Truchas gets about 108 inches of snow a winter, more than 98% of U.S. towns
July afternoons average 80°. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in July and the lightest in February. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 93% of U.S. towns. Central heating does most of its work from October to April, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Truchas at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Truchas’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Truchas’ place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Truchas feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 119 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 28 and the first by September 26. Frost dates and degree days from Gascon, NM, 23 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Truchas’ center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −4°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 108 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Gascon, NM, falls mostly in March. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 18 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 77 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Truchas
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Gascon, NM.
Living with Truchas’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
119 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by May 28 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 0.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Truchas from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (62%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Truchas and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Truchas yet.
Climates most like Truchas’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Truchas, NM | 19° | 80° | 18" | 108" |
| Black Forest, CO | 16° | 81° | 20" | 121" |
| Lewistown, MT | 12° | 82° | 18" | 112" |
| Park City, UT | 18° | 81° | 23" | 153" |
| Flagstaff, AZ | 16° | 84° | 18" | 90" |
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 Truchas averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.7°).
A bigger shift than in 59% 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 Truchas compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Truchas’ place among New Mexico’s.
Truchas weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Truchas’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Gascon, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 19° | 1.1" | 14.5" | 4 | 10 | 25° – 35° |
| February | 43° | 21° | 1.0" | 16.9" | 5 | 8 | 27° – 38° |
| March | 51° | 26° | 1.3" | 22.9" | 6 | 5 | 35° – 44° |
| April | 58° | 32° | 1.1" | 15.8" | 6 | 2 | 40° – 49° |
| May | 67° | 39° | 1.1" | 2.3" | 6 | 0 | 49° – 59° |
| June | 78° | 48° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 59° – 67° |
| July | 80° | 53° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 64° – 71° |
| August | 77° | 52° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 62° – 68° |
| September | 72° | 46° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 53° – 61° |
| October | 61° | 36° | 1.6" | 7.0" | 5 | 1 | 45° – 53° |
| November | 49° | 26° | 1.2" | 11.0" | 4 | 5 | 30° – 43° |
| December | 39° | 19° | 1.3" | 17.9" | 4 | 10 | 25° – 34° |
| Year | 60° | 35° | 17.5" | 108.3" | 77 | 41 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 30° to 43°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Truchas’ 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 Truchas’ center.
- Snow: Gascon, NM.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Gascon, NM, 23 miles away.
- 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 Truchas’ climate
What is the weather like in Truchas?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 108 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 63% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 93% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Truchas in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 192 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 25°.
How much snow does Truchas get?
About 108 inches in a normal winter at Gascon, NM, most of it in March, with snow on the ground about 41 days a year.
How hot does it get in Truchas?
July, with a typical high of 80°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Gascon, NM.
When is the first and last frost in Truchas?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 28 and the first fall frost by September 26, about 119 frost-free days, at Gascon, NM.
What growing zone is Truchas in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Truchas?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Truchas getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 59% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Truchas.
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.