Photo: Travis K. Witt · CC BY-SA 4.0Cimarron’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 40 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Cimarron at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cimarron’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cimarron’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Cimarron feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 143 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 11 and the first by October 3. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cimarron 4 Sw, NM, 3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cimarron’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −8°. 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 40 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cimarron 4 Sw, NM, is heaviest from January through March, about 7 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 66 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cimarron
95% 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 Cimarron 4 Sw, NM.
Living with Cimarron’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
143 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 11 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. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cimarron from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (53%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cimarron and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Cimarron yet.
Climates most like Cimarron’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cimarron, NM | 16° | 85° | 16" | 40" |
| Cimarron Hills, CO | 18° | 85° | 17" | 33" |
| Missoula, MT | 18° | 86° | 14" | 43" |
| Doney Park, AZ | 17° | 86° | 16" | 52" |
| 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 Cimarron averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.7°).
A smaller shift than in 52% 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 Cimarron compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cimarron’s place among New Mexico’s.
Cimarron weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cimarron’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cimarron 4 Sw, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 16° | 0.5" | 7.0" | 3 | 2 | 23° – 37° |
| February | 50° | 18° | 0.4" | 7.1" | 3 | 3 | 26° – 41° |
| March | 58° | 25° | 0.8" | 7.0" | 4 | 2 | 37° – 46° |
| April | 65° | 31° | 1.1" | 5.0" | 5 | 1 | 42° – 52° |
| May | 74° | 40° | 1.6" | 0.5" | 6 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| June | 83° | 48° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 61° – 70° |
| July | 85° | 53° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 66° – 73° |
| August | 83° | 52° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 64° – 71° |
| September | 78° | 45° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 57° – 65° |
| October | 68° | 33° | 1.1" | 2.1" | 4 | 1 | 46° – 56° |
| November | 56° | 23° | 0.5" | 5.1" | 2 | 1 | 32° – 46° |
| December | 47° | 16° | 0.5" | 6.2" | 3 | 2 | 25° – 37° |
| Year | 66° | 33° | 15.8" | 40.0" | 66 | 12 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 26° to 41°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Cimarron’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 Cimarron’s center.
- Snow: Cimarron 4 Sw, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cimarron 4 Sw, NM, 3 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 Cimarron’s climate
What is the weather like in Cimarron?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 40 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 82% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 52% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cimarron in winter?
December nights average 16°. About 167 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 25°.
How much snow does Cimarron get?
About 40 inches in a normal winter at Cimarron 4 Sw, NM, heaviest from January through March, about 7 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 12 days a year.
How hot does it get in Cimarron?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 53°. About 10 days a year reach 90° (Cimarron 4 Sw, NM).
When is the first and last frost in Cimarron?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 11 and the first fall frost by October 3, about 143 frost-free days, at Cimarron 4 Sw, NM.
What growing zone is Cimarron in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −8°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cimarron?
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 Cimarron getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 52% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cimarron.
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.