Yah-ta-hey is among the driest of U.S. towns: 11 inches of precipitation a year
In January the night’s low is typically 18°. August is the wettest month here, with about 5.8 times the rain of June. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 68% of U.S. towns. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly May 31 to September 28.
A year in Yah-ta-hey at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Yah-ta-hey’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Yah-ta-hey’s place in New Mexico beside it.
What a year in Yah-ta-hey 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 31 and the first by September 28. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Gallup Muni Airport, 8 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Yah-ta-hey’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −5°. 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 21 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Gallup Sand & Gravel, NM, falls mostly in February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 11 inches a year; August is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 68 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Yah-ta-hey
93% 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 Gallup Muni Airport.
Living with Yah-ta-hey’s 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 31 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 28.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September. 6.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Yah-ta-hey from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (42%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 42%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Yah-ta-hey and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Yah-ta-hey yet.
Climates most like Yah-ta-hey’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yah-ta-hey, NM | 18° | 88° | 11" | 21" |
| Rupert, ID | 20° | 89° | 10" | 21" |
| Richfield, UT | 16° | 90° | 11" | 18" |
| Cold Springs, NV | 23° | 88° | 13" | 17" |
| Montrose, CO | 15° | 90° | 10" | 22" |
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 Yah-ta-hey averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.9°).
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 Yah-ta-hey compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Yah-ta-hey’s place among New Mexico’s.
Yah-ta-hey weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Yah-ta-hey’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Gallup Sand & Gravel, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 18° | 0.9" | 4.5" | 6 | 9 | 25° – 37° |
| February | 49° | 22° | 0.8" | 5.7" | 5 | 5 | 30° – 41° |
| March | 57° | 27° | 0.7" | 2.0" | 4 | 1 | 36° – 46° |
| April | 64° | 32° | 0.5" | 0.7" | 4 | 0 | 43° – 53° |
| May | 73° | 40° | 0.5" | 0.5" | 4 | 0 | 52° – 61° |
| June | 85° | 49° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| July | 88° | 57° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 69° – 75° |
| August | 85° | 56° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| September | 79° | 48° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 58° – 66° |
| October | 67° | 36° | 0.9" | 0.4" | 5 | 0 | 48° – 56° |
| November | 54° | 25° | 0.8" | 1.6" | 4 | 2 | 34° – 47° |
| December | 44° | 18° | 0.8" | 5.2" | 6 | 7 | 24° – 37° |
| Year | 66° | 36° | 10.5" | 20.6" | 68 | 24 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 34° to 47°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Yah-ta-hey’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 Yah-ta-hey’s center.
- Snow: Gallup Sand & Gravel, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Gallup Muni Airport, 8 miles from the town’s center, 150 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 Yah-ta-hey’s climate
What is the weather like in Yah-ta-hey?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 21 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 68% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 66% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Yah-ta-hey in winter?
December nights average 18°. About 198 nights a year reach 32° or below and 8 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 24°.
How much snow does Yah-ta-hey get?
About 21 inches in a normal winter at Gallup Sand & Gravel, NM, most of it in February and December, with snow on the ground about 24 days a year.
How hot does it get in Yah-ta-hey?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 57°. About 35 days a year reach 90° (Gallup Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Yah-ta-hey?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 31 and the first fall frost by September 28, about 119 frost-free days, at Gallup Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Yah-ta-hey in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Yah-ta-hey?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Yah-ta-hey 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 Yah-ta-hey.
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.