Ojo Encino is among the driest of U.S. towns: 11 inches of precipitation a year
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 87°. The wettest month is August; the driest is June. Its January nights bite harder than in 88% of U.S. towns. Tender plants can go out after about May 28; in half of years the first frost comes by September 28.
A year in Ojo Encino at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ojo Encino’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ojo Encino’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Ojo Encino feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 121 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 28 and the first by September 28. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Star Lake, NM, 7 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ojo Encino’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −8°. 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 29 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Johnson Rch, NM, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 11 inches a year; August is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 61 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ojo Encino
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 Star Lake, NM.
Living with Ojo Encino’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
121 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 28 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 28.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: September. 1.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ojo Encino from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (64%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 25%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ojo Encino and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Ojo Encino yet.
Climates most like Ojo Encino’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 Encino, NM | 14° | 87° | 11" | 29" |
| Lockwood, MT | 15° | 88° | 15" | 35" |
| Carbondale, CO | 11° | 88° | 13" | 39" |
| Chubbuck, ID | 17° | 88° | 12" | 39" |
| Rock Springs, WY | 9° | 87° | 9" | 31" |
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 Encino averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 54% 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 Encino compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ojo Encino’s place among New Mexico’s.
Ojo Encino weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ojo Encino’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Johnson Rch, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 14° | 0.6" | 6.6" | 5 | 12 | 21° – 34° |
| February | 47° | 19° | 0.5" | 4.8" | 5 | 7 | 27° – 38° |
| March | 56° | 24° | 0.6" | 5.0" | 5 | 2 | 36° – 44° |
| April | 64° | 30° | 0.7" | 1.6" | 4 | 1 | 42° – 51° |
| May | 74° | 38° | 0.7" | 0.3" | 4 | 0 | 51° – 60° |
| June | 85° | 48° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| July | 87° | 54° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 75° |
| August | 84° | 53° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 73° |
| September | 78° | 45° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 56° – 64° |
| October | 66° | 33° | 0.9" | 0.8" | 4 | 0 | 46° – 54° |
| November | 52° | 22° | 0.7" | 2.6" | 4 | 2 | 30° – 44° |
| December | 42° | 14° | 0.7" | 7.0" | 5 | 9 | 22° – 34° |
| Year | 65° | 33° | 10.6" | 28.7" | 61 | 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 44°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Ojo Encino’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 Encino’s center.
- Snow: Johnson Rch, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Star Lake, NM, 7 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft lower; 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 Encino’s climate
What is the weather like in Ojo Encino?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 29 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 88% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 63% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ojo Encino in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 196 nights a year reach 32° or below and 12 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.
How much snow does Ojo Encino get?
About 29 inches in a normal winter at Johnson Rch, NM, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 34 days a year.
How hot does it get in Ojo Encino?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 54°. About 21 days a year reach 90° (Star Lake, NM).
When is the first and last frost in Ojo Encino?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 28 and the first fall frost by September 28, about 121 frost-free days, at Star Lake, NM.
What growing zone is Ojo Encino in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −8°.
What is the best time of year to visit Ojo Encino?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Ojo Encino getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 54% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Ojo Encino.
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.