Sandia Knolls’ winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 29 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Sandia Knolls at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sandia Knolls’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sandia Knolls’ place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Sandia Knolls feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 152 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 9 and the first by October 9. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Sandia Park, NM, 5 miles from the town’s center, 190 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sandia Knolls’ center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 3°. 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 29 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Golden, NM, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; July is the wettest month and May the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 62 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sandia Knolls
95% 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 Sandia Park, NM.
Living with Sandia Knolls’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
152 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by May 9 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 9.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sandia Knolls from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (46%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sandia Knolls and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sandia Knolls yet.
Climates most like Sandia Knolls’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandia Knolls, NM | 20° | 86° | 16" | 29" |
| Cimarron Hills, CO | 18° | 85° | 17" | 33" |
| Show Low, AZ | 19° | 86° | 15" | 19" |
| Hamilton, MT | 20° | 86° | 13" | 17" |
| Rapid City, SD | 14° | 86° | 19" | 36" |
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 Sandia Knolls averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.0°).
A bigger shift than in 76% 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 Sandia Knolls compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sandia Knolls’ place among New Mexico’s.
Sandia Knolls weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sandia Knolls’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Golden, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 20° | 1.1" | 5.6" | 5 | 26° – 37° |
| February | 49° | 24° | 1.0" | 2.5" | 4 | 31° – 41° |
| March | 57° | 29° | 1.1" | 6.2" | 5 | 39° – 48° |
| April | 64° | 34° | 0.8" | 1.2" | 4 | 45° – 54° |
| May | 74° | 42° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 4 | 54° – 63° |
| June | 84° | 51° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 4 | 63° – 71° |
| July | 86° | 56° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 67° – 75° |
| August | 83° | 55° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 66° – 73° |
| September | 77° | 48° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 57° – 66° |
| October | 66° | 37° | 1.5" | 1.1" | 5 | 48° – 56° |
| November | 53° | 27° | 1.0" | 3.9" | 4 | 33° – 47° |
| December | 44° | 20° | 1.3" | 8.1" | 5 | 26° – 37° |
| Year | 65° | 37° | 16.4" | 28.6" | 62 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 33° to 47°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Sandia Knolls’ 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 Sandia Knolls’ center.
- Snow: Golden, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Sandia Park, NM, 5 miles from the town’s center, 190 ft higher; 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 Sandia Knolls’ climate
What is the weather like in Sandia Knolls?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 29 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 61% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 53% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sandia Knolls in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 171 nights a year reach 32° or below and 3 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 26°.
How much snow does Sandia Knolls get?
About 29 inches in a normal winter at Golden, NM, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Sandia Knolls?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 56°. About 8 days a year reach 90° (Sandia Park, NM).
When is the first and last frost in Sandia Knolls?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 9 and the first fall frost by October 9, about 152 frost-free days, at Sandia Park, NM.
What growing zone is Sandia Knolls in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sandia Knolls?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Sandia Knolls getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 76% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sandia Knolls.
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.