Photo: Dana B. Chase · Public domainFew U.S. towns get less rain and snow than Ojo Caliente: 12 inches a year
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 87°. Its January nights bite harder than in 81% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.3° higher. Tender plants can go out after about April 29; in half of years the first frost comes by October 16.
A year in Ojo Caliente at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ojo Caliente’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ojo Caliente’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Ojo Caliente feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 168 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 29 and the first by October 16. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Abiquiu Dam, NM, 22 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ojo Caliente’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −1°. 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 24 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at El Rito, NM, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; August is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 65 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ojo Caliente
90% 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 Abiquiu Dam, NM.
Living with Ojo Caliente’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
168 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 29 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 16.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September. 3.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ojo Caliente from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (59%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ojo Caliente and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Ojo Caliente yet.
Climates most like Ojo Caliente’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ojo Caliente, NM | 16° | 87° | 12" | 24" |
| Blackfoot, ID | 16° | 88° | 11" | 15" |
| Show Low, AZ | 19° | 86° | 15" | 19" |
| Wellington, CO | 16° | 88° | 14" | 34" |
| Lockwood, MT | 15° | 88° | 15" | 35" |
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 Ojo Caliente averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 57% 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 Ojo Caliente compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ojo Caliente’s place among New Mexico’s.
Ojo Caliente weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ojo Caliente’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from El Rito, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 16° | 0.6" | 6.5" | 6 | 25° – 36° |
| February | 48° | 20° | 0.6" | 3.6" | 4 | 30° – 40° |
| March | 57° | 26° | 0.7" | 3.6" | 5 | 38° – 46° |
| April | 65° | 32° | 0.8" | 1.1" | 4 | 44° – 53° |
| May | 74° | 41° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 52° – 62° |
| June | 84° | 49° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 62° – 71° |
| July | 87° | 55° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 68° – 75° |
| August | 84° | 54° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 66° – 72° |
| September | 78° | 46° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 6 | 57° – 66° |
| October | 68° | 34° | 1.0" | 0.9" | 5 | 47° – 54° |
| November | 54° | 24° | 0.7" | 1.5" | 4 | 32° – 46° |
| December | 43° | 17° | 0.7" | 6.7" | 4 | 24° – 35° |
| Year | 65° | 35° | 11.7" | 23.9" | 65 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 32° to 46°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Ojo Caliente’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 Ojo Caliente’s center.
- Snow: El Rito, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Abiquiu Dam, NM, 22 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 Ojo Caliente’s climate
What is the weather like in Ojo Caliente?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 24 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 81% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 62% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ojo Caliente in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 147 nights a year reach 32° or below and 1 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 25°.
How much snow does Ojo Caliente get?
About 24 inches in a normal winter at El Rito, NM, most of it in January and December.
How hot does it get in Ojo Caliente?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 55°. About 34 days a year reach 90° (Abiquiu Dam, NM).
When is the first and last frost in Ojo Caliente?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 29 and the first fall frost by October 16, about 168 frost-free days, at Abiquiu Dam, NM.
What growing zone is Ojo Caliente in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −1°.
What is the best time of year to visit Ojo Caliente?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Ojo Caliente getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 57% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Ojo Caliente.
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.