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United States › New Mexico › Sierra County › Climate Station ELEPHANT BUTTE DAM, NM US Distance 1.9 mi Normals 1991–2020

30-year climate normals

Sierra County Climate and Weather Averages

Hottest month — June

95.9°

average daily high. The coldest month is January, averaging a low of 30.0°F.

Sierra County gets 9.89" of precipitation a year and 0.9" of snow, and 56% 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.

40° 60° 80° JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
MonthAvg highAvg low PrecipSnow
January 56.5° 30.0° 0.42" 0.2"
February 62.0° 34.1° 0.33" 0.3"
March 69.4° 40.3° 0.26" 0.0"
April 77.5° 48.5° 0.28" 0.0"
May 86.2° 57.6° 0.43" 0.0"
June 95.9° 67.4° 0.48" 0.0"
July 95.7° 70.2° 2.17" 0.0"
August 93.3° 68.6° 1.81" 0.0"
September 87.6° 61.9° 1.58" 0.0"
October 78.0° 50.3° 0.87" 0.1"
November 65.6° 38.4° 0.62" 0.0"
December 55.6° 30.4° 0.64" 0.3"

Rainfall by month

Sierra County has a distinct wet season. 56% of the year's precipitation arrives in Jul, Aug, Sep.

January 0.42"
February 0.33"
March 0.26"
April 0.28"
May 0.43"
June 0.48"
July 2.17"
August 1.81"
September 1.58"
October 0.87"
November 0.62"
December 0.64"
Annual total 9.89"

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 2,209
Heating degree days How much heating the climate demands 2,774
Approximate annual cooling cost At 14.12¢/kWh, New Mexico average $312
Approximate annual electric heating cost Lower where heating is gas rather than electric $137

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 Sierra County, where electricity is one line of eight.

Common questions

What is the weather like in Sierra County?

Sierra County averages a high of 95.9°F in June and a low of 30.0°F in January. Annual precipitation is 9.89 inches, including 0.9 inches of snow.

When is the rainy season in Sierra County?

The wettest stretch is Jul, Aug, Sep, which accounts for 56% of the year's precipitation. That is a pronounced wet season rather than rain spread evenly through the year.

How hot does it get in Sierra County?

The average daily high in June, the hottest month, is 95.9°F. That drives 2,209 cooling degree days a year, which is what your air conditioning has to work against.

Does it snow in Sierra County?

Yes. Sierra County averages 0.9 inches of snow a year.

Sources

  • Temperature, precipitation and snowfall normals — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 Monthly Climate Normals, station ELEPHANT BUTTE DAM, NM US (USC00292848), 1.9 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.