Photo: Wordbuilder · CC BY 3.0Tucumcari reaches 100° on about 19 days a year, more than 95% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 95°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Tucumcari at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Tucumcari’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Tucumcari’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Tucumcari feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 189 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 18 and the first by October 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Tucumcari 4 Ne, NM, 2.3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Tucumcari’s center in zone 7a: 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°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 15 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Tucumcari 4 Ne, NM, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 64 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Tucumcari
69% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Tucumcari 4 Ne, NM.
Living with Tucumcari’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
189 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 18 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 25.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May and October. 13 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Tucumcari from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (73%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Tucumcari and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Tucumcari yet.
Climates most like Tucumcari’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tucumcari, NM | 24° | 95° | 16" | 15" |
| Weiser, ID | 22° | 94° | 13" | 15" |
| Kanab, UT | 23° | 94° | 13" | 22" |
| Liberal, KS | 21° | 94° | 20" | 14" |
| Ontario, OR | 23° | 93° | 10" | 15" |
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 Tucumcari averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.4°).
A bigger shift than in 65% 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 Tucumcari compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Tucumcari’s place among New Mexico’s.
Tucumcari weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Tucumcari’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Tucumcari 4 Ne, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 24° | 0.4" | 3.8" | 3 | 3 | 32° – 44° |
| February | 59° | 28° | 0.4" | 2.1" | 3 | 2 | 34° – 50° |
| March | 67° | 34° | 0.9" | 1.5" | 4 | 1 | 46° – 56° |
| April | 74° | 41° | 1.0" | 0.4" | 5 | 0 | 51° – 64° |
| May | 83° | 51° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 63° – 73° |
| June | 93° | 61° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 72° – 81° |
| July | 95° | 66° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 76° – 85° |
| August | 93° | 64° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 75° – 84° |
| September | 85° | 57° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 65° – 77° |
| October | 75° | 44° | 1.4" | 0.8" | 6 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| November | 63° | 33° | 0.6" | 2.2" | 3 | 1 | 41° – 53° |
| December | 53° | 25° | 0.6" | 4.1" | 4 | 4 | 33° – 44° |
| Year | 74° | 44° | 15.5" | 14.9" | 64 | 12 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 34° to 50°. July is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Tucumcari’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 Tucumcari’s center.
- Snow: Tucumcari 4 Ne, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Tucumcari 4 Ne, NM, 2.3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; 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 Tucumcari’s climate
What is the weather like in Tucumcari?
A typical July afternoon reaches 95°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 61% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 94% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Tucumcari in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 101 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 32°.
How much snow does Tucumcari get?
About 15 inches in a normal winter at Tucumcari 4 Ne, NM, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 12 days a year.
How hot does it get in Tucumcari?
July, with a typical high of 95° and a low of 66°. About 92 days a year reach 90° and 19 reach 100° (Tucumcari 4 Ne, NM).
When is the first and last frost in Tucumcari?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 18 and the first fall frost by October 25, about 189 frost-free days, at Tucumcari 4 Ne, NM.
What growing zone is Tucumcari in?
Zone 7a 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 Tucumcari?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Tucumcari getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 65% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Tucumcari.
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.