Rio Rancho weather in August

In August, Rio Rancho sees average daytime highs of 86°F and overnight lows near 64°F, with 1.1 in of rain across 6.2 wet days and about 13.3 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 86°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of August to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Rio Rancho's 8th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rio Rancho's year-round climate.

Daytime high
86°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
64°
11th coldest
Rainfall
1.1 in
6.2 wet days
Daylight
13 h 18 min
5:31 AM – 6:51 PM
Cloud cover
40%
8th clearest
Wind
4 mph
11th windiest
Solar energy
6.93 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

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.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 86°F through the month.

A typical August day in Rio Rancho reaches about 86°F in the afternoon and slips back to 64°F overnight — a 23°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 79°F and 92°F. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 3°F cooler than July and about 6°F warmer than September.

50°60°70°80°90°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18765
28765
38765
48765
58765
68765
78765
88765
98765
108765
118765
128764
138764
148764
158764
168764
178664
188664
198664
208664
218663
228663
238663
248663
258563
268563
278562
288562
298562
308562
318562

How August really feels in Rio Rancho

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

August sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Rio Rancho weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 3rd-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan46° / 25°0.64.22.49.91.3
Feb52° / 29°0.63.61.710.73.2
Mar60° / 35°0.63.60.811.75.9
Apr68° / 42°0.62.80.412.97.7
May78° / 51°0.73.2013.88.1
Jun88° / 61°0.42.3014.35.6
Jul89° / 66°1.26.6014.14.7
Aug86° / 64°1.16.2013.35.6
Sep80° / 57°1.14.4012.27.8
Oct69° / 45°1.14.10.211.17.8
Nov55° / 33°0.63.20.910.14.5
Dec45° / 25°0.83.82.39.71.2

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 25% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 20%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17426
27426
37525
47525
57624
67624
77624
87723
97723
107723
117822
127822
137822
147921
158020
168020
178020
188020
198020
208119
218119
228119
238218
248218
258317
268416
278416
288416
298515
308515
318515

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Rio Rancho gets around 1.1 in of rain over 6.2 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 20% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
228
327
426
525
624
724
823
922
1021
1121
1220
1320
1419
1519
1619
1719
1819
1919
2019
2118
2218
2318
2417
2517
2617
2716
2816
2916
3015
3115

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of August feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, August lands in the dry band about 76% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
165278
266268
366268
467267
568257
668257
769256
871245
971245
1072244
1173234
1274233
1375223
1476222
1576222
1677212
1778211
1878211
1978211
2079201
2179201
2280191
2381181
2482180
2583170
2684160
2785150
2886140
2988120
3089110
3190100

Wind in August

Winds average 4 mph in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of August to 12 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 60 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 5:19 AM to 5:42 AM, and sunset from 7:07 PM to 6:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:197:07
213.85:207:06
313.75:207:05
413.75:217:04
513.75:227:03
613.75:237:02
713.65:247:01
813.65:247:00
913.65:256:59
1013.55:266:58
1113.55:276:57
1213.55:276:56
1313.45:286:54
1413.45:296:53
1513.45:306:52
1613.35:316:51
1713.35:316:50
1813.35:326:48
1913.25:336:47
2013.25:346:46
2113.25:356:45
2213.15:356:43
2313.15:366:42
2413.15:376:41
2513.05:386:39
2613.05:386:38
2713.05:396:37
2812.95:406:35
2912.95:416:34
3012.95:416:33
3112.85:426:31

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 6.93 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.05 kWh/m² to a high of 8.27 kWh/m² in June across the year — August's 6.93 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.2Intense
27.2Intense
37.2Intense
47.2Intense
57.1Intense
67.1Intense
77.1Intense
87.1Intense
97.1Intense
107.1Intense
117.0Intense
127.0Intense
137.0Intense
147.0Intense
157.0Intense
167.0Intense
176.9Intense
186.9Intense
196.9Intense
206.8Intense
216.8Intense
226.8Intense
236.8Intense
246.8Intense
256.7Intense
266.7Intense
276.7Intense
286.6Intense
296.6Intense
306.6Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Rio Rancho?

Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.6
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
7.7
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Rio Rancho for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Rio Rancho in August

From August's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In August, Rio Rancho sees daytime highs around 86°F and nights near 64°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 6 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Rio Rancho in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 12Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May9Very high
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate
Location & terrain

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.

2 miles
469 ft
10 miles
3,156 ft
50 miles
6,522 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
August weather nearby: Enchanted Hills 8.1 mi · Albuquerque 11 mi · South Valley 16 mi · Los Lunas 30 mi · Santa Fe 52 mi · Gallup 119 mi · Farmington 135 mi · Durango 157 mi

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
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

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).