Climate and average weather in Rio Rancho
In Rio Rancho, the summers are hot, fairly dry, and mostly clear and the winters are cold, snowy, and mostly clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Rio Rancho typically varies from 25°F to 89°F, and is rarely below 12°F or above 96°F. July is the hottest month of the year, while December is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Rio Rancho for warm-weather activities are from late March to early June and early September to late October.
- Hottest
- Jul
- 89°
- Coldest
- Dec
- 25°
- Wettest
- Jul
- 1.2 in
- Driest
- Jun
- 0.4 in
- Rain / yr
- 9.6 in
- 48 wet days
- Daylight
- 9.6–14.4 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 5,282 ft
- 35.2°N
- Clearest
- Oct
- 29% cloud
Rio Rancho is city in Sandoval and Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States.
- Density
- 326/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1961
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Rio Rancho weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around late March to early June.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Rio Rancho, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 4.2 months, from May 18 to September 22, with daily high temperatures above 78°F. The hottest month of the year in Rio Rancho is July, with an average high of 89°F and low of 66°F.
The cool season lasts 2.9 months, from November 22 to February 17, with daily high temperatures below 52°F. The coldest month of the year in Rio Rancho is December, with an average low of 25°F and high of 45°F.
Days typically run about 24°F warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 27°F) in June.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 46 | 52 | 60 | 68 | 78 | 88 | 89 | 86 | 80 | 69 | 55 | 45 |
| Avg low (°F) | 25 | 29 | 35 | 42 | 51 | 61 | 66 | 64 | 57 | 45 | 33 | 25 |
| Avg high (°F) | Avg low (°F) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 25 |
| Feb | 52 | 29 |
| Mar | 60 | 35 |
| Apr | 68 | 42 |
| May | 78 | 51 |
| Jun | 88 | 61 |
| Jul | 89 | 66 |
| Aug | 86 | 64 |
| Sep | 80 | 57 |
| Oct | 69 | 45 |
| Nov | 55 | 33 |
| Dec | 45 | 25 |
How hot and cold Rio Rancho really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the hottest afternoons, once humidity is folded in, Rio Rancho feels like about 90°F (around June 25). About 17 days a year carry some heat stress, peaking in June.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about 17°F (around January 1), with roughly 139 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 32°F), worst in January.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°F) | 45 | 52 | 60 | 68 | 78 | 88 | 89 | 86 | 80 | 69 | 55 | 45 |
| Air high (°F) | 46 | 52 | 60 | 68 | 78 | 88 | 89 | 86 | 80 | 69 | 55 | 45 |
| Feels-like low (°F) | 19 | 23 | 30 | 37 | 50 | 61 | 66 | 64 | 57 | 42 | 28 | 19 |
| Air low (°F) | 25 | 29 | 35 | 42 | 51 | 61 | 66 | 64 | 57 | 45 | 33 | 25 |
| Feels-like high (°F) | Air high (°F) | Feels-like low (°F) | Air low (°F) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 46 | 19 | 25 |
| Feb | 52 | 52 | 23 | 29 |
| Mar | 60 | 60 | 30 | 35 |
| Apr | 68 | 68 | 37 | 42 |
| May | 78 | 78 | 50 | 51 |
| Jun | 88 | 88 | 61 | 61 |
| Jul | 89 | 89 | 66 | 66 |
| Aug | 86 | 86 | 64 | 64 |
| Sep | 80 | 80 | 57 | 57 |
| Oct | 69 | 69 | 42 | 45 |
| Nov | 55 | 55 | 28 | 33 |
| Dec | 45 | 45 | 19 | 25 |
Average hourly temperature in Rio Rancho
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on July afternoons, near 89°F, and coldest before dawn in December, near 25°F.
Rio Rancho weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46° / 25° | 0.6 | 4.2 | 2.4 | 9.9 | 1.3 |
| Feb | 52° / 29° | 0.6 | 3.6 | 1.7 | 10.7 | 3.2 |
| Mar | 60° / 35° | 0.6 | 3.6 | 0.8 | 11.7 | 5.9 |
| Apr | 68° / 42° | 0.6 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 12.9 | 7.7 |
| May | 78° / 51° | 0.7 | 3.2 | 0 | 13.8 | 8.1 |
| Jun | 88° / 61° | 0.4 | 2.3 | 0 | 14.3 | 5.6 |
| Jul | 89° / 66° | 1.2 | 6.6 | 0 | 14.1 | 4.7 |
| Aug | 86° / 64° | 1.1 | 6.2 | 0 | 13.3 | 5.6 |
| Sep | 80° / 57° | 1.1 | 4.4 | 0 | 12.2 | 7.8 |
| Oct | 69° / 45° | 1.1 | 4.1 | 0.2 | 11.1 | 7.8 |
| Nov | 55° / 33° | 0.6 | 3.2 | 0.9 | 10.1 | 4.5 |
| Dec | 45° / 25° | 0.8 | 3.8 | 2.3 | 9.7 | 1.2 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Rio Rancho gets about 9.6 in of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is mostly dry, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 2.7 months, from around Jul 1 to Sep 20, peaking in July at about 27% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jun 7.
