 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 Chama, NM.
Living with Chama’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
93 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Jun 14 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 18.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July and August. 1.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Chama from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (80%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Chama and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Chama yet.
Climates most like Chama’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chama, NM | 8° | 81° | 20" | 92" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
| Lewistown, MT | 12° | 82° | 18" | 112" |
| Estes Park, CO | 11° | 79° | 19" | 118" |
| Hailey, ID | 10° | 84° | 14" | 102" |
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 Chama averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.4°).
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 Chama compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Chama’s place among New Mexico’s.
Chama weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Chama’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Chama, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 8° | 1.8" | 22.6" | 7 | 16° – 29° |
| February | 42° | 12° | 1.7" | 23.0" | 8 | 22° – 32° |
| March | 50° | 19° | 1.4" | 13.9" | 7 | 29° – 39° |
| April | 57° | 25° | 1.4" | 5.9" | 7 | 37° – 45° |
| May | 67° | 32° | 1.4" | 1.1" | 8 | 45° – 53° |
| June | 77° | 39° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 54° – 62° |
| July | 81° | 46° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 60° – 67° |
| August | 78° | 45° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 59° – 65° |
| September | 72° | 38° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 50° – 59° |
| October | 61° | 27° | 1.6" | 2.1" | 7 | 40° – 48° |
| November | 48° | 18° | 1.5" | 9.7" | 6 | 25° – 39° |
| December | 39° | 9° | 1.7" | 13.6" | 8 | 19° – 30° |
| Year | 59° | 26° | 19.7" | 91.9" | 96 |
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 39°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Chama’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 Chama’s center.
- Snow: Chama, NM (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Chama, NM, 1.9 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 Chama’s climate
What is the weather like in Chama?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 92 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 88% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Chama in winter?
January nights average 8°. About 231 nights a year reach 32° or below and 23 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Chama get?
About 92 inches in a normal winter at Chama, NM, heaviest from January through February, about 23 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Chama?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 46°. About 2 days a year reach 90° (Chama, NM).
When is the first and last frost in Chama?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 14 and the first fall frost by September 18, about 93 frost-free days, at Chama, NM.
What growing zone is Chama in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −15°.
What is the best time of year to visit Chama?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), July and August. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Chama 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 Chama.
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.