Playas reaches 100° on about 19 days a year, more than 95% of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 27°. Temperatures cover 68° across the year, low to high. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 97% of U.S. towns. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings suit April and October, with highs of 77–78°.
A year in Playas at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Playas’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Playas’ place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Playas feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 185 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 23 and the first by October 27. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Hachita 1w, NM, 11 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Playas’ center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 13°. 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 4 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Animas 3ese, NM, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 11 inches a year; July is the wettest month and May 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 Playas
69% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Hachita 1w, NM.
Living with Playas’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
185 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Apr 23 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 27.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Playas from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (37%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Playas and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Playas yet.
Climates most like Playas’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playas, NM | 27° | 93° | 11" | 3.6" |
| Seminole, TX | 29° | 94° | 16" | 4.8" |
| Star, ID | 24° | 93° | 11" | 7.4" |
| Hermiston, OR | 29° | 91° | 9" | 3.7" |
| Fernley, NV | 25° | 93° | 6" | 4.5" |
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 Playas averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in November (+2.5°).
A bigger shift than in 75% 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 Playas compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Playas’ place among New Mexico’s.
Playas weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Playas’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Animas 3ese, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 58° | 27° | 0.8" | 1.7" | 4 | 37° – 46° |
| February | 63° | 31° | 0.6" | 0.5" | 4 | 42° – 51° |
| March | 70° | 35° | 0.5" | 0.3" | 3 | 48° – 58° |
| April | 77° | 41° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 54° – 64° |
| May | 86° | 50° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 2 | 64° – 73° |
| June | 95° | 60° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 72° – 81° |
| July | 93° | 65° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 76° – 82° |
| August | 91° | 63° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 74° – 83° |
| September | 87° | 57° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 4 | 67° – 75° |
| October | 78° | 45° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 3 | 59° – 66° |
| November | 67° | 34° | 0.6" | 0.2" | 2 | 44° – 59° |
| December | 57° | 27° | 1.1" | 0.9" | 4 | 38° – 46° |
| Year | 77° | 45° | 11.0" | 3.6" | 45 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 44° to 59°. July is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Playas’ 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 Playas’ center.
- Snow: Animas 3ese, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Hachita 1w, NM, 11 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 Playas’ climate
What is the weather like in Playas?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 68% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 91% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Playas in winter?
January nights average 27°. About 96 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 37°.
How much snow does Playas get?
About 3.6 inches in a normal winter at Animas 3ese, NM, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Playas?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 65°. About 109 days a year reach 90° and 19 reach 100° (Hachita 1w, NM).
When is the first and last frost in Playas?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 23 and the first fall frost by October 27, about 185 frost-free days, at Hachita 1w, NM.
What growing zone is Playas in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 13°.
What is the best time of year to visit Playas?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Playas getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 75% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Playas.
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.