Photo: Travis K. Witt · CC BY-SA 4.0Whites City reaches 100° on about 35 days a year, more than 98% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 95°, a January night drops to 31°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Whites City at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Whites City’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Whites City’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Whites City feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 223 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 27 and the first by November 7. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Carlsbad Cavern City Airport, 13 miles from the town’s center, 430 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Whites City’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 12°. 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 3 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Carlsbad, NM, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; September is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 46 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Whites City
56% 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 Carlsbad Cavern City Airport.
Living with Whites City’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
223 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 27 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 7.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Whites City from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (74%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Whites City and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Whites City yet.
Climates most like Whites City’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whites City, NM | 31° | 95° | 12" | 2.7" |
| Benson, AZ | 34° | 94° | 14" | 1.2" |
| Big Spring, TX | 33° | 95° | 18" | 2.0" |
| Yucca Valley, CA | 37° | 96° | 10" | 1.7" |
| Medford, OR | 32° | 92° | 19" | 3.4" |
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 Whites City averaged 2.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.9°).
A bigger shift than in 97% 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 Whites City compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Whites City’s place among New Mexico’s.
Whites City weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Whites City’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Carlsbad, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 58° | 31° | 0.4" | 1.0" | 3 | 0 | 39° – 50° |
| February | 63° | 35° | 0.4" | 0.4" | 3 | 0 | 44° – 55° |
| March | 71° | 40° | 0.5" | 0.1" | 3 | 0 | 51° – 61° |
| April | 79° | 48° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 57° – 68° |
| May | 87° | 57° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 67° – 79° |
| June | 95° | 66° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 77° – 85° |
| July | 95° | 69° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 77° – 87° |
| August | 94° | 68° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 77° – 86° |
| September | 87° | 61° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| October | 78° | 50° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 61° – 67° |
| November | 67° | 38° | 0.6" | 0.5" | 3 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| December | 58° | 32° | 0.5" | 0.7" | 3 | 1 | 40° – 48° |
| Year | 78° | 50° | 12.4" | 2.7" | 46 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 46° to 58°. October is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Whites City’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 Whites City’s center.
- Snow: Carlsbad, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Carlsbad Cavern City Airport, 13 miles from the town’s center, 430 ft lower; 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 Whites City’s climate
What is the weather like in Whites City?
A typical July afternoon reaches 95°, a January night drops to 31°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 74% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 94% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Whites City in winter?
January nights average 31°. About 69 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 39°.
How much snow does Whites City get?
About 2.7 inches in a normal winter at Carlsbad, NM, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Whites City?
July, with a typical high of 95° and a low of 69°. About 121 days a year reach 90° and 35 reach 100° (Carlsbad Cavern City Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Whites City?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 27 and the first fall frost by November 7, about 223 frost-free days, at Carlsbad Cavern City Airport.
What growing zone is Whites City in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Whites City?
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 Whites City getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 97% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Whites City.
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.