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United States › New Mexico › Rio Arriba County › Climate Station EL VADO DAM, NM US Distance 6.1 mi Normals 1991–2020

30-year climate normals

Rio Arriba County Climate and Weather Averages

Hottest month — July

84.6°

average daily high. The coldest month is January, averaging a low of 8.6°F.

Rio Arriba County gets 14.13" of precipitation a year and 35.7" of snow, and 40% of it falls in Jul, Aug, Sep.

Temperature through the year

Each bar spans the average daily low to the average daily high for that month.

20° 40° 60° 80° JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
MonthAvg highAvg low PrecipSnow
January 39.7° 8.6° 0.86" 10.4"
February 43.4° 14.3° 0.88" 7.3"
March 52.1° 20.5° 0.80" 2.2"
April 59.3° 25.4° 1.08" 2.2"
May 69.4° 32.6° 1.04" 0.0"
June 80.4° 40.1° 0.70" 0.0"
July 84.6° 48.8° 1.84" 0.0"
August 81.6° 47.9° 2.16" 0.0"
September 75.5° 38.7° 1.67" 0.0"
October 64.0° 27.6° 1.33" 0.7"
November 50.8° 17.9° 0.83" 3.3"
December 40.2° 10.3° 0.94" 9.6"

Rainfall by month

Precipitation is spread fairly evenly through the year here, with 40% falling in the wettest three months (Jul, Aug, Sep).

January 0.86"
February 0.88"
March 0.80"
April 1.08"
May 1.04"
June 0.70"
July 1.84"
August 2.16"
September 1.67"
October 1.33"
November 0.83"
December 0.94"
Annual total 14.13"

What this climate costs you

Degree days measure how hard a building has to work to stay comfortable. They are the reason two identical houses have very different power bills, and they are the link between the weather here and what you pay every month.

Cooling degree days How much air conditioning the climate demands 147
Heating degree days How much heating the climate demands 7,510
Approximate annual cooling cost At 14.12¢/kWh, New Mexico average $21
Approximate annual electric heating cost Lower where heating is gas rather than electric $371

These are rough planning figures from degree days and the state electricity price, not a bill estimate. House size, insulation and fuel type move them a lot. See the full cost of owning a home in Rio Arriba County, where electricity is one line of eight.

Common questions

What is the weather like in Rio Arriba County?

Rio Arriba County averages a high of 84.6°F in July and a low of 8.6°F in January. Annual precipitation is 14.13 inches, including 35.7 inches of snow.

When is the rainy season in Rio Arriba County?

The wettest stretch is Jul, Aug, Sep, which accounts for 40% of the year's precipitation. Precipitation is relatively evenly distributed across the year.

How hot does it get in Rio Arriba County?

The average daily high in July, the hottest month, is 84.6°F. That drives 147 cooling degree days a year, which is what your air conditioning has to work against.

Does it snow in Rio Arriba County?

Yes. Rio Arriba County averages 35.7 inches of snow a year.

Sources

  • Temperature, precipitation and snowfall normals — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 Monthly Climate Normals, station EL VADO DAM, NM US (USC00292837), 6.1 miles from the county centroid.
  • Heating and cooling degree days — NOAA, same station and period.
  • Electricity price — US Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A, New Mexico residential average.
  • Wet-season share is the wettest three consecutive months as a percentage of annual precipitation, calculated from the monthly normals.