Tularosa Original Townsite District · Photo: AllenS · Public domainTularosa reaches 100° on about 10 days a year, more than 91% of U.S. towns
In January the night’s low is typically 28°. Only 65° separates winter nights from summer afternoons. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 97% of U.S. towns. The outdoor season, with highs of 75–76°, runs through April and October.
A year in Tularosa at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Tularosa’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Tularosa’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Tularosa feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 212 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 5 and the first by November 4. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Tularosa, NM, 1.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Tularosa’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 13°. 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 Alamogordo, NM, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 11 inches a year; July is the wettest month and April the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 56 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Tularosa
65% 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 Tularosa, NM.
Living with Tularosa’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
212 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Apr 5 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 4.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Tularosa from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (66%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Tularosa and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Tularosa yet.
Climates most like Tularosa’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tularosa, NM | 28° | 93° | 11" | 2.4" |
| Hermiston, OR | 29° | 91° | 9" | 3.7" |
| Finley, WA | 29° | 91° | 9" | 2.0" |
| Seminole, TX | 29° | 94° | 16" | 4.8" |
| Douglas, AZ | 31° | 94° | 13" | 0.5" |
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 Tularosa averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.5°).
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 Tularosa compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Tularosa’s place among New Mexico’s.
Tularosa weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Tularosa’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Alamogordo, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 55° | 28° | 0.6" | 1.0" | 4 | 0 | 37° – 46° |
| February | 61° | 32° | 0.5" | 0.1" | 4 | 0 | 42° – 51° |
| March | 68° | 38° | 0.4" | 0.2" | 3 | 0 | 49° – 58° |
| April | 75° | 44° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 56° – 65° |
| May | 85° | 53° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| June | 93° | 63° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 75° – 81° |
| July | 93° | 66° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 75° – 83° |
| August | 91° | 65° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 75° – 82° |
| September | 85° | 58° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| October | 76° | 47° | 1.1" | 0.1" | 5 | 0 | 59° – 65° |
| November | 64° | 36° | 0.6" | 0.1" | 3 | 0 | 43° – 55° |
| December | 54° | 28° | 0.8" | 0.9" | 3 | 0 | 37° – 47° |
| Year | 75° | 47° | 11.2" | 2.4" | 56 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 43° to 55°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Tularosa’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 Tularosa’s center.
- Snow: Alamogordo, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Tularosa, NM, 1.4 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 Tularosa’s climate
What is the weather like in Tularosa?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 2 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 70% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 90% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Tularosa in winter?
January nights average 28°. About 73 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 37°.
How much snow does Tularosa get?
About 2.4 inches in a normal winter at Alamogordo, NM, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 0 days a year.
How hot does it get in Tularosa?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 66°. About 91 days a year reach 90° and 10 reach 100° (Tularosa, NM).
When is the first and last frost in Tularosa?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 5 and the first fall frost by November 4, about 212 frost-free days, at Tularosa, NM.
What growing zone is Tularosa in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 13°.
What is the best time of year to visit Tularosa?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Tularosa 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 Tularosa.
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.