Photo: Davishan99 · CC BY-SA 3.0Eagle Nest gets about 124 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 130 U.S. towns
Expect July afternoons of about 78°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.7° higher. Central heating does most of its work from October to May, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Eagle Nest at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Eagle Nest’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Eagle Nest’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Eagle Nest feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 87 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 16 and the first by September 14. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Eagle Nest, NM, 0.7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Eagle Nest’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −18°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 124 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Angel Fire 1s, NM, falls mostly in January and March. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 18 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 86 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Eagle Nest
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from September 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 Eagle Nest, NM.
Living with Eagle Nest’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
87 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Jun 16 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 14.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July and August. 5.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Eagle Nest 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 →Eagle Nest and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Eagle Nest yet.
Climates most like Eagle Nest’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagle Nest, NM | 6° | 78° | 18" | 124" |
| Estes Park, CO | 11° | 79° | 19" | 118" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
| Lewistown, MT | 12° | 82° | 18" | 112" |
| Park City, UT | 18° | 81° | 23" | 153" |
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 Eagle Nest averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.1°).
A bigger shift than in 70% 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 Eagle Nest compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Eagle Nest’s place among New Mexico’s.
Eagle Nest weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Eagle Nest’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Angel Fire 1s, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 6° | 0.8" | 24.3" | 6 | 15° – 28° |
| February | 42° | 11° | 0.9" | 21.4" | 7 | 20° – 32° |
| March | 49° | 18° | 1.3" | 22.0" | 6 | 29° – 39° |
| April | 56° | 24° | 1.3" | 15.4" | 6 | 35° – 45° |
| May | 66° | 31° | 1.5" | 3.5" | 7 | 45° – 53° |
| June | 76° | 38° | 1.2" | 0.1" | 7 | 53° – 61° |
| July | 78° | 44° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 58° – 64° |
| August | 76° | 42° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 57° – 63° |
| September | 71° | 36° | 1.8" | 0.3" | 8 | 48° – 56° |
| October | 60° | 26° | 1.3" | 6.4" | 6 | 39° – 48° |
| November | 48° | 16° | 0.9" | 8.8" | 4 | 24° – 39° |
| December | 39° | 7° | 1.0" | 21.8" | 6 | 18° – 31° |
| Year | 58° | 25° | 17.9" | 124.0" | 86 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 24° to 39°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Eagle Nest’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 Eagle Nest’s center.
- Snow: Angel Fire 1s, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Eagle Nest, NM, 0.7 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 Eagle Nest’s climate
What is the weather like in Eagle Nest?
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 124 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 97% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 96% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Eagle Nest in winter?
January nights average 6°. About 243 nights a year reach 32° or below and 37 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Eagle Nest get?
About 124 inches in a normal winter at Angel Fire 1s, NM, most of it in January and March.
How hot does it get in Eagle Nest?
July, with a typical high of 78°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Eagle Nest, NM.
When is the first and last frost in Eagle Nest?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 16 and the first fall frost by September 14, about 87 frost-free days, at Eagle Nest, NM.
What growing zone is Eagle Nest in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −18°.
What is the best time of year to visit Eagle Nest?
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 Eagle Nest getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 70% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Eagle Nest.
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.