Is there any part of NM that isn't blazing hot in summer? (Santa Fe: living in, military)

[mortimer]

rbmomof3, posting from the hot and humid Nebraska (in summer) asks:

> Is there any part of NM that isn't blazing hot in summer?

Everywhere in New Mexico is more comfortable in summer than Nebraska.

Everywhere in New Mexico is more comfortable in winter than Nebraska.

You can probably count on one hand the number of days in a year when the weather is better anywhere in Nebraska than anywhere in New Mexico.

[songinthewind7]

Timberon (in the sacramento mountains) has a very mild summer. No a/c needed. Open the windows and a nice breeze comes through.

[desert sun]

Albuquerque has perfect weather to me,I am not a fan of the cold but the winters here are not too bad and is usually sunny all day so it makes the cold not feel so cold,and depending on what parts of Albq. you live in you wont get much snow at all.The summer is also nice but hot,the sun is extra bright and intense but with no humidity.It could be alot worse.

Las Cruces in southern NM is a nice small city with a good climate but gets over 100 degrees many times in the summer but the winter is not so bad and they usually get a dusting of snow.They grow palm trees there so its not all that cold.

[6 FOOT 3]

Originally Posted by songinthewind7

Timberon (in the sacramento mountains) has a very mild summer. No a/c needed. Open the windows and a nice breeze comes through.

O.K. Cheryl ....who's running for mayor in Timberon you or Jane....lol....

6/3

[jazzlover]

People's climatic "ignorance" always amazes me. First, there is no place in the interior West that is going to have anything similar to a California coastal climate--it's the proximity to the Pacific ocean that gives California that climate. The California climate is also "Mediterranean"--that is, somewhat damp winters and nearly precipitation-less summers. The climate in the lower elevations of the southern Rockies is exactly the opposite. The winter months are typically some of the driest months; the summer months (especially during the "Southwest Monsoon" months from about the second week of July through Labor Day) are typically the wettest. Because of the stable atmosphere, California gets practically no thunderstorms. In the southern Rockies, most all of the summer precipitation falls from thundershowers and thunderstorms. In the higher elevations, afternoon thunderstorms are almost a daily occurrence in July and August.

The Pacific moderates the temperatures in coastal California (not in the interior, though), both seasonally and diurnally (day-to-night). In the southern Rockies, there is large variation in temperature from summer to winter, and the diurnal variation can be huge--up to 50 degrees from day-to-night on some days in summer.

The thinner air also makes the sun much more intense. Far more UV rays reach the ground. That, combined with low humidities, can really dry out skin. There is a quite elevated risk of skin cancer in the Rocky Mountain region, too. Ditto for cataracts, if one doesn't wear UV-stopping glasses when outdoors.

In short, there is not much commonality between the coastal California climate and the climate of the southern Rockies. People usually either love the Rockies climate or they hate it.

[rbmomof3]

Jar I'll have to PM you... sounds like we do have a lot in common. Funny, I thought I'd never be interested in NM or Arizona! I've been there numerous times on vacations as a child when we lived in Valencia and La Crescenta California... and it was always so brown. But now that I've lived out here I'm sure the plateus (spelling?) are prettier than this blasted flat land. Out of California, Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri, Nebraska is the worst for scenery! Colorado and California were my favorite. But Colorado is just too expensive for us. We love to fish and hunt too so that's a plus.

Asking anyone who knows NM, can you have a garden? Right now we have herbs and tomatoes, bell pepper, green beans, peas, onions, and a zuchini growing and it's my 2nd year with a garden. I love it! If I have to we can build a greenhouse I suppose but I'm not made of money lol. What is the average house cost in NM? I can't believe what I read on most cost of living sites because they seem to be way off. We're hoping for something like 120-150s for a 4 bedroom house but that may be low. My husband is getting his MBA in August so that will help financially and he can start looking now for finance jobs. I'll have to poke around on some sites from NM for jobs! This is a great site and I appreciate all of you putting your 2 cents in.

Rebecca

[songinthewind7]

Originally Posted by 6/3

O.K. Cheryl ....who's running for mayor in Timberon you or Jane....lol....

6/3

The secret's out. We're both gonna do it.

[Steve-o]

New Mexico's weather is very nice in most areas. Las Cruces is the only area in summer that I found to be too hot for my liking. ABQ was pretty dang hot, but pretty tolerable, much more so than Phoenix. Taos and Santa Fe were perfect in the summer, but too cold at night (even for my tastes). Winters in NM are pretty nice too. Expect some snow in some areas of the state, some places with none at all, some places get dumped on. Overall Id recommend somewhere like Rio Rancho, not too hot, not too cold. Some occasional snow which doesnt stick around long, and not too blazing hot in the summer.

Oh yeah, Santa Fe winter nights are dang cold. When I was there 3 years ago in January, the highs were in the 40s, which felt ok I guess, but as soon as that sun went down it turned into Antarctica. I left there after a week and came back to Chicagoland where it was actually warmer. lol Of course we had more snow though. lol

[brightdoglover]

I lived in Santa Fe for a summer. Yes, hot. But DRY. You can sit outside and feel your skin crisping, go inside and a simple fan is all you need. No humidity, maybe 10 percent? It's said that only Easterners sit out in the sun.
I personally thought Santa Fe had perfect weather- it gets hot, it gets cold, there's snow (powder) and there's almost always sun and no humidity. The elevation might make it perfect (about 7,000 feet). Yes, the winter is cold, but that sun keeps shining on. In fact, to these Eastern eyes, there was almost no mood in the weather, with the sun most of the time. Compared to Eastern grey sticky summers, though, I'll take Santa Fe (or that elevation) any time.

[Devin Bent]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Oh yeah, Santa Fe winter nights are dang cold. When I was there 3 years ago in January,

The nice thing about Santa Fe is that anybody can visit here 3 years ago in January and turn into an expert.