Photo: Carlos Vierra · Public domainFew U.S. towns get less rain and snow than Peña Blanca: 10 inches a year
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 92°. A year here swings 72° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 89% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 26, with the first autumn frost due around October 21.
A year in Peña Blanca at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Peña Blanca’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Peña Blanca’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Peña Blanca feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 178 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first by October 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cochiti Dam, NM, 5 miles from the town’s center, 310 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Peña Blanca’s center in zone 7a: 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 8 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cochiti Dam, NM, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 10 inches a year; August is the wettest month and February 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 Peña Blanca
79% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November 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 Cochiti Dam, NM.
Living with Peña Blanca’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
178 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 26 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 21.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September. 4.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Peña Blanca from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (57%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Peña Blanca and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Peña Blanca yet.
Climates most like Peña Blanca’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peña Blanca, NM | 21° | 92° | 10" | 8.2" |
| Caldwell, ID | 24° | 93° | 11" | 9.7" |
| Spanish Springs, NV | 25° | 91° | 10" | 6.8" |
| Pueblo West, CO | 19° | 92° | 12" | 15" |
| Ontario, OR | 23° | 93° | 10" | 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 Peña Blanca averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.7°).
A bigger 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 Peña Blanca compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Peña Blanca’s place among New Mexico’s.
Peña Blanca weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Peña Blanca’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cochiti Dam, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 21° | 0.5" | 2.1" | 4 | 2 | 28° – 40° |
| February | 55° | 25° | 0.4" | 1.8" | 4 | 0 | 34° – 45° |
| March | 63° | 31° | 0.5" | 0.8" | 4 | 0 | 43° – 52° |
| April | 71° | 37° | 0.5" | 0.1" | 4 | 0 | 50° – 59° |
| May | 80° | 45° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| June | 91° | 55° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| July | 92° | 60° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 73° – 80° |
| August | 90° | 59° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 72° – 78° |
| September | 84° | 51° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 62° – 71° |
| October | 72° | 39° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 52° – 60° |
| November | 58° | 28° | 0.6" | 0.6" | 4 | 0 | 36° – 50° |
| December | 48° | 21° | 0.5" | 2.8" | 4 | 1 | 29° – 39° |
| Year | 71° | 39° | 10.1" | 8.2" | 65 | 4 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 36° to 50°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Peña Blanca’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 Peña Blanca’s center.
- Snow: Cochiti Dam, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cochiti Dam, NM, 5 miles from the town’s center, 310 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 Peña Blanca’s climate
What is the weather like in Peña Blanca?
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 8 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 56% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 89% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Peña Blanca in winter?
December nights average 21°. About 137 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 29°.
How much snow does Peña Blanca get?
About 8.2 inches in a normal winter at Cochiti Dam, NM, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 4 days a year.
How hot does it get in Peña Blanca?
July, with a typical high of 92° and a low of 60°. About 70 days a year reach 90° and 5 reach 100° (Cochiti Dam, NM).
When is the first and last frost in Peña Blanca?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 26 and the first fall frost by October 21, about 178 frost-free days, at Cochiti Dam, NM.
What growing zone is Peña Blanca in?
Zone 7a 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 Peña Blanca?
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 Peña Blanca getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 53% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Peña Blanca.
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.