Sure, a Saturday morning right after a foot of fluffy snow is the best thing ever. But that same amount of snow on Tuesday in New Mexico can make a commute last forever. Imagine it’s the dead of winter and the time of year when the ground is frozen, the air is bone-chilling, and there are piles of dirty, nasty, ice-encrusted snow all over the place.
This is about the time of year when you’re just about ready for spring — especially in Los Alamos, the snowiest place in New Mexico.
So, put on your parkas, snow boots, and gloves, and let’s go outside to see which New Mexico cities get dumped on the most every year. After analyzing all the cities in New Mexico with Saturday Night Science, we came up with this list as the 10 snowiest cities in Land of Enchantment.
42.5 inches of snow per year
Los Alamos is a town in Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States that is recognized as the birthplace of the atomic bomb–the primary objective of the Manhattan Project by Los Alamos National Laboratory during World War II. The town is located on four mesas of the Pajarito Plateau, and has a population of 12,019. It is the county seat and one of two population centers in the county known as census-designated places ; the other is White Rock.
42.5 inches of snow per year
White Rock is a town in Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States. It is one of two population centers in the county known as census-designated places ; the other is Los Alamos. The population was 6,045 at the 2000 census. It is largely a bedroom community for employees of Los Alamos National Laboratory and their families. Access to White Rock from the town of Los Alamos and other cities and towns in New Mexico is via New Mexico State Road 4, which forms the northwestern boundary of the community. Administratively, White Rock is a neighborhood of Los Alamos; locals refer to Los Alamos as “the Townsite,” or “the Hill”.
36.8 inches of snow per year
Located in
Taos County, New Mexico
Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, incorporated in 1934. As of the 2010 census, its population was 5,716. Other nearby communities include Ranchos de Taos, Caon, Taos Canyon, Ranchitos, El Prado, and Arroyo Seco. The town is close to Taos Pueblo, the Native American village and tribe from which it takes its name.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
34.9 inches of snow per year
Located in
Colfax County, New Mexico
Raton is a city and the county seat of Colfax County in northeastern New Mexico. The city is located just south of Raton Pass.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
33.0 inches of snow per year
Located in
McKinley County, New Mexico
Gallup is a city in McKinley County, New Mexico, United States, with a population of 21,678 as of the 2010 census. A substantial percentage of its population is Native American, with residents from the Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni tribes. Gallup is the county seat of McKinley County and the most populous city between Flagstaff and Albuquerque, along the historic U.S. Route 66.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
29.0 inches of snow per year
28.4 inches of snow per year
Located in
Lincoln County, New Mexico
Ruidoso is a village in Lincoln County, New Mexico, United States, adjacent to the Lincoln National Forest. The population was 8,029 at the 2010 census. The city of Ruidoso Downs and the unincorporated area of Alto are suburbs of Ruidoso, and contribute to the Ruidoso Micropolitan Statistical Area’s population of 21,223.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
27.8 inches of snow per year
Located in
Santa Fe County, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and the seat of Santa Fe County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
26.2 inches of snow per year
Located in
San Miguel County, New Mexico
Las Vegas is a city in and the county seat of San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States. Once two separate municipalities both named Las Vegas, west Las Vegas and east Las Vegas, separated by the Gallinas River, retain distinct characters and separate, rival school districts. The population was 14,565 at the 2000 census. Las Vegas, NM is located 110 miles south of Raton, New Mexico, 65 miles east of Santa Fe, New Mexico, 122 miles northeast of Albuquerque, New Mexico, 257 miles south of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and 326 miles south of Denver, Colorado.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
20.0 inches of snow per year
Tucumcari is a city in and the county seat of Quay County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 5,363 at the 2010 census. Tucumcari was founded in 1901, two years before Quay County was founded.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is New Mexico’s statewide median.
On the map
Where New Mexico’s snowiest cities are
Saturday Night Science
How We Determined The Cities In New Mexico With The Most Snow
In order to rank the snowiest cities in New Mexico, we used Saturday Night Science and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) database, to see which cities in the Land of Enchantment get the most annual snowfall.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our second time ranking the snowiest cities in New Mexico.
Before we get too far, here are the annual snowfall rates for major cities: Albuquerque (13.4 inches), Las Cruces (2.6 inches), and Rio Rancho (11.3 inches).
The snowiest cities in New Mexico are Los Alamos, White Rock, Taos, Raton, Gallup, Eldorado at Santa Fe, Ruidoso, Santa Fe, Las Vegas, and Tucumcari.
