Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Raton United States

In Raton, the summers are warm; the winters are freezing, snowy, and windy; and it is partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 16°F to 84°F and is rarely below 4°F or above 92°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Raton for warm-weather activities is from mid June to late August.

The warm season lasts for 3.5 months, from May 29 to September 14, with an average daily high temperature above 76°F. The hottest month of the year in Raton is July, with an average high of 84°F and low of 55°F.

The cold season lasts for 3.1 months, from November 21 to February 25, with an average daily high temperature below 51°F. The coldest month of the year in Raton is December, with an average low of 18°F and high of 44°F.

In Raton, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Raton begins around August 26 and lasts for 2.4 months, ending around November 8.

The clearest month of the year in Raton is September, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 75% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around November 8 and lasts for 9.5 months, ending around August 26.

The cloudiest month of the year in Raton is February, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 39% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Raton varies significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 2.3 months, from June 29 to September 9, with a greater than 23% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Raton is August, with an average of 10.9 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 9.7 months, from September 9 to June 29. The month with the fewest wet days in Raton is January, with an average of 1.9 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation in Raton changes throughout the year.

Rain alone is the most common for 8.7 months, from February 26 to November 16. The month with the most days of rain alone in Raton is August, with an average of 10.9 days.

Snow alone is the most common for 3.4 months, from November 16 to February 26. The month with the most days of snow alone in Raton is December, with an average of 1.6 days.

Rainfall

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Raton experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 6.9 months, from April 1 to October 31, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Raton is August, with an average rainfall of 1.8 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 5.1 months, from October 31 to April 1. The month with the least rain in Raton is January, with an average rainfall of 0.0 inches.

Snowfall

As with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Raton experiences some seasonal variation in monthly snowfall.

The snowy period of the year lasts for 6.6 months, from October 19 to May 5, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Raton is March, with an average snowfall of 2.9 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 5.4 months, from May 5 to October 19. The least snow falls around July 15, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

The length of the day in Raton varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 9 hours, 38 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 14 hours, 42 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:37 AM on June 12, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 46 minutes later at 7:23 AM on November 2. The earliest sunset is at 4:40 PM on December 5, and the latest sunset is 3 hours, 40 minutes later at 8:21 PM on June 27.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Raton during 2024, starting in the spring on March 10, lasting 7.8 months, and ending in the fall on November 3.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

The perceived humidity level in Raton, as measured by the percentage of time in which the humidity comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable, does not vary significantly over the course of the year, remaining a virtually constant 0% throughout.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Raton experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 7.4 months, from November 2 to June 13, with average wind speeds of more than 9.7 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Raton is April, with an average hourly wind speed of 11.3 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 4.6 months, from June 13 to November 2. The calmest month of the year in Raton is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.0 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Raton varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the south for 2.4 months, from June 20 to September 1, with a peak percentage of 41% on July 16. The wind is most often from the west for 9.6 months, from September 1 to June 20, with a peak percentage of 59% on January 1.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Raton throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Raton for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid June to late August, with a peak score in the first week of July.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Raton for hot-weather activities is from mid June to late July, with a peak score in the first week of July.

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season in Raton typically lasts for 4.8 months (145 days), from around May 9 to around October 1, rarely starting before April 22 or after May 26, and rarely ending before September 12 or after October 19.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Raton should appear around March 31, only rarely appearing before March 16 or after April 16.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.0 months, from April 22 to July 21, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 7.1 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Raton is June, with an average of 8.0 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.1 months, from November 5 to February 8, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 3.9 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Raton is December, with an average of 2.9 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Raton are 36.903 deg latitude, -104.439 deg longitude, and 6,677 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Raton contains very significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 1,414 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 6,834 feet. Within 10 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (3,353 feet). Within 50 miles also contains extreme variations in elevation (9,347 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Raton is covered by shrubs (37%), trees (36%), and grassland (27%), within 10 miles by trees (41%) and grassland (38%), and within 50 miles by grassland (56%) and trees (27%).