#1Ruidoso
Lincoln County · 7,580 peopleJuly high·January low 22°·6 days of 90°+ a year
Ruidoso, #1 on this list · Photo: Public domain · Public domainNew Mexico rankings · Climate
Towns with the coolest summers in New Mexico
Ruidoso has the coolest summers of New Mexico’s 72 towns of 2,500+: July afternoons average a high of 82° (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). The typical town here averages 93°; none of the 72 stay under 80°.
The average July high. NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020, from NOAA’s 5 km grid at each town’s center; one town for each grid cell. A described list: no letters. How grades work
#182°
#2Ruidoso Downs
Lincoln County · 2,588 peopleJuly high·January low 20°·6 days of 90°+ a year
#3Taos
Taos County · 6,526 peopleJuly high·January low 11°·23 days of 90°+ a year
All 72 towns
July high, lowest first. Towns with the same figure share a rank (T = tied; 31 towns here).
72 towns ranked. Not here? See why a town may be missing.
#TownJuly highDays ≥90°January low
Quick answers
Questions people ask
Which New Mexico town has the coolest summers?
Ruidoso (Lincoln County): July afternoons average a high of 82°. Ruidoso Downs (82°) and Taos (84°) follow.
How are these towns ranked?
By the average July high (the warmest month’s afternoons), lowest first, on NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals, read from its 5 km grid at each town’s center. Towns with the same figure share a rank (T); the figure and the state rank are the ones on each town’s Climate page. How grades work.
Why isn’t my town on this list?
The list covers towns of 2,500+ residents, one for each of NOAA’s 5 km grid cells (72 in New Mexico): where towns share a cell, one of them stands for it, since the grid gives them the same figures. Every town’s own figures are on its Climate page. Every town is on the New Mexico page.
Go deeper
All New Mexico rankings →More New Mexico lists
Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.
Best places to live72 towns · #1 Los AlamosBest small towns49 towns · #1 White RockMost affordable towns72 towns · #1 DulceSafest towns29 towns · #1 CorralesTowns with the best schools73 towns · #1 Los Alamos and White RockHealthiest towns73 towns · #1 White RockBest towns for jobs & income72 towns · #1 Sandia HeightsMost walkable towns73 towns · #1 Santa FeTowns with the lowest natural-hazard risk73 towns · #1 University ParkBest towns for the outdoors73 towns · #1 White RockMost historic towns73 towns · #1 Las VegasTowns with the most civic life46 towns · #1 TaosTowns with the least snow69 towns · #1 DemingDescribed, no lettersSnowiest towns69 towns · #1 DulceDescribed, no lettersTowns with the mildest winters72 towns · #1 Santa TeresaDescribed, no lettersTowns with the hottest summers72 towns · #1 CarlsbadDescribed, no lettersTowns with the highest incomes72 towns · #1 White RockDescribed, no lettersTowns with the lowest property taxes65 towns · #1 VadoDescribed, no lettersFastest-growing towns43 towns · #1 Los LunasDescribed, no lettersTowns with the most-used libraries36 towns · #1 TaosDescribed, no letters
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