July is the wettest month by volume, with 1.2 in over about 7 wet days; June is the driest, with 0.4 in. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 13 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 21 | 20 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 12 |
| Rain days | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | 4 |
| Feb | 13 | 4 |
| Mar | 12 | 4 |
| Apr | 10 | 3 |
| May | 10 | 3 |
| Jun | 8 | 2 |
| Jul | 21 | 7 |
| Aug | 20 | 6 |
| Sep | 15 | 4 |
| Oct | 13 | 4 |
| Nov | 11 | 3 |
| Dec | 12 | 4 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Rio Rancho collects about 9.6 in of rain across 48 wet days — roughly 0.8 in in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. July is the wettest month with 1.2 in, while June is the driest at just 0.4 in. The three wettest months alone bring about 37% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (in) | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.8 |
| Rain days | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Snow days | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Rainfall (in) | Rain days | Snow days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.6 | 4 | 2 |
| Feb | 0.6 | 4 | 2 |
| Mar | 0.6 | 4 | 1 |
| Apr | 0.6 | 3 | 0 |
| May | 0.7 | 3 | 0 |
| Jun | 0.4 | 2 | 0 |
| Jul | 1.2 | 7 | 0 |
| Aug | 1.1 | 6 | 0 |
| Sep | 1.1 | 4 | 0 |
| Oct | 1.1 | 4 | 0 |
| Nov | 0.6 | 3 | 1 |
| Dec | 0.8 | 4 | 2 |
Snow in Rio Rancho
Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.
Rio Rancho averages about 9 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Nov 10 to Apr 15 — about 5.2 months.
January is snowiest, with roughly 2 days of snow and an estimated 4 in of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 13 in of snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow days | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Snowfall (in) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Snow days | Snowfall (in) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | 4 |
| Feb | 2 | 2 |
| Mar | 1 | 2 |
| Apr | 0 | 1 |
| May | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 1 | 1 |
| Dec | 2 | 3 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Rio Rancho, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around May 24 and lasts for 2.1 months, ending around July 25. The clearest month is June, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 86% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around November 27 and lasts for 5.8 months, ending around May 23. The cloudiest month is February, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 34% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 71 | 66 | 68 | 72 | 75 | 86 | 79 | 80 | 84 | 81 | 77 | 71 |
| Cloudier (%) | 29 | 34 | 32 | 28 | 25 | 14 | 21 | 20 | 16 | 19 | 23 | 29 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 71 | 29 |
| Feb | 66 | 34 |
| Mar | 68 | 32 |
| Apr | 72 | 28 |
| May | 75 | 25 |
| Jun | 86 | 14 |
| Jul | 79 | 21 |
| Aug | 80 | 20 |
| Sep | 84 | 16 |
| Oct | 81 | 19 |
| Nov | 77 | 23 |
| Dec | 71 | 29 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 15, brings about 14 h 24 min of light; the shortest, around December 14, only 9 h 36 min — a swing of roughly 4 h 48 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.9 | 10.7 | 11.7 | 12.9 | 13.8 | 14.3 | 14.1 | 13.3 | 12.2 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.7 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:20 | 7:01 | 6:25 | 5:40 | 5:08 | 4:56 | 5:07 | 5:31 | 5:54 | 6:19 | 6:48 | 7:14 |
| Sunset (PM) | 5:12 | 5:42 | 6:08 | 6:34 | 6:58 | 7:18 | 7:17 | 6:51 | 6:08 | 5:25 | 4:55 | 4:52 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9.9 | 7:20 | 5:12 |
| Feb | 10.7 | 7:01 | 5:42 |
| Mar | 11.7 | 6:25 | 6:08 |
| Apr | 12.9 | 5:40 | 6:34 |
| May | 13.8 | 5:08 | 6:58 |
| Jun | 14.3 | 4:56 | 7:18 |
| Jul | 14.1 | 5:07 | 7:17 |
| Aug | 13.3 | 5:31 | 6:51 |
| Sep | 12.2 | 5:54 | 6:08 |
| Oct | 11.1 | 6:19 | 5:25 |
| Nov | 10.1 | 6:48 | 4:55 |
| Dec | 9.7 | 7:14 | 4:52 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Rio Rancho averages about 18 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 14 and 22 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 3.8 months, from around Aug 23 to Dec 15. The sunniest month is September, with roughly 21 sunny days (bright).
