Santa Fe Foothills, NM climate
Santa Fe Foothills has chilly winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 28 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Santa Fe Foothills feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Santa Fe Foothills 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 | 41° | 20° | 0.9" | 5.0" | 5 | 13 | 25° – 37° |
| February | 45° | 22° | 0.6" | 5.5" | 6 | 7 | 28° – 39° |
| March | 53° | 27° | 0.8" | 4.2" | 5 | 2 | 36° – 45° |
| April | 60° | 32° | 0.8" | 1.1" | 4 | 1 | 41° – 51° |
| May | 69° | 40° | 1.1" | 0 | 4 | 0 | 50° – 60° |
| June | 80° | 49° | 1.1" | 0 | 5 | 0 | 60° – 69° |
| July | 81° | 55° | 3.1" | 0 | 12 | 0 | 65° – 72° |
| August | 79° | 53° | 2.7" | 0 | 11 | 0 | 63° – 69° |
| September | 73° | 47° | 1.6" | 0 | 7 | 0 | 54° – 63° |
| October | 62° | 37° | 1.3" | 0.5" | 6 | 0 | 46° – 54° |
| November | 50° | 26° | 0.9" | 3.2" | 5 | 2 | 31° – 44° |
| December | 40° | 20° | 0.9" | 8.6" | 6 | 11 | 25° – 34° |
| Year | 61° | 35° | 15.9" | 28.1" | 75 | 37 |
“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 Santa Fe Foothills
Santa Fe Foothills gets 16 inches of rain and melted snow a year. July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 75 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 37 days of the year.
About 167 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 2 and the first one by October 17. That leaves about 167 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 64% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Santa Fe Foothills
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Santa Fe Foothills, 91% of that work is heating and 9% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.
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.
Santa Fe Foothills and its neighbors
Santa Fe Foothills borders 4 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 2.0°. Santa Fe has both the coldest January nights (18°) and the hottest July afternoons (86°). Santa Fe Foothills’s January low is 20° and its July high 81°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How Santa Fe Foothills 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 Santa Fe Foothills averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.6°). The shift is larger than in 51% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Santa Fe Foothills’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 31° to 44°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Common questions about Santa Fe Foothills’s climate
What is the coldest month in Santa Fe Foothills?
December, with a typical high of 40° and a low of 20°.
What is the hottest month in Santa Fe Foothills?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 55°. About 23 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Santa Fe Foothills get?
About 28 inches in a normal winter, most of it in December.
When is the first frost in Santa Fe Foothills?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 17, and the last spring frost by May 2.
What is the rainiest month in Santa Fe Foothills?
July, with 3.1 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 16 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Santa Fe Foothills itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Santa Fe Seton, NM (3 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.