Photo: Captain Budd Christman, NOAA Corps · Public domainSunland Park reaches 100° on about 23 days a year, more than 97% of U.S. towns
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 32°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 98% of U.S. towns. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 1.9°, most of all in March. Garden planting can start around March 23; autumn frost returns near November 11.
A year in Sunland Park at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sunland Park’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sunland Park’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Sunland Park feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 231 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 23 and the first by November 11. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Santa Teresa Airport, 7 miles from the town’s center, 310 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sunland Park’s center in zone 8b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 17°. 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 2 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Santa Teresa Airport, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 9 inches a year; July is the wettest month and April the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 45 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sunland Park
57% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through February.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Santa Teresa Airport.
Living with Sunland Park’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
231 frost-free days in zone 8b. The last frost comes by Mar 23 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 11.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April and October. 12 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sunland Park from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (81%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sunland Park and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Sunland Park in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Sunland Park’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunland Park, NM | 32° | 96° | 9" | 2.0" |
| Mojave, CA | 33° | 97° | 8" | 1.2" |
| Fort Stockton, TX | 33° | 96° | 13" | 1.4" |
| Douglas, AZ | 31° | 94° | 13" | 0.5" |
| Ivins, UT | 32° | 100° | 11" | 1.2" |
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 Sunland Park averaged 1.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.7°).
A bigger shift than in 83% 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 Sunland Park compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sunland Park’s place among New Mexico’s.
Sunland Park weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sunland Park’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Santa Teresa Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 59° | 32° | 0.5" | 0.3" | 3 | 0 | 42° – 50° |
| February | 65° | 37° | 0.4" | 0.2" | 3 | 0 | 45° – 56° |
| March | 73° | 43° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 53° – 64° |
| April | 81° | 50° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 59° – 69° |
| May | 89° | 58° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| June | 97° | 68° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 79° – 86° |
| July | 96° | 71° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 79° – 88° |
| August | 94° | 69° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 78° – 87° |
| September | 89° | 63° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 70° – 80° |
| October | 80° | 51° | 0.7" | 0.1" | 5 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| November | 68° | 40° | 0.5" | 0.2" | 2 | 0 | 48° – 60° |
| December | 58° | 32° | 0.6" | 1.2" | 3 | 0 | 41° – 49° |
| Year | 79° | 51° | 9.1" | 2.0" | 45 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 48° to 60°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Sunland Park’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 Sunland Park’s center.
- Snow: Santa Teresa Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Santa Teresa Airport, 7 miles from the town’s center, 310 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 Sunland Park’s climate
What is the weather like in Sunland Park?
A typical July afternoon reaches 96°, a January night drops to 32°, and about 2 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 75% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 97% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sunland Park in winter?
December nights average 32°. About 65 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 41°.
How much snow does Sunland Park get?
About 2.0 inches in a normal winter at Santa Teresa Airport, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sunland Park?
July, with a typical high of 96° and a low of 71°. About 107 days a year reach 90° and 23 reach 100° (Santa Teresa Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Sunland Park?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 23 and the first fall frost by November 11, about 231 frost-free days, at Santa Teresa Airport.
What growing zone is Sunland Park in?
Zone 8b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 17°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sunland Park?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Sunland Park getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 83% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sunland Park.
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.