Few U.S. towns get less rain and snow than Prewitt: 10 inches a year
Expect July afternoons of about 87°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 72° apart. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 84% of U.S. towns. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to April, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Prewitt at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Prewitt’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Prewitt’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Prewitt feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 137 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 17 and the first by October 3. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Grants Airport, 17 miles from the town’s center, 370 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Prewitt’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −7°. 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 31 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Thoreau 12 Se, NM, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 10 inches a year; August is the wettest month and April 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 Prewitt
89% 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 Grants Airport.
Living with Prewitt’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
137 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 17 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 3.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: August and September. 19 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Prewitt from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (61%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 24%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Prewitt and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Prewitt yet.
Climates most like Prewitt’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prewitt, NM | 15° | 87° | 10" | 31" |
| Chubbuck, ID | 17° | 88° | 12" | 39" |
| Helena Valley West Central, MT | 15° | 85° | 11" | 37" |
| Wellington, CO | 16° | 88° | 14" | 34" |
| Spring Creek, NV | 15° | 89° | 14" | 41" |
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 Prewitt averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 56% 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 Prewitt compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Prewitt’s place among New Mexico’s.
Prewitt weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Prewitt’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Thoreau 12 Se, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 15° | 0.6" | 8.9" | 5 | 24° – 36° |
| February | 48° | 20° | 0.5" | 5.9" | 4 | 29° – 40° |
| March | 57° | 25° | 0.5" | 2.3" | 3 | 36° – 45° |
| April | 64° | 30° | 0.4" | 1.4" | 3 | 43° – 52° |
| May | 74° | 39° | 0.7" | 1.1" | 3 | 52° – 61° |
| June | 85° | 49° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 62° – 72° |
| July | 87° | 55° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 67° – 74° |
| August | 84° | 53° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 66° – 72° |
| September | 78° | 45° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 57° – 65° |
| October | 67° | 33° | 0.8" | 1.1" | 5 | 47° – 55° |
| November | 54° | 23° | 0.6" | 3.4" | 3 | 31° – 45° |
| December | 44° | 15° | 0.7" | 6.5" | 4 | 25° – 36° |
| Year | 66° | 33° | 10.4" | 30.6" | 63 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 31° to 45°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Prewitt’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 Prewitt’s center.
- Snow: Thoreau 12 Se, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Grants Airport, 17 miles from the town’s center, 370 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 Prewitt’s climate
What is the weather like in Prewitt?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 84% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 62% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Prewitt in winter?
December nights average 15°. About 182 nights a year reach 32° or below and 5 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 25°.
How much snow does Prewitt get?
About 31 inches in a normal winter at Thoreau 12 Se, NM, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Prewitt?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 55°. About 59 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Grants Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Prewitt?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 17 and the first fall frost by October 3, about 137 frost-free days, at Grants Airport.
What growing zone is Prewitt in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Prewitt?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Prewitt getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 56% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Prewitt.
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.