Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Las Vegas’ winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 22 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Las Vegas at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Las Vegas’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Las Vegas’ place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Las Vegas feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 149 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 10 and the first by October 7. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Las Vegas Muni Airport, 5 miles from the town’s center, 370 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Las Vegas’ center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −3°. 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 22 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Las Vegas Wwtp, NM, falls mostly in December. 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 51 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Las Vegas
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 Las Vegas Muni Airport.
Living with Las Vegas’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
149 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by May 10 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 7.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, August and September. 6.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Las Vegas from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (78%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Las Vegas and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Las Vegas yet.
Climates most like Las Vegas’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas, NM | 18° | 86° | 16" | 22" |
| Show Low, AZ | 19° | 86° | 15" | 19" |
| Hamilton, MT | 20° | 86° | 13" | 17" |
| Cimarron Hills, CO | 18° | 85° | 17" | 33" |
| Blackfoot, ID | 16° | 88° | 11" | 15" |
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 Las Vegas averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.0°).
A bigger shift than in 77% 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 Las Vegas compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Las Vegas’ place among New Mexico’s.
Las Vegas weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Las Vegas’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Las Vegas Wwtp, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 18° | 0.5" | 3.0" | 2 | 27° – 39° |
| February | 52° | 21° | 0.4" | 3.8" | 2 | 30° – 42° |
| March | 59° | 26° | 0.7" | 2.8" | 2 | 38° – 48° |
| April | 66° | 32° | 0.7" | 1.3" | 3 | 43° – 54° |
| May | 74° | 40° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 4 | 53° – 63° |
| June | 84° | 49° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 5 | 62° – 71° |
| July | 86° | 54° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 67° – 74° |
| August | 83° | 53° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 65° – 72° |
| September | 78° | 46° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 6 | 57° – 66° |
| October | 68° | 35° | 1.3" | 1.4" | 3 | 48° – 57° |
| November | 57° | 24° | 0.7" | 4.0" | 3 | 33° – 47° |
| December | 49° | 18° | 0.6" | 5.7" | 2 | 28° – 38° |
| Year | 67° | 35° | 16.2" | 22.0" | 51 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 33° to 47°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Las Vegas’ 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 Las Vegas’ center.
- Snow: Las Vegas Wwtp, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Las Vegas Muni Airport, 5 miles from the town’s center, 370 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 Las Vegas’ climate
What is the weather like in Las Vegas?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 22 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 55% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Las Vegas in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 155 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 27°.
How much snow does Las Vegas get?
About 22 inches in a normal winter at Las Vegas Wwtp, NM, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Las Vegas?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 54°. About 13 days a year reach 90° (Las Vegas Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Las Vegas?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 10 and the first fall frost by October 7, about 149 frost-free days, at Las Vegas Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Las Vegas in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Las Vegas?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Las Vegas getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 77% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Las Vegas.
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.