Few U.S. towns get less rain and snow than Santa Cruz: 11 inches a year
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 90° on average. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 73° apart. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 77% of U.S. towns. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings suit May and September, with highs of 78–81°.
A year in Santa Cruz at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Santa Cruz’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Santa Cruz’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Santa Cruz feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 149 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 11 and the first by October 6. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Espanola, NM, 1.3 miles from the town’s center, 180 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Santa Cruz’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 1°. 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 11 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Alcalde, NM, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 11 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 55 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Santa Cruz
89% 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 Espanola, NM.
Living with Santa Cruz’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
149 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by May 11 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 6.
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 Santa Cruz from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (78%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Santa Cruz and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Santa Cruz in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Santa Cruz’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz, NM | 17° | 90° | 11" | 11" |
| Snowflake, AZ | 20° | 90° | 10" | 13" |
| Richfield, UT | 16° | 90° | 11" | 18" |
| Pueblo West, CO | 19° | 92° | 12" | 15" |
| Johnson Lane, NV | 22° | 91° | 10" | 14" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Santa Cruz averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.8°).
A bigger shift than in 58% 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 Santa Cruz compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Santa Cruz’s place among New Mexico’s.
Santa Cruz weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Santa Cruz’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Alcalde, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 17° | 0.6" | 2.2" | 3 | 2 | 27° – 38° |
| February | 52° | 22° | 0.4" | 1.5" | 3 | 1 | 32° – 43° |
| March | 61° | 28° | 0.7" | 1.4" | 4 | 1 | 41° – 49° |
| April | 68° | 34° | 0.6" | 0.3" | 4 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| May | 78° | 42° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 55° – 65° |
| June | 88° | 51° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 65° – 73° |
| July | 90° | 57° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 70° – 77° |
| August | 87° | 55° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 75° |
| September | 81° | 47° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 59° – 67° |
| October | 70° | 35° | 1.2" | 0.6" | 5 | 0 | 49° – 56° |
| November | 57° | 25° | 0.7" | 1.4" | 3 | 1 | 33° – 47° |
| December | 46° | 17° | 0.7" | 3.3" | 3 | 3 | 26° – 36° |
| Year | 69° | 36° | 11.4" | 10.7" | 55 | 7 |
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 6°.
Where Santa Cruz’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 Santa Cruz’s center.
- Snow: Alcalde, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Espanola, NM, 1.3 miles from the town’s center, 180 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 Santa Cruz’s climate
What is the weather like in Santa Cruz?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 11 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 73% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 77% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Santa Cruz in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 174 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 27°.
How much snow does Santa Cruz get?
About 11 inches in a normal winter at Alcalde, NM, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 7 days a year.
How hot does it get in Santa Cruz?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 57°. About 51 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Espanola, NM).
When is the first and last frost in Santa Cruz?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 11 and the first fall frost by October 6, about 149 frost-free days, at Espanola, NM.
What growing zone is Santa Cruz in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 1°.
What is the best time of year to visit Santa Cruz?
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 Santa Cruz getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 58% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Santa Cruz.
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.