Photo: Leaflet · CC BY-SA 3.0Precipitation in Roy trails that of 93% of U.S. towns: 16 inches a year
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 19°. The seasons are far apart: from a winter night to a summer afternoon the average spans 68°. In January, nights here are colder than in 64% of U.S. towns. Comfortable outdoor weather, highs of 75–79°, belongs to May and September.
A year in Roy at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Roy’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Roy’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Roy feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 167 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Roy, NM, 3 miles from the town’s center, 140 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Roy’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 19 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Roy, NM, falls mostly in January, March and 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 43 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Roy
88% 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 Roy, NM.
Living with Roy’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
167 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 30 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 15.
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 Roy from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (66%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Roy and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Roy yet.
Climates most like Roy’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roy, NM | 19° | 87° | 16" | 19" |
| Show Low, AZ | 19° | 86° | 15" | 19" |
| Hamilton, MT | 20° | 86° | 13" | 17" |
| Cold Springs, NV | 23° | 88° | 13" | 17" |
| Security-Widefield, CO | 18° | 87° | 16" | 33" |
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 Roy averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.5°).
A bigger shift than in 63% 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 Roy compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Roy’s place among New Mexico’s.
Roy weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Roy’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Roy, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 19° | 0.4" | 4.5" | 2 | 3 | 26° – 38° |
| February | 52° | 21° | 0.3" | 3.0" | 2 | 3 | 25° – 43° |
| March | 59° | 28° | 0.7" | 4.4" | 2 | 1 | 38° – 49° |
| April | 67° | 34° | 0.8" | 0.5" | 3 | 0 | 43° – 56° |
| May | 75° | 44° | 1.4" | 0.2" | 4 | 0 | 56° – 66° |
| June | 85° | 54° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 64° – 74° |
| July | 87° | 58° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| August | 85° | 57° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| September | 79° | 50° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| October | 69° | 38° | 1.1" | 0.2" | 3 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| November | 57° | 27° | 0.4" | 2.1" | 2 | 1 | 35° – 49° |
| December | 47° | 19° | 0.6" | 4.4" | 2 | 5 | 25° – 38° |
| Year | 68° | 37° | 15.6" | 19.3" | 43 | 12 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 25° to 43°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Roy’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 Roy’s center.
- Snow: Roy, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Roy, NM, 3 miles from the town’s center, 140 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 Roy’s climate
What is the weather like in Roy?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 19 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 64% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 63% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Roy in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 136 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 26°.
How much snow does Roy get?
About 19 inches in a normal winter at Roy, NM, most of it in January, March and December, with snow on the ground about 12 days a year.
How hot does it get in Roy?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 58°. About 24 days a year reach 90° (Roy, NM).
When is the first and last frost in Roy?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 15, about 167 frost-free days, at Roy, NM.
What growing zone is Roy 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 Roy?
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 Roy getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 63% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Roy.
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.