# Quemado, New Mexico

Quemado is a census-designated place in Catron County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 228. Walter De Maria's 1977 art installation, The Lightning Field, is between Quemado and Pie Town, New Mexico.

## Geography
### Climate

Quemado (meaning "burnt" in English) was named by Spanish conquistadors due to the blackened stones that cover the earth. It was caused by a fire that preceded the arrival of the Spanish in the early 1500s and the carbon remains partially due to paltry rainfall in the region.
Quemado is categorized as being within the 6a USDA hardiness zone, meaning temperatures can get as low as -10 to -5 °F.
Climate data for Quemado, New Mexico, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1918–present :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 69 (21) | 77 (25) | 80 (27) | 88 (31) | 95 (35) | 99 (37) | 100 (38) | 99 (37) | 94 (34) | 87 (31) | 81 (27) | 71 (22) | 100 (38) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 58.2 (14.6) | 64.2 (17.9) | 71.5 (21.9) | 76.8 (24.9) | 85.4 (29.7) | 92.5 (33.6) | 92.5 (33.6) | 89.5 (31.9) | 86.0 (30.0) | 79.5 (26.4) | 69.9 (21.1) | 60.7 (15.9) | 93.8 (34.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 46.2 (7.9) | 49.9 (9.9) | 58.0 (14.4) | 65.6 (18.7) | 74.8 (23.8) | 83.8 (28.8) | 84.5 (29.2) | 81.7 (27.6) | 76.5 (24.7) | 67.9 (19.9) | 55.7 (13.2) | 46.1 (7.8) | 65.9 (18.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 30.4 (−0.9) | 34.3 (1.3) | 40.4 (4.7) | 46.4 (8.0) | 54.3 (12.4) | 63.4 (17.4) | 68.3 (20.2) | 66.2 (19.0) | 59.7 (15.4) | 49.5 (9.7) | 38.6 (3.7) | 30.8 (−0.7) | 48.5 (9.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 14.7 (−9.6) | 18.7 (−7.4) | 22.8 (−5.1) | 27.2 (−2.7) | 33.9 (1.1) | 43.0 (6.1) | 52.2 (11.2) | 50.7 (10.4) | 43.0 (6.1) | 31.2 (−0.4) | 21.5 (−5.8) | 15.5 (−9.2) | 31.2 (−0.4) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −3.8 (−19.9) | 0.0 (−17.8) | 6.1 (−14.4) | 15.2 (−9.3) | 20.8 (−6.2) | 32.7 (0.4) | 44.6 (7.0) | 42.9 (6.1) | 30.4 (−0.9) | 16.4 (−8.7) | 1.6 (−16.9) | −3.5 (−19.7) | −8.8 (−22.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −33 (−36) | −19 (−28) | −20 (−29) | −2 (−19) | 8 (−13) | 18 (−8) | 31 (−1) | 32 (0) | 18 (−8) | −1 (−18) | −20 (−29) | −20 (−29) | −33 (−36) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.47 (12) | 0.55 (14) | 0.64 (16) | 0.39 (9.9) | 0.12 (3.0) | 0.58 (15) | 1.88 (48) | 2.92 (74) | 1.89 (48) | 0.92 (23) | 0.49 (12) | 0.51 (13) | 11.36 (287.9) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 3.8 (9.7) | 3.9 (9.9) | 1.8 (4.6) | 0.3 (0.76) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.6 (1.5) | 1.4 (3.6) | 5.6 (14) | 17.6 (44.57) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 2.6 (6.6) | 2.0 (5.1) | 0.8 (2.0) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.3 (0.76) | 1.1 (2.8) | 2.3 (5.8) | 4.3 (11) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 2.6 | 3.1 | 2.1 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 7.4 | 8.9 | 4.3 | 3.4 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 42.1 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 8.4 |
| Source 1: NOAA ||||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service ||||||||||||||

## Education

The school district is Quemado Schools.

## Notable residents

Jerry D. Thompson, historian of the American Southwest, was reared in Quemado.