Photo: Alix King · CC BY-SA 4.0Wagon Mound is drier than 92% of U.S. towns: 16 inches of precipitation a year
Expect July afternoons of about 86°. Its January nights bite harder than in 74% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with March up the most. For walks and days out, May, June, August and September bring highs of 74–84°.
A year in Wagon Mound at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Wagon Mound’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Wagon Mound’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Wagon Mound feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 135 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 18 and the first by October 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Valmora, NM, 18 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Wagon Mound’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −8°. 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 24 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Valmora, NM, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 49 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Wagon Mound
94% 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 Valmora, NM.
Living with Wagon Mound’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
135 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 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 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Wagon Mound from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (48%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Wagon Mound and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Wagon Mound yet.
Climates most like Wagon Mound’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wagon Mound, NM | 17° | 86° | 16" | 24" |
| Show Low, AZ | 19° | 86° | 15" | 19" |
| Cimarron Hills, CO | 18° | 85° | 17" | 33" |
| Hamilton, MT | 20° | 86° | 13" | 17" |
| Rapid City, SD | 14° | 86° | 19" | 36" |
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 Wagon Mound averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.7°).
A bigger shift than in 62% 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 Wagon Mound compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Wagon Mound’s place among New Mexico’s.
Wagon Mound weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Wagon Mound’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Valmora, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 17° | 0.4" | 4.2" | 2 | 3 | 26° – 39° |
| February | 51° | 20° | 0.4" | 4.7" | 2 | 3 | 28° – 41° |
| March | 59° | 25° | 0.8" | 3.4" | 2 | 2 | 37° – 47° |
| April | 65° | 32° | 1.0" | 2.4" | 3 | 1 | 43° – 54° |
| May | 74° | 41° | 1.6" | 0.1" | 4 | 0 | 53° – 63° |
| June | 84° | 49° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 62° – 71° |
| July | 86° | 54° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| August | 83° | 53° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 72° |
| September | 78° | 46° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 57° – 66° |
| October | 68° | 34° | 1.2" | 0.8" | 3 | 0 | 48° – 56° |
| November | 57° | 24° | 0.6" | 2.7" | 2 | 1 | 34° – 47° |
| December | 48° | 18° | 0.5" | 5.4" | 2 | 2 | 27° – 38° |
| Year | 67° | 34° | 16.3" | 23.7" | 49 | 11 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 28° to 41°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Wagon Mound’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 Wagon Mound’s center.
- Snow: Valmora, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Valmora, NM, 18 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 Wagon Mound’s climate
What is the weather like in Wagon Mound?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 24 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 74% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 54% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Wagon Mound in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 189 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 26°.
How much snow does Wagon Mound get?
About 24 inches in a normal winter at Valmora, NM, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 11 days a year.
How hot does it get in Wagon Mound?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 54°. About 21 days a year reach 90° (Valmora, NM).
When is the first and last frost in Wagon Mound?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 18 and the first fall frost by October 1, about 135 frost-free days, at Valmora, NM.
What growing zone is Wagon Mound in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −8°.
What is the best time of year to visit Wagon Mound?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Wagon Mound getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 62% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Wagon Mound.
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.