El Morro National Monument · Photo: Joel Mills · CC BY-SA 3.0Less rain and snow falls on El Morro Valley than on 94% of U.S. towns: 14 inches a year
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 85°. By January nights alone, it runs colder than 90% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.1° above 1901–2000. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly June 3 to September 27.
A year in El Morro Valley at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about El Morro Valley’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with El Morro Valley’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in El Morro Valley feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 114 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 3 and the first by September 27. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at El Morro Natl Mon, NM, 0.7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts El Morro Valley’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −11°. 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 38 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at El Morro Natl Mon, NM, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 14 inches a year; August is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 79 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in El Morro Valley
97% 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 El Morro Natl Mon, NM.
Living with El Morro Valley’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
114 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Jun 3 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 27.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, August and September. 20 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in El Morro Valley from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (57%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 22%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →El Morro Valley and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around El Morro Valley yet.
Climates most like El Morro Valley’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Morro Valley, NM | 13° | 85° | 14" | 38" |
| Helena, MT | 15° | 85° | 12" | 37" |
| Gypsum, CO | 11° | 86° | 14" | 39" |
| Cody, WY | 14° | 85° | 11" | 45" |
| 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 El Morro Valley averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.0°).
A smaller shift than in 74% 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 El Morro Valley compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with El Morro Valley’s place among New Mexico’s.
El Morro Valley weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at El Morro Valley’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from El Morro Natl Mon, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 13° | 1.0" | 11.0" | 6 | 13 | 23° – 35° |
| February | 48° | 17° | 0.9" | 7.4" | 6 | 8 | 27° – 38° |
| March | 56° | 22° | 0.9" | 5.4" | 5 | 2 | 34° – 43° |
| April | 63° | 27° | 0.7" | 2.1" | 4 | 1 | 42° – 50° |
| May | 73° | 35° | 0.7" | 0.4" | 4 | 0 | 49° – 57° |
| June | 84° | 43° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 59° – 67° |
| July | 85° | 51° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 64° – 72° |
| August | 82° | 50° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 63° – 69° |
| September | 77° | 42° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 55° – 63° |
| October | 67° | 30° | 1.0" | 1.7" | 6 | 0 | 45° – 53° |
| November | 55° | 20° | 0.9" | 4.1" | 5 | 2 | 30° – 43° |
| December | 45° | 13° | 1.0" | 5.9" | 6 | 8 | 23° – 36° |
| Year | 65° | 30° | 13.6" | 38.0" | 79 | 34 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 30° to 43°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where El Morro Valley’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 El Morro Valley’s center.
- Snow: El Morro Natl Mon, NM (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: El Morro Natl Mon, 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 El Morro Valley’s climate
What is the weather like in El Morro Valley?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 38 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 90% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in El Morro Valley in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 201 nights a year reach 32° or below and 8 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 23°.
How much snow does El Morro Valley get?
About 38 inches in a normal winter at El Morro Natl Mon, NM, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 34 days a year.
How hot does it get in El Morro Valley?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 51°. About 10 days a year reach 90° (El Morro Natl Mon, NM).
When is the first and last frost in El Morro Valley?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 3 and the first fall frost by September 27, about 114 frost-free days, at El Morro Natl Mon, NM.
What growing zone is El Morro Valley in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −11°.
What is the best time of year to visit El Morro Valley?
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 El Morro Valley getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 74% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in El Morro Valley.
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.