Las Cruces climate
Las Cruces (New Mexico, United States) has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh). The average temperature over the year is 18 °C65 °F, and about 240 mm9.5 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Las Cruces climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1356 | −131 | 644 | 140.6 | 19 |
| Feb | 1762 | 134 | 948 | 120.5 | 12 |
| Mar | 2271 | 541 | 1356 | 90.3 | 4 |
| Apr | 2780 | 949 | 1864 | 80.3 | 0 |
| May | 3289 | 1458 | 2373 | 100.4 | 0 |
| Jun | 3799 | 2169 | 2984 | 120.5 | 0 |
| Jul | 3697 | 2373 | 2985 | 512.0 | 0 |
| Aug | 3595 | 2171 | 2883 | 431.7 | 0 |
| Sep | 3189 | 1763 | 2476 | 361.4 | 0 |
| Oct | 2679 | 1152 | 1865 | 190.8 | 0 |
| Nov | 1966 | 440 | 1253 | 130.5 | 5 |
| Dec | 1356 | 031 | 644 | 140.6 | 18 |
| Year | 3799 | −131 | 1865 | 2409.5 | 60 |
“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 | 49% | 40% | 3.6 | 10:15 |
| Feb | 44% | 41% | 4.6 | 10:59 |
| Mar | 36% | 39% | 5.9 | 11:54 |
| Apr | 28% | 34% | 7.2 | 12:56 |
| May | 25% | 31% | 7.9 | 13:48 |
| Jun | 25% | 33% | 8.0 | 14:15 |
| Jul | 40% | 51% | 7.1 | 14:04 |
| Aug | 44% | 49% | 6.6 | 13:20 |
| Sep | 45% | 36% | 5.9 | 12:19 |
| Oct | 42% | 30% | 4.9 | 11:19 |
| Nov | 44% | 34% | 3.8 | 10:27 |
| Dec | 50% | 41% | 3.2 | 10:02 |
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 Las Cruces is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 36 °C97 °F and a low of 23 °C73 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 13 °C56 °F and lows −1 °C31 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 22.9 °C41.2 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is dry, with about 240 mm9.5 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 54% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: October–June. The wettest month is July (51 mm2.0 in), the driest is April (8 mm0.3 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 25% in May to 50% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 30%) are typical of October. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (5 mph) in August to 13 km/h (8 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 10.0 hours in December to 14.3 hours in June.
Best time to visit Las Cruces
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are March and April and October and November: average highs of 19 °C66 °F to 27 °C80 °F with 8 mm0.3 in to 19 mm0.8 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is June, which is hot, with average highs of 37 °C99 °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 Las Cruces
- Winter (December–February) — highs 1356 to 17 °C62 °F, lows −131 to 1 °C34 °F, about 14 mm0.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 2271 to 32 °C89 °F, lows 541 to 14 °C58 °F, about 9 mm0.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 3595 to 37 °C99 °F, lows 2169 to 23 °C73 °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 1966 to 31 °C89 °F, lows 440 to 17 °C63 °F, about 23 mm0.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Las Cruces compares
Compared with El Paso, about 67 km to the southeast, Las Cruces is on average 0.4 °C0.7 °F cooler and receives 7% less precipitation (240 mm9.5 in vs 258 mm10 in). The difference is largest in November (0.6 °C1.1 °F cooler).
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Las Cruces is the 67th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 216th 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 (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Ciudad Juárez (Mexico, BWh), Nogales (Mexico, BSh) and Broken Hill (Australia, BWh).
Nearby places
- El Paso 67 km · 19 °C65 °F · 258 mm10 in
- Ciudad Juárez 72 km · 19 °C66 °F · 251 mm9.9 in
- Albuquerque 308 km · 15 °C59 °F · 257 mm10 in
- Tucson 390 km · 21 °C70 °F · 324 mm13 in
- Nogales 409 km · 18 °C65 °F · 359 mm14 in
- Chihuahua 414 km · 19 °C66 °F · 371 mm15 in
- Odessa 419 km · 18 °C65 °F · 411 mm16 in
- Cuauhtémoc 434 km · 14 °C58 °F · 483 mm19 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Las Cruces?
July is the warmest month in Las Cruces, with an average high of 36 °C (97 °F) and an average low of 23 °C (73 °F).
What is the coldest month in Las Cruces?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 13 °C (56 °F) and an average low of -1 °C (31 °F).
When does it rain the most in Las Cruces?
July is the wettest month with about 51 mm (2.0 in) of precipitation; April is the driest with about 8 mm (0.3 in).
What is the best time to visit Las Cruces?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are March and April and October and November.
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 1,353 m, while Las Cruces lies at about 1,191 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.1 °C1.9 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.