Photo: John Karl Hillers · Public domainCochiti is among the driest of U.S. towns: 11 inches of precipitation a year
Expect July afternoons of about 93°. Its July heat outdoes that of 91% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with March up the most. Radiators earn their keep from November to March, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Cochiti at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cochiti’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cochiti’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Cochiti feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 178 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first by October 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cochiti Dam, NM, 2.4 miles from the town’s center, 290 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cochiti’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 5°. 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 8 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cochiti Dam, NM, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 11 inches a year; August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 65 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cochiti
79% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November 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 Cochiti Dam, NM.
Living with Cochiti’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
178 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 26 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 21.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May. 1.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cochiti from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (57%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cochiti and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Cochiti yet.
Climates most like Cochiti’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cochiti, NM | 20° | 93° | 11" | 8.2" |
| Emmett, ID | 23° | 93° | 13" | 7.4" |
| Fruitvale, CO | 19° | 94° | 10" | 13" |
| Ontario, OR | 23° | 93° | 10" | 15" |
| Spanish Springs, NV | 25° | 91° | 10" | 6.8" |
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 Cochiti averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.7°).
A bigger 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 Cochiti compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cochiti’s place among New Mexico’s.
Cochiti weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cochiti’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cochiti Dam, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 20° | 0.6" | 2.1" | 4 | 2 | 28° – 40° |
| February | 55° | 25° | 0.4" | 1.8" | 4 | 0 | 34° – 45° |
| March | 64° | 30° | 0.6" | 0.8" | 4 | 0 | 43° – 52° |
| April | 71° | 36° | 0.6" | 0.1" | 4 | 0 | 50° – 59° |
| May | 81° | 45° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| June | 91° | 54° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| July | 93° | 60° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 74° – 81° |
| August | 90° | 59° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 72° – 79° |
| September | 84° | 51° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 62° – 71° |
| October | 73° | 38° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 52° – 60° |
| November | 59° | 27° | 0.7" | 0.6" | 4 | 0 | 35° – 50° |
| December | 48° | 20° | 0.6" | 2.8" | 4 | 1 | 29° – 39° |
| Year | 71° | 39° | 11.2" | 8.2" | 65 | 4 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 35° to 50°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Cochiti’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 Cochiti’s center.
- Snow: Cochiti Dam, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cochiti Dam, NM, 2.4 miles from the town’s center, 290 ft higher; 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 Cochiti’s climate
What is the weather like in Cochiti?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 8 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 59% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 91% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cochiti in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 137 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 28°.
How much snow does Cochiti get?
About 8.2 inches in a normal winter at Cochiti Dam, NM, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 4 days a year.
How hot does it get in Cochiti?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 60°. About 70 days a year reach 90° and 5 reach 100° (Cochiti Dam, NM).
When is the first and last frost in Cochiti?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 26 and the first fall frost by October 21, about 178 frost-free days, at Cochiti Dam, NM.
What growing zone is Cochiti in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cochiti?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Cochiti getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 54% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cochiti.
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.