Portales, NM climate
Portales has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 8 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade8° cooler than normal today. The forecast high is 71°, and a typical Oct 1 in Portales peaks around 79°.Live forecast: National Weather Service · Normal: NOAA 1991–2020
What a year in Portales feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Portales 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 | 54° | 25° | 0.5" | 1.7" | 4 | 1 | 32° – 45° |
| February | 58° | 28° | 0.4" | 1.4" | 4 | 1 | 38° – 49° |
| March | 67° | 34° | 0.8" | 0.7" | 4 | 0 | 47° – 56° |
| April | 75° | 41° | 0.8" | 0.2" | 4 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| May | 83° | 51° | 1.7" | 0 | 6 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| June | 92° | 61° | 2.0" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 72° – 82° |
| July | 93° | 65° | 2.5" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 75° – 83° |
| August | 91° | 64° | 2.6" | 0 | 9 | 0 | 73° – 83° |
| September | 84° | 56° | 2.0" | 0 | 6 | 0 | 64° – 75° |
| October | 74° | 44° | 1.8" | 0.3" | 5 | 0 | 54° – 63° |
| November | 63° | 32° | 0.5" | 0.5" | 4 | 0 | 41° – 53° |
| December | 53° | 25° | 0.6" | 2.8" | 4 | 1 | 33° – 43° |
| Year | 74° | 44° | 16.1" | 7.6" | 63 | 3 |
“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 Portales
Portales gets 16 inches of rain and melted snow a year. August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 63 days a year.
About 193 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 15 and the first one by October 26. That leaves about 193 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 67% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Portales
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Portales, 67% of that work is heating and 33% 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.
How Portales 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 Portales averaged 2.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.0°). The shift is larger than in 94% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Portales’s spot on NOAA’s grid
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. January swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 32° to 45°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Common questions about Portales’s climate
What is the coldest month in Portales?
January, with a typical high of 54° and a low of 25°.
What is the hottest month in Portales?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 65°. About 86 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Portales get?
About 8 inches in a normal winter, most of it in December.
When is the first frost in Portales?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 26, and the last spring frost by April 15.
What is the rainiest month in Portales?
August, with 2.6 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 16 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Portales itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Portales, NM (1 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.