Hardly any U.S. towns collect less precipitation than Lobo Canyon: 12 inches a year
On a normal January night the air cools to about 18°. From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 66°. Its January nights bite harder than in 71% of U.S. towns. Comfortable outdoor weather lasts from May to September, with highs of 72–84°.
A year in Lobo Canyon at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Lobo Canyon’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Lobo Canyon’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Lobo Canyon feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 137 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 17 and the first by October 3. Frost and day counts come from Grants Airport, 11 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Lobo Canyon’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −4°. 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 15 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cubero, NM, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 45 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Lobo Canyon
89% 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 Grants Airport.
Living with Lobo Canyon’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
137 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by May 17 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 3.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 9.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Lobo Canyon from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (76%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Lobo Canyon and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Lobo Canyon yet.
Climates most like Lobo Canyon’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lobo Canyon, NM | 18° | 84° | 12" | 15" |
| Hamilton, MT | 20° | 86° | 13" | 17" |
| Deschutes River Woods, OR | 24° | 84° | 13" | 22" |
| Shelley, ID | 14° | 87° | 11" | 15" |
| Cimarron Hills, CO | 18° | 85° | 17" | 33" |
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 Lobo Canyon averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 53% 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 Lobo Canyon compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Lobo Canyon’s place among New Mexico’s.
Lobo Canyon weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Lobo Canyon’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cubero, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 18° | 0.7" | 3.9" | 3 | 2 | 24° – 37° |
| February | 46° | 21° | 0.5" | 2.4" | 3 | 1 | 29° – 39° |
| March | 55° | 27° | 0.7" | 1.4" | 2 | 0 | 37° – 45° |
| April | 62° | 32° | 0.6" | 0.7" | 2 | 0 | 42° – 52° |
| May | 72° | 41° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| June | 83° | 51° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 63° – 71° |
| July | 84° | 56° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| August | 81° | 55° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 65° – 71° |
| September | 75° | 48° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 57° – 64° |
| October | 65° | 36° | 0.9" | 0.6" | 3 | 0 | 47° – 55° |
| November | 52° | 26° | 0.8" | 1.4" | 2 | 0 | 33° – 45° |
| December | 43° | 18° | 0.8" | 4.6" | 2 | 2 | 24° – 36° |
| Year | 63° | 36° | 12.1" | 15.0" | 45 | 5 |
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 45°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Lobo Canyon’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 Lobo Canyon’s center.
- Snow: Cubero, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Grants Airport, 11 miles from the town’s center, 830 ft lower; no station nearby passes every check; this is the nearest one in the same valley, flagged above.
- 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 Lobo Canyon’s climate
What is the weather like in Lobo Canyon?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 71% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 61% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Lobo Canyon in winter?
December nights average 18°. About 182 nights a year reach 32° or below and 5 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 24°.
How much snow does Lobo Canyon get?
About 15 inches in a normal winter at Cubero, NM, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 5 days a year.
How hot does it get in Lobo Canyon?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 56°. About 59 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Grants Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Lobo Canyon?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 17 and the first fall frost by October 3, about 137 frost-free days, at Grants Airport.
What growing zone is Lobo Canyon in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Lobo Canyon?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Lobo Canyon getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 53% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Lobo Canyon.
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.