George Becker House, Bunk House and Barn · Photo: Matthew.kowal · CC BY 4.0Few U.S. towns have colder winter nights than Los Ojos
High summer brings afternoon highs near 84°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 92% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.6° more than in 1901–2000, led by January. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about June 11, with the first autumn frost due around September 20.
A year in Los Ojos at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Los Ojos’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Los Ojos’ place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Los Ojos feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 98 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 11 and the first by September 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Tierra Amarilla 4 N, NM, 2.0 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Los Ojos’ center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −14°. 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 75 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Tierra Amarilla 4 N, NM, falls mostly in January. 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 83 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Los Ojos
99% 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 Tierra Amarilla 4 N, NM.
Living with Los Ojos’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
98 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Jun 11 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 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 0.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Los Ojos from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (80%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Los Ojos and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Los Ojos yet.
Climates most like Los Ojos’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Ojos, NM | 8° | 84° | 16" | 75" |
| Rexburg, ID | 12° | 84° | 13" | 70" |
| Bozeman, MT | 13° | 83° | 17" | 91" |
| Watford City, ND | 4° | 84° | 16" | 50" |
| Laramie, WY | 12° | 81° | 12" | 64" |
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 Los Ojos averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.4°).
A bigger shift than in 66% 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 Los Ojos compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Los Ojos’ place among New Mexico’s.
Los Ojos weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Los Ojos’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Tierra Amarilla 4 N, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 8° | 1.2" | 17.7" | 7 | 17° – 30° |
| February | 44° | 13° | 1.2" | 15.3" | 7 | 24° – 34° |
| March | 52° | 20° | 1.1" | 9.8" | 7 | 31° – 40° |
| April | 60° | 26° | 1.1" | 6.6" | 7 | 39° – 46° |
| May | 69° | 33° | 1.3" | 0.7" | 6 | 47° – 55° |
| June | 80° | 40° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 56° – 64° |
| July | 84° | 48° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 62° – 70° |
| August | 81° | 47° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 61° – 67° |
| September | 75° | 39° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 51° – 60° |
| October | 64° | 28° | 1.3" | 1.6" | 6 | 42° – 50° |
| November | 50° | 19° | 1.1" | 8.4" | 6 | 27° – 41° |
| December | 40° | 10° | 1.2" | 15.0" | 7 | 20° – 32° |
| Year | 62° | 28° | 16.2" | 75.1" | 83 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 27° to 41°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Los Ojos’ 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 Los Ojos’ center.
- Snow: Tierra Amarilla 4 N, NM (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Tierra Amarilla 4 N, NM, 2.0 miles from the town’s center, 120 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 Los Ojos’ climate
What is the weather like in Los Ojos?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 75 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 63% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Los Ojos in winter?
January nights average 8°. About 235 nights a year reach 32° or below and 25 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Los Ojos get?
About 75 inches in a normal winter at Tierra Amarilla 4 N, NM, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Los Ojos?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 48°. About 5 days a year reach 90° (Tierra Amarilla 4 N, NM).
When is the first and last frost in Los Ojos?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 11 and the first fall frost by September 20, about 98 frost-free days, at Tierra Amarilla 4 N, NM.
What growing zone is Los Ojos in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −14°.
What is the best time of year to visit Los Ojos?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July and August. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Los Ojos getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 66% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Los Ojos.
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.