Photo: Vasiliymeshko · CC BY-SA 4.0Roswell reaches 100° on about 16 days a year, more than 94% of U.S. towns
Midwinter brings lows of about 25°. July is the wettest month, February the driest. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 96% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about March 29, with the first autumn frost due around November 7.
A year in Roswell at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Roswell’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Roswell’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Roswell feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 223 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 29 and the first by November 7. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Roswell Climat, NM, 0.9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; frost dates and degree days from Roswell Ind Air Park, NM, 5 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Roswell’s center in zone 7b: 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 10 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Roswell Ind Air Park, NM, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 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 Roswell
56% 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 Roswell Ind Air Park, NM.
Living with Roswell’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
223 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Mar 29 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 7.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April and October. 28 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Roswell from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (85%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Roswell and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Roswell yet.
Climates most like Roswell’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roswell, NM | 25° | 96° | 12" | 9.6" |
| Payette, ID | 23° | 94° | 10" | 15" |
| Ontario, OR | 23° | 93° | 10" | 15" |
| Kanab, UT | 23° | 94° | 13" | 22" |
| Clarkston, WA | 30° | 93° | 12" | 13" |
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 Roswell averaged 2.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in June (+2.7°).
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 Roswell compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Roswell’s place among New Mexico’s.
Roswell weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Roswell’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Roswell Ind Air Park, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 58° | 25° | 0.5" | 2.4" | 3 | 2 | 36° – 46° |
| February | 63° | 29° | 0.4" | 1.1" | 3 | 1 | 41° – 52° |
| March | 71° | 36° | 0.6" | 0.7" | 3 | 0 | 49° – 59° |
| April | 79° | 43° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 56° – 66° |
| May | 88° | 53° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 65° – 78° |
| June | 96° | 62° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 74° – 82° |
| July | 96° | 66° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 77° – 87° |
| August | 94° | 65° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 76° – 86° |
| September | 87° | 57° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 67° – 78° |
| October | 78° | 45° | 1.5" | 0.4" | 5 | 0 | 58° – 65° |
| November | 66° | 33° | 0.5" | 1.2" | 3 | 1 | 43° – 55° |
| December | 57° | 25° | 0.6" | 3.8" | 4 | 2 | 34° – 45° |
| Year | 78° | 45° | 11.8" | 9.6" | 51 | 6 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. May swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 65° to 78°. October is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Roswell’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 Roswell’s center.
- Snow: Roswell Ind Air Park, NM.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Roswell Ind Air Park, NM, 5 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Roswell Climat, NM, 0.9 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 Roswell’s climate
What is the weather like in Roswell?
A typical July afternoon reaches 96°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 10 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 64% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 97% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Roswell in winter?
December nights average 25°. About 115 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 34°.
How much snow does Roswell get?
About 9.6 inches in a normal winter at Roswell Ind Air Park, NM, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 6 days a year.
How hot does it get in Roswell?
July, with a typical high of 96° and a low of 66°. About 90 days a year reach 90° and 16 reach 100° (Roswell Ind Air Park, NM).
When is the first and last frost in Roswell?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 29 and the first fall frost by November 7, about 223 frost-free days, at Roswell Ind Air Park, NM.
What growing zone is Roswell in?
Zone 7b 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 Roswell?
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 Roswell 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 Roswell.
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.