How extreme does Carlsbad's weather get?

The hottest, coldest, wettest and snowiest days Carlsbad has recorded — the outer limits of what its weather can do, and how far they sit beyond a normal day.

Based on 50+ years of daily weather observations (1971–present), from the Cavern City Ap station 10 km away. Updated through May 2026 — an all-time extreme only changes when a more extreme day actually occurs, so some dates are old. That is normal, not stale data.

The four kinds of extreme

The hottest, coldest, wettest and snowiest single days Carlsbad has recorded — each shown against what a normal day that time of year looks like.

🔥 Hottest day

113°F Jun 27, 1994

That is about 17°F hotter than a normal June afternoon in Carlsbad (typical high near 96°F).

The three most extreme on record

1 113°F Jun 27, 1994

2 113°F Jul 27, 1995

3 113°F Jun 28, 1998

❄️ Coldest night

-4°F Dec 29, 1983

About 34°F colder than a normal December night in Carlsbad (typical low near 30°F).

The three most extreme on record

1 -4°F Dec 29, 1983

2 -4°F Dec 15, 1987

3 -4°F Feb 4, 2011

🌧️ Most rain in one day

3.94 in May 22, 1987

More rain in a single day than Carlsbad usually gets in the whole month of May (typical May total about 1.2 in).

The three most extreme on record

1 3.94 in May 22, 1987

2 3.74 in Jun 23, 1986

3 3.33 in Sep 20, 1988

⛄ Most snow in one day

11.3 in Dec 13, 1987

The three most extreme on record

1 11.3 in Dec 13, 1987

2 7.0 in Dec 25, 1997

3 6.2 in Feb 1, 1985

How hot and cold it gets, month by month

The shaded band is the normal range of daily temperatures for each month. The dots show the most extreme it has ever been — so you can see how far beyond a normal day the records really sit.

normal range of daily temperatureshottest ever recordedcoldest ever recorded

Carlsbad's record heat sits well above even a hot day for the season — June's 113°F is about 17°F beyond a normal hot afternoon. Its record cold is just as far below a normal winter night — the dots mark how rare each extreme really is.

In plain terms

In a normal year, Carlsbad's warmest days reach the mid-90s°F and its coldest nights drop to the low 30s°F. But across the record it has gone as high as 113°F and as low as −4°F. A single day has delivered over 4 inches of rain or close to 11 inches of snow. Those are the outer edges worth knowing if you are moving here, planning a trip, or thinking about a house.

Methodology & sources

Temperature & precipitation — the official 1991–2020 climate normals from NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals, measured at Cavern City AP (NOAA GHCN station USW00093033), about 10 km from the city centre.

How we build these numbers →

← Carlsbad city detail