Desert Southwest Flying Weather
NM · TX · 2006–2025 · 22 eligible airports
High-desert regime (most airports sit between roughly 3,900 and 7,000 ft) that is strongly VFR year-round. Spring is the windy season, with strong gusty southwest winds, blowing dust, and moderate-to-severe turbulence near terrain from March through May. The July-September monsoon brings afternoon and evening thunderstorms with gust fronts, dust storms, virga-driven microbursts, and locally heavy rain, and summer density altitude is a constant performance concern at these elevations. Winters are generally benign with occasional snow at the higher northern airports; late fall offers the calmest flying of the year.
- Daylight VFR
- 95.4%
- VFR days/yr
- 338
- Mean wind
- 7.6 kt
- Most VFR month
- June
- Fewest VFR month
- December
- VFR Score
- 83
Regional standouts
VFR conditions by month
Regional average across eligible airports
| Month | VFR % |
|---|---|
| Jan | 92.6% |
| Feb | 92.7% |
| Mar | 94.7% |
| Apr | 96.0% |
| May | 96.0% |
| Jun | 97.8% |
| Jul | 97.7% |
| Aug | 97.6% |
| Sep | 95.4% |
| Oct | 94.8% |
| Nov | 94.4% |
| Dec | 92.4% |
Average wind by month
Regional average sustained wind
| Month | Mean wind (kt) |
|---|---|
| Jan | 7.0 kt |
| Feb | 8.1 kt |
| Mar | 8.8 kt |
| Apr | 9.5 kt |
| May | 8.9 kt |
| Jun | 8.2 kt |
| Jul | 6.8 kt |
| Aug | 6.4 kt |
| Sep | 6.5 kt |
| Oct | 7.0 kt |
| Nov | 6.9 kt |
| Dec | 7.0 kt |
Every airport in Desert Southwest, ranked
Sort by any column. Best VFR Score first.
| KCVNClovis Municipal Airport | Clovis | 90.7 | 4.5 | 322 | 9 kt | 71 |
| KCAOClayton Municipal Airpark | Clayton | 91.0 | 4.7 | 323 | 10 kt | 73 |
| KLVSLas Vegas Municipal Airport | Las Vegas | 92.6 | 4.2 | 329 | 8 kt | 75 |
| KAXXAngel Fire Airport | Angel Fire | 89.2 | 4.7 | 317 | 5 kt | 76 |
| KSRRSierra Blanca Regional Airport | Alto | 93.0 | 4.0 | 327 | 7 kt | 77 |
| KTCCTucumcari Municipal Airport | Tucumcari | 93.3 | 2.1 | 330 | 8 kt | 77 |
| KRTNRaton Municipal Airport / Crews Field | Raton | 92.7 | 3.2 | 330 | 7 kt | 78 |
| KCNMCavern City Air Terminal | Carlsbad | 93.7 | 2.2 | 333 | 7 kt | 80 |
| KROWRoswell Air Center Airport | Roswell | 93.8 | 2.4 | 333 | 6 kt | 81 |
| KLAMLos Alamos Airport | Los Alamos | 94.3 | 2.7 | 327 | 5 kt | 82 |
| KSAFSanta Fe Municipal Airport | Santa Fe | 96.0 | 1.6 | 340 | 7 kt | 83 |
| KSVCGrant County Airport | Silver City | 97.5 | 0.6 | 345 | 8 kt | 85 |
| KGUPGallup Municipal Airport | Gallup | 95.7 | 1.3 | 337 | 5 kt | 86 |
| KGNTGrants-Milan Municipal Airport | Grants | 96.4 | 1.1 | 340 | 6 kt | 87 |
| KFMNFour Corners Regional Airport | Farmington | 97.1 | 1.3 | 343 | 6 kt | 87 |
| KDMNDeming Municipal Airport | Deming | 98.1 | 0.6 | 345 | 6 kt | 89 |
| KALMAlamogordo White Sands Regional Airport | Alamogordo | 97.8 | 0.8 | 346 | 6 kt | 89 |
| KABQAlbuquerque International Sunport | Albuquerque | 98.2 | 0.6 | 354 | 6 kt | 90 |
| KELPEl Paso International Airport | El Paso | 98.1 | 0.4 | 354 | 6 kt | 90 |
| KPRSPresidio Lely International Airport | Presidio | 98.2 | 0.2 | 355 | 6 kt | 90 |
| KTCSTruth or Consequences Municipal Airport | Truth or Consequences | 98.5 | 0.5 | 352 | 6 kt | 90 |
| KLRULas Cruces International Airport | Las Cruces | 98.1 | 0.6 | 348 | 6 kt | 90 |
The pattern in Desert Southwest
Across 2006–2025, the 22 eligible airports in Desert Southwest reported VFR conditions during about 95.4% of valid daytime observations, with an estimated 338 VFR flying days per year and a mean surface wind of 7.6 kt. KTCS (Truth or Consequences Municipal Airport) had the most VFR weather at 98.5%. KAXX saw the most instrument conditions, at 4.7% IFR/LIFR. The lowest-ranked eligible field by VFR Score was KCVN (Clovis Municipal Airport).
Neighboring regions
How Desert Southwest is defined
NM entire. TX: only the 6 far-west Trans-Pecos/Big Bend counties — El Paso, Hudspeth, Culberson, Jeff Davis, Presidio, Brewster; all other TX counties belong to the other Texas regions. Arizona is NOT part of this region.
Educational use only. Historical weather rankings from ATIS Alerts are educational summaries of past observations — not a forecast, flight-planning tool, or safety rating. They do not replace current METARs, TAFs, NOTAMs, ATIS, or a weather briefing, and favorable history does not make any airport safe. Always check current conditions and use your own judgment before flight.