Las Cruces, New Mexico Weather
Thunder finally silent. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Las Cruces weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 1:50 AM MDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Clear——93°65°—
- TuesdaySep 22Overcast91%0.94″88°65°-5°
- WednesdaySep 23Showers95%0.66″77°65°-11°
- ThursdaySep 24Thunderstorm70%—75°69°-2°
- FridaySep 25Light Drizzle71%—82°65°+7°
- SaturdaySep 26Light Drizzle21%—86°73°+4°
- SundaySep 27Light Drizzle22%—88°74°+2°
Air quality now AQI 26 · Good
AQI 26 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 5.8 µg/m³ (AQI 32) with a 0.67 fine-to-coarse ratio and 2 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 5.8 µg/m³ (AQI 32) with a 0.67 fine-to-coarse ratio and 2 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.67
- Wind
- calm
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- stagnant smoke
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges.
- Moonrise
- 4:22 PM
- Moonset
- 1:54 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Thunder finally silent
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Las Cruces at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 79°F (high 93°F, low 65°F), 6°F above the 73°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: March 12 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 6 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
15-Day Forecast — Las Cruces
- Mon93°64°1%
- Tue88°65°91%
- Wed77°65°95%
- Thu75°69°70%
- Fri82°65°71%
- Sat86°73°21%
- Sun88°74°22%
- Mon88°72°22%
- Tue89°76°17%
- Wed86°73°17%
- Thu85°72°11%
- Fri86°72°11%
- Sat87°70°16%
- Sun88°71°16%
- Mon88°75°19%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Las Cruces
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Las Cruces — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Late season
As of September 21, the first frost (around November 13) is about 8 weeks away. Frost-tender plants keep producing until then. This city's planting calendar for September: harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, and winter squash.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Las Cruces
SPC includes Las Cruces in the general thunderstorm area tomorrow — no severe risk, but storms are possible.
- TODAYNONENo severe risk
- TOMORROWTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- DAY 3TSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
Thunderstorms possible. Not severe, but capable of producing lightning and brief heavy rain.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook.
Sun & seasons in Las Cruces
Las Cruces sits in Doña Ana County, where the year’s longest day runs 14h 16m of daylight and its shortest just 10h 2m — a swing of +4h 15m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Albuquerque, the state’s largest city, lies about 192 miles to the N. The nearest town Las Cruces tracks is Albuquerque, roughly 192 miles to the N.
Air quality in Las Cruces
Air quality in Las Cruces’s county has trended dirtier since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2023 (median AQI 52). See the full air-quality history for Las Cruces.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| February | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| March | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | spinach, radishes |
| April | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| May | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach |
| June | beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| August | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| September | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| November | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| December | — | fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
July is Las Cruces's warmest stretch (~82°F) and December its coldest (~44°F); precipitation crests in July at 1.8 inches and ebbs in April to 0.2 inches.
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 0.5″ | 3 |
| February | 49° | 0.4″ | 3 |
| March | 55° | 0.3″ | 2 |
| April | 62° | 0.2″ | 2 |
| May | 71° | 0.4″ | 2 |
| June | 80° | 0.7″ | 3 |
| July | 82° | 1.8″ | 9 |
| August | 81° | 1.7″ | 8 |
| September | 75° | 1.4″ | 5 |
| October | 64° | 0.8″ | 4 |
| November | 52° | 0.4″ | 3 |
| December | 44° | 0.6″ | 3 |
Regional context
Similar climates San Ysidro, NM, Fairacres, NM, Mesilla, NM
By the nearest station's NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals, Las Cruces sees 44°F Januarys and 82°F Julys, a 38°F range, plus around 9.1 inches of precipitation across 47 days.
July is Las Cruces's wettest month, at 1.8 inches over 8.9 days, and April its driest, at 0.2 inches over 1.6 days — yet May through September brings Las Cruces more rain in total than November through March. The closest comparisons in New Mexico are places like San Ysidro, NM, Fairacres, NM and Mesilla, NM.
By March 12 the frosts ease in Las Cruces, opening the season for peas, lettuce, spinach, and radishes. Hold Las Cruces's tender crops — tomatoes, peppers, basil — until 10-14 days past Las Cruces's last frost. It shuts near November 13, when freezes return to Las Cruces and tender plants need cover. In about half of years, Las Cruces's last freeze comes after March 12.
Similar climates: San Ysidro, NM, Fairacres, NM, Mesilla, NM, University Park, NM, Tortugas, NM.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Las Cruces?
- Frost typically leaves Las Cruces by March 12 and returns to Las Cruces near November 13.
- What is the rainy season in Las Cruces?
- Rainfall in Las Cruces peaks in July near 1.8 inches, out of about 9 inches annually.
- What is the warmest month in Las Cruces?
- The warmest stretch in Las Cruces comes in July, around 82°F on average.
- What is the coldest month in Las Cruces?
- On average December is the chilliest month in Las Cruces, about 44°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Las Cruces?
- Time tomatoes in Las Cruces for two weeks after March 12; peas and greens start at Las Cruces's frost line.
- How many rainy days does Las Cruces get?
- Las Cruces averages about 47 days with measurable rain or snow each year.
- What hardiness zone is Las Cruces?
- Las Cruces's hardiness zone tracks its winter low; with December near 44°F, check the USDA ZIP map for the exact zone.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Las Cruces?
- Las Cruces's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Las Cruces?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Las Cruces in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Las Cruces?
- Current conditions for Las Cruces and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Las Cruces forecast updated?
- The Las Cruces forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Las Cruces?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Las Cruces are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Las Cruces?
- The next few days in Las Cruces's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Las Cruces sits at 32.3°N; its climate zone is hot desert (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Las Cruces
- 87654
- 88001
- 88003
- 88004
- 88005
- 88006
- 88007
- 88011
- 88012
- 88013