Climate · Malaga

Malaga, NM climate

Malaga has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 98°, a January night drops to 30°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
98°
1st hottest of 528 New Mexico towns
January low
30°
14th mildest of 528 New Mexico towns
Rain + melted snow
12 in
263rd driest of 528 New Mexico towns
Snow a winter
3 in
88th least snowy of 506 New Mexico towns
A normal year

What a year in Malaga feels like

Winter

62° / 31°
Typical high / low · 1 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

82° / 48°
Typical high / low · Last frost around Mar 17

Summer

98° / 68°
Typical high / low · 119 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

80° / 49°
Typical high / low · First frost around Nov 12
Best months to be outsideMarAprOctHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Malaga weather by month

Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet daysSnow on ground30-yr range
January60°30°0.5" 1.0"30 40° – 50°
February66°34°0.4" 0.4"30 45° – 56°
March74°40°0.4" 0.1"30 52° – 62°
April82°47°0.5" 020 59° – 70°
May90°57°1.0" 040 69° – 80°
June98°66°1.2" 050 78° – 86°
July98°69°2.1" 060 79° – 88°
August96°69°1.7" 060 79° – 89°
September89°61°2.1" 060 70° – 80°
October81°49°1.1" 040 62° – 69°
November69°37°0.5" 0.5"30 47° – 58°
December60°30°0.6" 0.7"31 40° – 48°
Year80°49°12.1"2.7"461

“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.

Rain & snow

Rain and snow in Malaga

Malaga gets 12 inches of rain and melted snow a year. September is the wettest month and March the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 46 days a year.

12 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 97% of U.S. towns
3 in
Snow in a normal winter
Less snow than 82% of U.S. towns
1 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
Fewer than 78% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
2.1"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
1.0"
Frost & the growing season

About 238 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 17 and the first one by November 12. That leaves about 238 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 88% of U.S. towns.

75
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
<1
nights below 0° in a normal year
119
days that reach 90° in a normal year

Freezing nights by month

Average nights at or below 32°

90° days by month

Average days at 90° or more
Heating & cooling

Heating and cooling a home in Malaga

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Malaga, 52% of that work is heating and 48% is cooling.

52%heating
2,583 heating degree daysLess heating than 88% of U.S. towns
2,383 cooling degree daysMore cooling than 92% of U.S. towns

Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.

Compared with other towns

How Malaga compares

Summer heat98° July high
Hotter than 99% of U.S. towns1st hottest of 528 New Mexico towns
Winter cold30° January low
Milder than 81% of U.S. towns14th mildest of 528 New Mexico towns
Precipitation12" a year
Drier than 97% of U.S. towns263rd driest of 528 New Mexico towns
Snow3" a winter
Less snow than 82% of U.S. towns88th least snowy of 506 New Mexico towns
Growing season238 frost-free days
Longer than 88% of U.S. towns23rd longest of 518 New Mexico towns

Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.

Then and now

Warmer than it used to be

+2.1°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Malaga averaged 2.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.8°). The shift is larger than in 96% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+2.0° now 47°, was 45°
🌷 Spring+2.2° now 65°, was 63°
☀️ Summer+2.4° now 83°, was 80°
🍂 Fall+1.8° now 64°, was 63°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Malaga’s spot on NOAA’s grid

Year to year

How much a month can swing

A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. April swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 59° to 70°. October is the most reliable, staying within 6°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Malaga’s climate

What is the coldest month in Malaga?

January, with a typical high of 60° and a low of 30°.

What is the hottest month in Malaga?

June, with a typical high of 98° and a low of 66°. About 119 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Malaga get?

About 3 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.

When is the first frost in Malaga?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by November 12, and the last spring frost by March 17.

What is the rainiest month in Malaga?

September, with 2.1 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 12 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Malaga itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Carlsbad, NM (13 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.

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