New Mexico Climate – June 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Rio Rancho, Santa Fe, and Roswell
This month in numbers
New Mexico experienced its 4th warmest June on record, with an average temperature of 23.5°C, a significant 3°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. The three-month period from April to June 2026 also ranked as the 5th warmest on record, at 18°C, which is 2.4°C above the baseline. Globally, June 2026 was the 3rd warmest June for land temperatures, and the April–June period was the 2nd warmest on record for global land temperatures.
What changed
The consistent warmth seen in June extends a trend from the preceding months, with New Mexico experiencing significantly above-average temperatures throughout the spring. The state's average temperature for 2025 was 13.47°C, making it the 3rd warmest year on record. This sustained warming trend places New Mexico as the 6th warmest out of 234 regions globally for the 12-month rolling anomaly, with a +3.00°C anomaly. The entire NOAA Southwest US climate region, which includes New Mexico, has also been running unusually warm, with New Mexico's June anomaly being 0.31°C warmer than the group average.
What’s driving change?
The persistent warmth in New Mexico is largely influenced by the ongoing weak El Niño, which is expected to persist through at least the end of 2026 and potentially strengthen to a very strong event. El Niño typically brings warmer and wetter conditions to the Southwest during the cool season, though its summer monsoon signal is weaker. New Mexico has also seen an unusual concentration of wildfire activity recently, with four wildfire events occurring between late June and early July, representing 100% of the annual total for the past 12 months. These include the Seven Cabins Fire, which burned over 31,000 acres and was 100% contained by June 12, 2026, and the Bear Fire, which was also 100% contained by June 23, 2026, after burning 7,769 acres. Additionally, a flood event occurred between May and July, representing 100% of the annual total for floods in the past 12 months, with flash flood warnings issued for areas near Ruidoso in early July due to burn scars. The effect, exacerbated by a dry winter and spring, has contributed to critical fire weather conditions. More information on extreme weather events can be found at Extreme Weather tracker, and details on the current ENSO state are available at ENSO.
Sources:
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
At a Glance
Temperature – Average
Climate Map – USA
Source: NOAA Climate at a Glance — US states & climate regions (tavg, pcp). Anomalies are vs the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) or 1991–2020 (rainfall). See methodology.
Year-on-Year Trends
The 4byo Climate Helix – New Mexico
Data: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
New Mexico – Monthly Temperature – All Years
Data: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Records – New Mexico
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Warm/cold + wet/dryKöppen BSk · AridNew Mexico has both a clear warm/cold cycle (±10.9°C) and a wet/dry cycle (5× wet:dry ratio). Both sides of the annual rhythm are shown below.
Monthly rainfall climatology. A “wet month” exceeds the baseline monthly mean (dashed gold line). Biggest month-to-month shift: Jul (-9 mm, -14%).
Data: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Rainfall & Precipitation
Rainfall & Rain Days – Totals
Climate Systems
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Emissions & Energy
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Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for New Mexico
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) - see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in New Mexico changing?
New Mexico is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The headline panel also shows the long-term trend rate per decade and the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for New Mexico come from?
Climate data for New Mexico comes from NOAA Climate at a Glance (temperature and precipitation), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the New Mexico climate data cover?
The New Mexico climate profile covers Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Rio Rancho, Santa Fe and surrounding areas. New Mexico climate data from NOAA Climate at a Glance
How often is the New Mexico climate update refreshed?
The New Mexico climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.