Dulce’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 56 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Dulce at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Dulce’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Dulce’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Dulce feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 103 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 9 and the first by September 22. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Dulce, NM, 1.2 miles from the town’s center, 230 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Dulce’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −12°. 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 56 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Dulce, NM, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 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 Dulce
96% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. 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 Dulce, NM.
Living with Dulce’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
103 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Jun 9 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 22.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, August and September. 2.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Dulce from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (84%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Dulce and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Dulce yet.
Climates most like Dulce’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dulce, NM | 11° | 86° | 16" | 56" |
| Gillette, WY | 13° | 86° | 16" | 56" |
| Box Elder, SD | 14° | 86° | 19" | 49" |
| Rigby, ID | 12° | 85° | 12" | 66" |
| Gypsum, CO | 11° | 86° | 14" | 39" |
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 Dulce averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.7°).
A bigger shift than in 62% 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 Dulce compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Dulce’s place among New Mexico’s.
Dulce weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Dulce’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Dulce, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 11° | 1.3" | 13.4" | 7 | 23 | 19° – 33° |
| February | 45° | 16° | 1.3" | 12.8" | 8 | 18 | 25° – 36° |
| March | 53° | 23° | 1.1" | 6.3" | 8 | 5 | 34° – 42° |
| April | 61° | 28° | 1.1" | 2.7" | 7 | 0 | 40° – 48° |
| May | 71° | 35° | 1.0" | 0.4" | 7 | 0 | 48° – 57° |
| June | 82° | 42° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 57° – 67° |
| July | 86° | 51° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 64° – 71° |
| August | 83° | 49° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 64° – 70° |
| September | 76° | 42° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 54° – 62° |
| October | 65° | 30° | 1.4" | 1.0" | 7 | 0 | 44° – 51° |
| November | 52° | 20° | 1.2" | 5.7" | 6 | 4 | 28° – 43° |
| December | 41° | 12° | 1.3" | 13.4" | 8 | 16 | 19° – 32° |
| Year | 63° | 30° | 16.0" | 55.7" | 96 | 67 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 28° to 43°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Dulce’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 Dulce’s center.
- Snow: Dulce, NM (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Dulce, NM, 1.2 miles from the town’s center, 230 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 Dulce’s climate
What is the weather like in Dulce?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 56 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 93% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 54% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Dulce in winter?
January nights average 11°. About 217 nights a year reach 32° or below and 17 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Dulce get?
About 56 inches in a normal winter at Dulce, NM, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 67 days a year.
How hot does it get in Dulce?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 51°. About 23 days a year reach 90° (Dulce, NM).
When is the first and last frost in Dulce?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 9 and the first fall frost by September 22, about 103 frost-free days, at Dulce, NM.
What growing zone is Dulce in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Dulce?
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 Dulce getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 62% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Dulce.
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.