Placitas, NM climate
Placitas has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 11 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Placitas feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Placitas weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 23° | 0.8" | 2.7" | 2 | 1 | 29° – 40° |
| February | 52° | 27° | 0.7" | 2.0" | 3 | 1 | 35° – 45° |
| March | 61° | 32° | 0.9" | 1.5" | 3 | 0 | 43° – 52° |
| April | 68° | 38° | 0.7" | 0.3" | 2 | 0 | 49° – 58° |
| May | 78° | 47° | 0.6" | 0 | 3 | 0 | 58° – 68° |
| June | 89° | 56° | 0.7" | 0 | 3 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| July | 90° | 61° | 2.2" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 73° – 80° |
| August | 87° | 60° | 2.1" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 71° – 78° |
| September | 81° | 52° | 1.3" | 0 | 5 | 0 | 61° – 70° |
| October | 70° | 40° | 1.2" | 0.1" | 4 | 0 | 52° – 60° |
| November | 56° | 30° | 0.8" | 1.2" | 3 | 0 | 36° – 50° |
| December | 46° | 23° | 0.9" | 2.9" | 2 | 2 | 30° – 39° |
| Year | 69° | 41° | 12.9" | 10.7" | 46 | 5 |
“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 and snow in Placitas
Placitas gets 13 inches of rain and melted snow a year. July is the wettest month and May the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 46 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 5 days of the year.
About 187 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 16 and the first one by October 23. That leaves about 187 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 60% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Placitas
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Placitas, 80% of that work is heating and 20% is cooling.
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.
Placitas and its neighbors
Placitas borders 2 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 1.9°. Bernalillo has both the coldest January nights (21°) and the hottest July afternoons (93°). Placitas’s January low is 23° and its July high 90°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How Placitas compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Placitas averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.0°). The shift is larger than in 78% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Placitas’s spot on NOAA’s grid
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. November swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 36° to 50°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Common questions about Placitas’s climate
What is the coldest month in Placitas?
December, with a typical high of 46° and a low of 23°.
What is the hottest month in Placitas?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 61°. About 62 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Placitas get?
About 11 inches in a normal winter, most of it in December.
When is the first frost in Placitas?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 23, and the last spring frost by April 16.
What is the rainiest month in Placitas?
July, with 2.2 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 13 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Placitas itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Placitas 4w, NM (2 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.