Rio Rancho climate — normals and trends
Rio Rancho (United States) has a cold semi-arid climate (BSk) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 12.7 °C and it receives 260 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is July (24.8 °C on average) and the coldest is January (0.2 °C). Rainfall peaks in July.
Rio Rancho averages 108 frost days, 66 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 54 rainy days per year.
Rio Rancho has warmed by +2.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.30 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 127 to 89 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 39.0 °C (on 26 June 1994) and the coldest -27.3 °C (on 7 January 1971).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
Rio RanchoNew Mexico
- coords
- 35.23°, -106.66°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
12.7°C
Average daily high
19.4°C
Average daily low
6.1°C
Annual rainfall
260mm
Sunshine / day
11.2h
Mean relative humidity
45%
Average peak wind
17.4km/h
Seasonal range
24.6°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
108 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
66 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
54 d/yr
Annual snowfall
27.4 cm
Average feels-like high
16.2 °C
Average feels-like low
3.3 °C
Average peak gust
34.4 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
9 d/yr
Solar radiation
20.6 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.6 °C
since 1940
+0.3 °C per decade · r² = 0.56 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
39.0 °C
26 June 1994
Coldest day
-27.3 °C
7 January 1971
Wettest day
53 mm
27 September 2017
Windiest day
58.0 km/h
26 March 1991
Strongest gust
100.8 km/h
26 March 1991
Hottest feels-like
37.5 °C
9 July 2021
Coldest feels-like
-32.1 °C
7 January 1971
Snowiest day
16.0 cm
24 February 2004
Sunniest day
14.0 h
29 June 2025
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
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Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6.1 °C | -0.5 °C | 3 mm | -12 mm |
| Feb | 15.9 °C | +6.1 °C | 2 mm | -14 mm |
| Mar | 17.4 °C | +3.0 °C | 4 mm | -15 mm |
| Apr | 21.0 °C | +1.3 °C | 17 mm | +1 mm |
| May | 24.5 °C | -0.4 °C | 22 mm | +5 mm |
| Jun | 31.4 °C | +0.8 °C | 35 mm | +20 mm |
| Jul | 31.9 °C | +0.6 °C | 17 mm | -18 mm |
| Aug | 32.2 °C | +2.4 °C | 11 mm | -23 mm |
| Sep | 26.5 °C | +0.1 °C | 33 mm | +4 mm |
| Oct | 21.9 °C | +1.9 °C | 28 mm | -1 mm |
| Nov | 16.3 °C | +3.8 °C | 16 mm | -1 mm |
| Dec | 12.6 °C | +5.4 °C | 8 mm | -10 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Rio Rancho?
Rio Rancho has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 12.7 °C and it receives 260 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Rio Rancho?
The hottest day measured in Rio Rancho between 1940 and 2025 was 26 June 1994, reaching 39.0 °C.
What is the coldest day in Rio Rancho?
The coldest day measured in Rio Rancho between 1940 and 2025 was 7 January 1971, at -27.3 °C.
Does it snow in Rio Rancho?
Yes. Rio Rancho gets on average 27.4 cm of snow per year and has around 108 frost days.
Has the climate of Rio Rancho warmed?
Yes: Rio Rancho warmed by +2.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Rio Rancho?
The wettest day measured in Rio Rancho between 1940 and 2025 was 27 September 2017, with 53 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Rio Rancho?
The windiest day measured in Rio Rancho between 1940 and 2025 was 26 March 1991, with winds reaching 58.0 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Rio Rancho?
The warmest month in Rio Rancho is July (24.8 °C on average); the coldest is January (0.2 °C).
How much does it rain in Rio Rancho?
Rio Rancho receives on average 260 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 54 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Rio Rancho?
Rio Rancho gets on average 11.2 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 4,088 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Rio Rancho?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Rio Rancho between 1940 and 2025 was 24 February 2004, with 16.0 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Rio Rancho?
Yes: Rio Rancho has on average 9 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Rio Rancho?
In Rio Rancho, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 37.5 °C on 9 July 2021, and the lowest was -32.1 °C on 7 January 1971.
Compare Rio Rancho with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Rio Rancho