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I am considering a move to New Mexico now that I am retired. I am looking for an area that has a cooler summer (few 90°+ days) and moderate winters. What areas of the state would have this kind of climate?
It depends on your definition of moderate winters, but the possibility exists that none have a matching climate to what you have in mind.
For the cooler summers, look to high altitude places. East mountain suburbs of Albuquerque, Los Alamos, Taos, Ruidoso all fit the bill for the summer weather you mentioned.
Each of those has pretty aggressive winters, even compared to the rest of the state. Compared to, say, Michigan, even these are a walk in the park.
Most people trying to find their ideal spot in New Mexico based on climate criteria end up finding it in another state. Winters here are just not what out-of-staters tend to picture.
It depends on your definition of moderate winters, but the possibility exists that none have a matching climate to what you have in mind.
For the cooler summers, look to high altitude places. East mountain suburbs of Albuquerque, Los Alamos, Taos, Ruidoso all fit the bill for the summer weather you mentioned.
Each of those has pretty aggressive winters, even compared to the rest of the state. Compared to, say, Michigan, even these are a walk in the park.
Most people trying to find their ideal spot in New Mexico based on climate criteria end up finding it in another state. Winters here are just not what out-of-staters tend to picture.
Thank you for your comments. I am more concerned with not having blistering heat all summer than the winter mildness.
It's a four season climate. My guess is that the majority of NM can get close to 100 degrees occasionally but he humidity is often single digits -- very dry -- so it doesn't seem as hot. The sun will get you before the heat. It's a high desert so evenings and nights cool down considerably. The record high temp in Albuquerque is 107. It can rarely get down to zero. The average ABQ snowfall in January is about 3 inches...not all at once....and it is gone by 2 PM. June is hot, July and August are rainy (monsoon season). This is a very wet year so we will probably exceed our average of 9.45 inches in Albuquerque. Much depends on where you live -- even in Albuquerque there can be wide variations on a given day.
I notice that in the winter I end up with three or four coats in the car and maybe a sweater...it might be cold until 10 AM then it gets warmer and by afternoon you might be wearing the sweater only to put on a jacket by late afternoon.
It's 84 right now with 26% humidity. I was working outside for a couple hours but came in. Swamp cooler is on and it is cool in the house with windows open. Don't have or need AC.
The summers are cool. Most of the time, we keep the windows open. We may use the AC about 3 times the whole summer.
The winter is cold of course but not all that bad. Most of the time, I wear a jacket and not a coat. It snows but the roads are kept clear.
I think compared to most of the state, we have the best climate. Albuqurque, Cruces and Alamogordo are unbearably hot without an AC in the summertime but in the winter, they are pretty nice.
As a general rule, anywhere in the state that is above 6,000 ft. is going to be tolerable in the summer months. The higher the elevation and the farther north one is, the more tolerable it becomes.
For winters that are mildest, just reverse the above.
The sun can be pretty brutal here. That is why I prefer it here in the mountains (I live in Los Alamos, 7300 ft). It can 'feel' pretty hot when it is 80 with the sun out but on the same day it is 95 in ABQ so it is even worse.
Sure, it can get cold (especially at night) and we might get a few heavy snow storms but most the time it is very sunny during the day. Fifty degrees with no humidity and bright sunshine feels amazing.
The one thing people are surprised about when they move here is the wind. For a few weeks in the Spring the wind is relentless. Temperature is fine but the wind will keep you indoors. But by mid April it's done and all the tumbleweeds are gone.
I,find the mountains near Taos for my view of your desired temps. Rarely above 80 in the summers and while snows a good deal in winter, on the majority days with sunny skies, 20 to 30 degrees is great weather. It can get very cold, windy and cloudy during winters at times which is cold by my definition but this is less common than the siping days in my experience.
The one thing people are surprised about when they move here is the wind. For a few weeks in the Spring the wind is relentless. Temperature is fine but the wind will keep you indoors. But by mid April it's done and all the tumbleweeds are gone.
I have to say that for me constant wind is probably more annoying than cold weather. Heat I can take 90-100 all my life but wind.....blows.
Every time I see these TV commercials with people on a beach in Hawaii and their paradise all I see is their hair blowing straight out from the wind.
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