July 2023 will go down in the record books as one of the hottest and driest Julys since records began here in Taos around 1900. The month ended up as the second hottest and the first driest on record, with several other temperature records tied or broken.

Rainfall was sparse during the month, especially in the town of Taos, where less than 0.10 of an inch of fell. At my location, 0.23 inches of rain fell, which was around an inch and a half below average. It was the driest July on record, with the previous driest July (0.30″) occurring back in 1938. Some spots received heavier amounts (west of Arroyo Seco and near the airport) but these were rather localized (see map below). Overall, the month was in stark contrast to last July when there was a lot of rain, the second wettest on record.

The heat was relentless during the month, in both the highs and the lows, with the month ending up as the second hottest July on record (1st hottest was in 2003). There were 26 days in the month with highs of 90 degrees or more, the most in any July since records began (previous record of 25 days in 2005). In addition, there was a span of 14 consecutive days with highs of 90 degrees or more (July 8-21), which is the fourth longest stretch (most in a row is 22 days in 2003).

Daily record warm highs were set or tied on the 15th, 17th, 18th, 24th and 26th. Daily record warm lows were set or tied on the 12th, 18th, 19th, 20th, and 27th of the month. The hottest high was 98 degrees on the 17th and 18th (just a degree below the all-time record high for Taos of 99 degrees set back on July 25, 2003). The coolest low was 45 degrees on the 1st.

Wind speeds overall were a little above average for the month, with 16 days with gusts of 35 mph or higher. The windiest days were on the 6th, 8th, and 21st. The highest gust of 53 mph occurred on the 2nd around 105 PM.

Here are the actual numbers for the month…

Average Temp . . . . 74.2 degrees, +6.2 degrees above average (2nd warmest)

Average High . . . . . 92.5 degrees, +7.8 degrees above average (2nd warmest)

Average Low . . . . . 55.8 degrees, +4.5 degrees above average (1st warmest)

Total rainfall . . . . . . 0.23 inches, -1.48 inches below average (1st driest)

Total snowfall . . . . . . None

July 2023 Rainfall in the Taos area

—————————————————————————–