There’s a complete chart at the bottom.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Snowiest Places In New Mexico
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Snow (Inches) | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Alamos | 42.5 | 11,815 |
| 2 | White Rock | 42.5 | 5,927 |
| 3 | Taos | 36.8 | 5,711 |
| 4 | Raton | 34.9 | 6,493 |
| 5 | Gallup | 33.0 | 22,467 |
| 6 | Eldorado at Santa Fe | 29.0 | 6,486 |
| 7 | Ruidoso | 28.4 | 7,884 |
| 8 | Santa Fe | 27.8 | 83,008 |
| 9 | Las Vegas | 26.2 | 13,713 |
| 10 | Tucumcari | 20.0 | 5,157 |
| 11 | North Valley | 17.0 | 11,221 |
| 12 | Los Ranchos de Albuquerque | 17.0 | 6,067 |
| 13 | Aztec | 13.9 | 6,501 |
| 14 | Grants | 13.6 | 9,243 |
| 15 | Albuquerque | 13.4 | 556,092 |
| 16 | Clovis | 12.9 | 39,466 |
| 17 | Bernalillo | 12.9 | 8,522 |
| 18 | Farmington | 12.8 | 44,865 |
| 19 | Corrales | 11.6 | 8,455 |
| 20 | Kirtland | 11.4 | 6,068 |
| 21 | Rio Rancho | 11.3 | 91,807 |
| 22 | Lee Acres | 11.3 | 6,480 |
| 23 | Zuni Pueblo | 11.0 | 9,494 |
| 24 | Roswell | 9.6 | 48,553 |
| 25 | Bloomfield | 9.4 | 7,735 |
| 26 | South Valley | 8.9 | 41,660 |
| 27 | Portales | 7.7 | 12,416 |
| 28 | Artesia | 6.9 | 11,641 |
| 29 | Los Lunas | 6.6 | 15,281 |
| 30 | Rio Communities | 6.4 | 5,189 |
| 31 | Los Chaves | 6.4 | 5,067 |
| 32 | Shiprock | 6.0 | 8,496 |
| 33 | Belen | 6.0 | 7,209 |
| 34 | Socorro | 5.8 | 8,843 |
| 35 | Alamogordo | 5.7 | 31,198 |
| 36 | Chaparral | 5.5 | 13,629 |
| 37 | Carlsbad | 5.3 | 27,592 |
| 38 | Sunland Park | 5.2 | 15,142 |
| 39 | Silver City | 4.7 | 10,184 |
| 40 | Hobbs | 3.8 | 36,191 |
| 41 | North Hobbs | 3.4 | 6,034 |
| 42 | Lovington | 3.3 | 11,499 |
| 43 | Truth or Consequences | 3.1 | 6,266 |
| 44 | Las Cruces | 2.6 | 101,164 |
| 45 | Deming | 2.1 | 14,667 |
| 46 | Anthony | 0.5 | 9,429 |
Source: NOAA snowfall data via Saturday Night Science. 46 New Mexico cities ranked.
Summary
Summary: The Snowiest Cities In New Mexico For 2026
If you’re looking for the New Mexico cities that get buried in snow each winter, this is an accurate list.
The snowiest cities in New Mexico are Los Alamos, White Rock, Taos, Raton, Gallup, Eldorado at Santa Fe, Ruidoso, Santa Fe, Las Vegas, and Tucumcari. Not sold on New Mexico? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Snowiest Cities In New Mexico FAQs
What is the snowiest city in New Mexico?
Los Alamos is the snowiest city in New Mexico for 2026, with 42.5 inches of snow in an average year, per NOAA data. White Rock and Taos are next.
What are the snowiest cities in New Mexico?
The snowiest cities in New Mexico are Los Alamos, White Rock, Taos, Raton, Gallup, Eldorado at Santa Fe, Ruidoso, Santa Fe, Las Vegas, and Tucumcari. We ranked all 46 New Mexico cities with measurable snowfall.
How much snow do New Mexico’s biggest cities get?
Albuquerque averages 13.4 inches of snow a year, Las Cruces gets 2.6, and Rio Rancho gets 11.3. Wherever you land in New Mexico, the shovel situation varies a lot.
Which city on the list gets the least snow?
Anthony gets the least snow of the 46 New Mexico cities with measurable snowfall. It still made the list, which is more than most of the Sun Belt can say.
Where does the snowfall data come from?
Average annual snowfall comes from NOAA weather station records. Cities are ranked purely on that average — no bonus points for dramatic blizzard stories.
