Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Portales reaches 100° on about 11 days a year, more than 92% of U.S. towns
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 25°. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 68°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 92% of U.S. towns. If you like long walks, April, May, September and October offer highs of 74–84°.
A year in Portales at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Portales’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Portales’ place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Portales feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 193 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 15 and the first by October 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Portales, NM, 0.3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Portales’ 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 Portales, NM, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 63 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Portales
67% 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 Portales, NM.
Living with Portales’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
193 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 15 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 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 9.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Portales from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (68%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Portales and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Portales yet.
Climates most like Portales’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portales, NM | 25° | 93° | 16" | 7.6" |
| Emmett, ID | 23° | 93° | 13" | 7.4" |
| Prescott Valley, AZ | 26° | 91° | 14" | 10" |
| Spanish Springs, NV | 25° | 91° | 10" | 6.8" |
| Guymon, OK | 22° | 94° | 18" | 2.7" |
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 Portales averaged 2.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.0°).
A bigger shift than in 91% 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 Portales compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Portales’ place among New Mexico’s.
Portales weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Portales’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Portales, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 25° | 0.5" | 1.7" | 4 | 1 | 32° – 45° |
| February | 58° | 28° | 0.4" | 1.4" | 4 | 1 | 38° – 49° |
| March | 67° | 34° | 0.8" | 0.7" | 4 | 0 | 47° – 56° |
| April | 75° | 41° | 0.8" | 0.2" | 4 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| May | 83° | 51° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| June | 92° | 61° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 72° – 82° |
| July | 93° | 65° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 75° – 83° |
| August | 91° | 64° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 73° – 83° |
| September | 84° | 56° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 64° – 75° |
| October | 74° | 44° | 1.8" | 0.3" | 5 | 0 | 54° – 63° |
| November | 63° | 32° | 0.5" | 0.5" | 4 | 0 | 41° – 53° |
| December | 53° | 25° | 0.6" | 2.8" | 4 | 1 | 33° – 43° |
| Year | 74° | 44° | 16.1" | 7.6" | 63 | 3 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 32° to 45°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Portales’ 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 Portales’ center.
- Snow: Portales, NM (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Portales, NM, 0.3 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 Portales’ climate
What is the weather like in Portales?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 8 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 62% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 90% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Portales in winter?
January nights average 25°. About 104 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 32°.
How much snow does Portales get?
About 7.6 inches in a normal winter at Portales, NM, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 3 days a year.
How hot does it get in Portales?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 65°. About 86 days a year reach 90° and 11 reach 100° (Portales, NM).
When is the first and last frost in Portales?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 15 and the first fall frost by October 26, about 193 frost-free days, at Portales, NM.
What growing zone is Portales 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 Portales?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Portales getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 91% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Portales.
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.