Weather in Albuquerque in July

A hard month. July asks something of you. Go in knowing what. Daytime highs average 34.6 °C and the afternoon is not negotiable — outdoor plans move to early morning or evening.

July ranks 12 of 12 — near the bottom of Albuquerque's year. April is the month that works, and the swing between the two is 51 points, which is a different holiday rather than a slightly better one.

Rain on 13 days, 1 of them heavy. Enough to need a plan B, not enough to need a plan around it. Pack for heat management rather than style: shade, water, and a schedule that gives up on the middle of the day.

What the averages hide

Averages flatten a month, and this one hides a few things: 17 days clear 35 °C, so a serious heatwave is normal rather than notable. Across the twenty years measured, the hottest July day reached 42 °C and the coldest night fell to 14 °C.

July is moderately variable: 9 mm in the driest year against 97 mm in the wettest, around an average of 51 mm. Roughly two Julys in three land near that average, and the third does something else entirely.

Wind is light at 7 km/h, so the temperature on the page is close to the temperature on your skin, and the air is dry at 40% humidity, which makes the heat far more bearable than the same figure somewhere humid — and dehydrates you faster than you expect.

How July sits in the year

Temperatures hold steady either side: 34.9 °C in June, 34.6 here, 33.2 in August. Nothing about the timing within the month matters much. Rain has already shifted: 10 days more than June had.

Daylight in July

July is at or near the longest days of Albuquerque's year: 14.3 hours of daylight, losing 0.5 hours across the month. Evenings are the real gain — dinner outdoors still happens in full light.

An inland climate

With no coast nearby, the year swings a fair way — 37.3 °C between the warmest afternoons and the coldest nights, wider than any coastal city at this latitude would manage. At 1511 m, altitude is doing as much work here as latitude: thinner air means fierce sun by day and heat that leaves the moment it sets. Within July itself the daily swing is 14.6 °C, so mornings and afternoons need different clothes.

How busy it gets

Off season. The genuine off season: cheapest by a distance, with the caveat that some tours and restaurants close entirely.

Crowd levels are estimated from climate desirability and school-holiday calendars, not from visitor numbers.

July in Albuquerque versus nearby

If Albuquerque is one option among several, the nearby comparison is worth making. El Paso is close enough to be a coin toss — within a degree on temperature, 2 days less rain. Amarillo is close enough to be a coin toss — within a degree on temperature, 3 days less rain.

So: July is a compromise. April is 51 points better and is what Albuquerque is actually like at its best — worth moving the trip for if that is possible, and worth adjusting expectations for if it is not.

Every month in Albuquerque

See all twelve months in Albuquerque, or where else to go in July.