The greyest month is July, down near 16 sunny days — about 24% fewer than the September peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 17 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 18 |
| Sky | Bright | Mixed | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | Bright |
| Feb | 14 | Mixed |
| Mar | 16 | Bright |
| Apr | 15 | Bright |
| May | 17 | Bright |
| Jun | 20 | Bright |
| Jul | 16 | Bright |
| Aug | 17 | Bright |
| Sep | 20 | Bright |
| Oct | 21 | Bright |
| Nov | 19 | Bright |
| Dec | 18 | Bright |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Rio Rancho, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in August, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 3% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 98 | 78 | 77 | 94 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 98 | 2 | 0 |
| Jul | 78 | 19 | 3 |
| Aug | 77 | 20 | 3 |
| Sep | 94 | 6 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Rio Rancho is typically calm, near 6 mph, and varies moderately with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 4.5 months, from around Feb 14 to Jun 29. The windiest month is April, averaging about 8 mph (light breeze).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Jun 30 to Feb 13, with December the calmest month at about 4 mph.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (mph) | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | light breeze | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (mph) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | calm |
| Feb | 6 | calm |
| Mar | 7 | calm |
| Apr | 8 | light breeze |
| May | 7 | calm |
| Jun | 6 | calm |
| Jul | 5 | calm |
| Aug | 4 | calm |
| Sep | 5 | calm |
| Oct | 5 | calm |
| Nov | 5 | calm |
| Dec | 4 | calm |
Best time to visit Rio Rancho
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Rio Rancho throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around early April, Rio Rancho is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 64°F and 82°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Rio Rancho for general outdoor tourist activities run from late March to early June and again from early September to late October, with a peak score in the last week of September.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 1.4 | 3.2 | 5.9 | 7.7 | 8.0 | 5.7 | 4.7 | 5.6 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 4.5 | 1.3 |
| Rating | poor | poor | good | ideal | ideal | good | fair | good | ideal | ideal | fair | poor |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1.4 | poor |
| Feb | 3.2 | poor |
| Mar | 5.9 | good |
| Apr | 7.7 | ideal |
| May | 8.0 | ideal |
| Jun | 5.7 | good |
| Jul | 4.7 | fair |
| Aug | 5.6 | good |
| Sep | 7.7 | ideal |
| Oct | 7.7 | ideal |
| Nov | 4.5 | fair |
| Dec | 1.3 | poor |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 75°F and 93°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Rio Rancho for hot-weather activities is from early May to early October, with a peak score in the first week of June.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Rio Rancho, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around July (highs near 89°F), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around December (highs near 45°F), pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.
In July, Rio Rancho sees daytime highs around 89°F and nights near 66°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 7 days see rain.
UV index (midday) in Rio Rancho by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Rio Rancho peaks around June 23 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | Moderate |
| Feb | 5 | Moderate |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 9 | Very high |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 9 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Average hourly UV index in Rio Rancho
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in June the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 3 | 4.5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 5.5 | 4 | 1 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6 | 4.5 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | 0 |
| Feb | 4.5 | 0 |
| Mar | 6 | 2 |
| Apr | 7 | 4 |
| May | 8 | 5.5 |
| Jun | 9 | 6.5 |
| Jul | 9 | 6.5 |
| Aug | 8.5 | 6 |
| Sep | 7.5 | 4.5 |
| Oct | 5.5 | 1.5 |
| Nov | 4 | 0 |
| Dec | 1 | 0 |
Growing season
The growing season in Rio Rancho typically lasts about 260 days, from around March 4 to November 18 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from April 9 to October 26.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 14 | 31 | 69 | 93 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 96 | 56 | 16 |
| Frost nights | 31 | 28 | 31 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 30 | 31 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 | 31 |
| Feb | 31 | 28 |
| Mar | 69 | 31 |
| Apr | 93 | 9 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 96 | 5 |
| Nov | 56 | 30 |
| Dec | 16 | 31 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 50°F: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Rio Rancho banks about 3,718 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°F·days) | 0 | 0 | 5 | 156 | 454 | 725 | 845 | 777 | 550 | 205 | 0 | 0 |
| Growing degree days (°F·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 0 |
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 5 |
| Apr | 156 |
| May | 454 |
| Jun | 725 |
| Jul | 845 |
| Aug | 777 |
| Sep | 550 |
| Oct | 205 |
| Nov | 0 |
| Dec | 0 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Rio Rancho receives about 5.8 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 3.0 and 8.3 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.4 months, from around Mar 14 to Sep 23. The brightest month is June, averaging about 8.2 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is December, down near 3.1 kWh/m² — roughly 63% less than the June peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 3.4 | 4.4 | 5.9 | 7.1 | 7.9 | 8.3 | 7.6 | 6.9 | 6.0 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 3.0 |
| Level | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright | Moderate | Moderate |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3.4 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4.4 | Bright |
| Mar | 5.9 | Bright |
| Apr | 7.1 | Intense |
| May | 7.9 | Intense |
| Jun | 8.3 | Intense |
| Jul | 7.6 | Intense |
| Aug | 6.9 | Intense |
| Sep | 6.0 | Intense |
| Oct | 4.8 | Bright |
| Nov | 3.6 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3.0 | Moderate |
Where is Rio Rancho?
Rio Rancho sits at 35.2°N, 106.7°W, 5,282 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Enchanted Hills, 8.1 mi away.
Topography around Rio Rancho
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Rio Rancho.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Rio Rancho has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 469 ft around an average of 5,246 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,156 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,522 ft.
The land around Rio Rancho is covered by artificial surfaces (68%) and bare terrain (20%) within 2 miles, grassland (39%), artificial surfaces (29%) and bare terrain (20%) within 10 miles, and grassland (55%) and trees (20%) 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 Rio Rancho (35.2334°, -106.6645°, elevation 5,282 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. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).