San Miguel del Vado Historic District · Photo: Cmarrou · CC BY-SA 3.0Less rain and snow falls on Ribera than on 92% of U.S. towns: 16 inches a year
January mornings start at about 19°. Only 69° separates winter nights from summer afternoons. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 68% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around April 24; autumn frost returns near October 20.
A year in Ribera at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ribera’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ribera’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Ribera feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 176 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 24 and the first by October 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Villanueva, NM, 9 miles from the town’s center, 310 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ribera’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −2°. 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 25 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Villanueva, NM, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 51 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ribera
84% of the work is heating. 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 Villanueva, NM.
Living with Ribera’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
176 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 24 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 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ribera from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (82%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ribera and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Ribera yet.
Climates most like Ribera’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ribera, NM | 19° | 88° | 16" | 25" |
| Stratmoor, CO | 18° | 88° | 16" | 33" |
| Sidney, NE | 15° | 89° | 17" | 29" |
| Show Low, AZ | 19° | 86° | 15" | 19" |
| Lockwood, MT | 15° | 88° | 15" | 35" |
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 Ribera averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.9°).
A bigger shift than in 65% 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 Ribera compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ribera’s place among New Mexico’s.
Ribera weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ribera’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Villanueva, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 19° | 0.6" | 4.7" | 3 | 2 | 27° – 40° |
| February | 53° | 22° | 0.4" | 4.2" | 3 | 1 | 32° – 43° |
| March | 61° | 27° | 0.7" | 3.6" | 3 | 1 | 40° – 49° |
| April | 68° | 33° | 0.7" | 0.5" | 3 | 0 | 46° – 55° |
| May | 76° | 41° | 1.2" | 0.1" | 4 | 0 | 55° – 65° |
| June | 87° | 50° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| July | 88° | 56° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 75° |
| August | 86° | 55° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| September | 80° | 47° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 58° – 67° |
| October | 70° | 36° | 1.5" | 1.0" | 4 | 0 | 50° – 58° |
| November | 58° | 25° | 0.7" | 3.7" | 2 | 1 | 34° – 48° |
| December | 48° | 19° | 0.7" | 7.2" | 3 | 1 | 29° – 38° |
| Year | 69° | 36° | 16.4" | 25.0" | 51 | 8 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 34° to 48°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Ribera’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 Ribera’s center.
- Snow: Villanueva, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Villanueva, NM, 9 miles from the town’s center, 310 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 Ribera’s climate
What is the weather like in Ribera?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 25 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 65% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 68% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ribera in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 129 nights a year reach 32° or below and 1 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 27°.
How much snow does Ribera get?
About 25 inches in a normal winter at Villanueva, NM, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 8 days a year.
How hot does it get in Ribera?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 56°. About 56 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Villanueva, NM).
When is the first and last frost in Ribera?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 24 and the first fall frost by October 20, about 176 frost-free days, at Villanueva, NM.
What growing zone is Ribera in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −2°.
What is the best time of year to visit Ribera?
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 Ribera getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 65% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Ribera.
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.