Las Cruces in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Las Cruces sees average daytime highs around 58°F and overnight lows near 35°F, with 1.8 in of precipitation over about 9 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.
Over the season highs climb from about 58°F in early December to 64°F by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Las Cruces's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Las Cruces's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 58°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 35°F
- Precipitation
- 1.8 in
- 9 wet days
- Avg wind
- 6 mph
- Travel score
- 5.3
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Las Cruces in Winter
Over the season highs climb from about 58°F in early December to 64°F by late February.
A typical winter day in Las Cruces reaches about 58°F and drops to 35°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
How winter really feels in Las Cruces
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 71 that feel at or below 32°F.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Las Cruces weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56° / 34° | 0.5 | 3 | 0.6 | 10.1 | 4.8 |
| Feb | 62° / 38° | 0.5 | 2.9 | 0.2 | 10.8 | 6.5 |
| Mar | 69° / 44° | 0.4 | 1.9 | 0 | 11.8 | 8.1 |
| Apr | 77° / 50° | 0.2 | 1.2 | 0 | 12.8 | 8.8 |
| May | 86° / 59° | 0.3 | 1.7 | 0 | 13.6 | 6.4 |
| Jun | 94° / 68° | 0.4 | 2.1 | 0 | 14.1 | 3.4 |
| Jul | 94° / 71° | 1.3 | 7 | 0 | 13.9 | 3.2 |
| Aug | 92° / 69° | 1.0 | 6.2 | 0 | 13.2 | 3.9 |
| Sep | 86° / 63° | 1.1 | 3.8 | 0 | 12.2 | 6.0 |
| Oct | 77° / 52° | 0.8 | 3.1 | 0 | 11.2 | 8.4 |
| Nov | 65° / 41° | 0.6 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 10.3 | 7.3 |
| Dec | 56° / 34° | 0.7 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 9.9 | 4.5 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Las Cruces gets around 1.8 in of rain and snow over 9 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 6 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 hours in early December to 11 h 12 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.9 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Las Cruces?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit Las Cruces for sightseeing.
What to pack for Las Cruces in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Las Cruces sees daytime highs around 58°F and nights near 35°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.
UV index in Las Cruces in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Las Cruces peaks around July 14 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 4 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 4 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 4 |
| Level | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | High | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | Moderate |
| Feb | 6 | High |
| Mar | 7 | Very high |
| Apr | 10 | Very high |
| May | 10 | Very high |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 10 | Very high |
| Oct | 7 | High |
| Nov | 5 | High |
| Dec | 4 | Moderate |
Where is Las Cruces?
Las Cruces sits at 32.3°N, 106.8°W, 3,907 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Sunland Park, 37 mi away.
Topography around Las Cruces
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Las Cruces.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Las Cruces has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 292 ft around an average of 3,937 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,906 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,948 ft.
The land around Las Cruces is covered by artificial surfaces (75%) within 2 miles, shrubs (53%) within 10 miles, and shrubs (49%) and bare terrain (30%) within 50 miles.
United States travel facts
- Power plugs
- Type A / B
- 120 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 100% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $90,027
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.8 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 98%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 5.8
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 12.7
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Las Cruces (32.3123°, -106.7783°, elevation 3,907 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.