Albuquerque climate
Albuquerque (New Mexico, United States) has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). The average temperature over the year is 15 °C59 °F, and about 257 mm10 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Albuquerque climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 949 | −425 | 337 | 140.5 | 28 |
| Feb | 1254 | −228 | 541 | 120.5 | 22 |
| Mar | 1865 | 135 | 1050 | 110.4 | 13 |
| Apr | 2374 | 542 | 1458 | 140.6 | 4 |
| May | 2883 | 1151 | 2067 | 130.5 | 0 |
| Jun | 3595 | 1763 | 2679 | 120.5 | 0 |
| Jul | 3594 | 2068 | 2781 | 512.0 | 0 |
| Aug | 3392 | 1965 | 2678 | 431.7 | 0 |
| Sep | 2985 | 1457 | 2271 | 341.3 | 0 |
| Oct | 2373 | 744 | 1559 | 220.9 | 2 |
| Nov | 1559 | 033 | 846 | 150.6 | 14 |
| Dec | 948 | −326 | 337 | 170.7 | 28 |
| Year | 3595 | −425 | 1559 | 25710 | 112 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55% | 44% | 3.2 | 10:02 |
| Feb | 49% | 48% | 4.1 | 10:52 |
| Mar | 41% | 43% | 5.6 | 11:52 |
| Apr | 34% | 43% | 6.8 | 13:02 |
| May | 30% | 39% | 7.7 | 13:59 |
| Jun | 26% | 34% | 8.1 | 14:30 |
| Jul | 40% | 52% | 7.2 | 14:18 |
| Aug | 44% | 47% | 6.6 | 13:28 |
| Sep | 44% | 36% | 5.8 | 12:21 |
| Oct | 44% | 32% | 4.7 | 11:14 |
| Nov | 48% | 36% | 3.5 | 10:16 |
| Dec | 55% | 46% | 2.8 | 9:48 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Albuquerque is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 35 °C94 °F and a low of 20 °C68 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 9 °C49 °F and lows −4 °C25 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 24.6 °C44.3 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is dry, with about 257 mm10 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 50% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: November–June. The wettest month is July (51 mm2.0 in), the driest is March (11 mm0.4 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 26% in June to 55% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 32%) are typical of October. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in August to 11 km/h (7 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 9.8 hours in December to 14.5 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in December, about 10 cm).
Best time to visit Albuquerque
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April and May and September and October: average highs of 23 °C73 °F to 29 °C85 °F with 13 mm0.5 in to 34 mm1.3 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is December, which is cold, with average highs of 9 °C48 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Albuquerque
- Winter (December–February) — highs 948 to 12 °C54 °F, lows −425 to −2 °C28 °F, about 14 mm0.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1865 to 28 °C83 °F, lows 135 to 11 °C51 °F, about 12 mm0.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 3392 to 35 °C95 °F, lows 1763 to 20 °C68 °F, about 35 mm1.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1559 to 29 °C85 °F, lows 033 to 14 °C57 °F, about 24 mm0.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Albuquerque compares
Compared with El Paso, about 370 km to the south, Albuquerque is on average 3.7 °C6.6 °F cooler and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in February (4.4 °C7.9 °F cooler).
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Albuquerque is the 114th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 213th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Gilgit (Pakistan, BSk), Tbilisi (Georgia, BSk) and Khasavyurt (Russia, BSk).
Nearby places
- Las Cruces 308 km · 18 °C65 °F · 240 mm9.5 in
- El Paso 370 km · 19 °C65 °F · 258 mm10 in
- Ciudad Juárez 375 km · 19 °C66 °F · 251 mm9.9 in
- Pueblo 397 km · 13 °C56 °F · 353 mm14 in
- Amarillo 438 km · 15 °C59 °F · 491 mm19 in
- Colorado Springs 447 km · 11 °C52 °F · 402 mm16 in
- Lubbock 471 km · 17 °C62 °F · 488 mm19 in
- Tucson 508 km · 21 °C70 °F · 324 mm13 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Albuquerque?
July is the warmest month in Albuquerque, with an average high of 35 °C (94 °F) and an average low of 20 °C (68 °F).
What is the coldest month in Albuquerque?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 9 °C (49 °F) and an average low of -4 °C (25 °F).
When does it rain the most in Albuquerque?
July is the wettest month with about 51 mm (2.0 in) of precipitation; March is the driest with about 11 mm (0.4 in).
What is the best time to visit Albuquerque?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April and May and September and October.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 1,687 m, while Albuquerque lies at about 1,511 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.1 °C2.1 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.