Photo: Bruce Fingerhood from Springfield, Oregon, US · CC BY 2.0Alturas’ winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 22 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Alturas at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Alturas’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Alturas’ place in California beside it.
What a year in Alturas feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 97 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 3 and the first by September 12. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Alturas, CA, 0.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; frost dates and degree days from Alturas Muni Airport, 0.7 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Alturas’ center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −6°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 22 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cedarville, CA, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 80 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Alturas
97% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Alturas Muni Airport.
Living with Alturas’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
97 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Jun 3 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 12.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June. 2.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Alturas from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (77%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Alturas and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Alturas yet.
Climates most like Alturas’, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alturas, CA | 20° | 89° | 12" | 22" |
| Burley, ID | 21° | 89° | 10" | 21" |
| White Rock, NM | 18° | 89° | 13" | 20" |
| Gardnerville Ranchos, NV | 23° | 90° | 11" | 22" |
| East Wenatchee, WA | 24° | 88° | 10" | 17" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Alturas averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.6°).
A bigger shift than in 63% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Alturas compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Alturas’ place among California’s.
Alturas weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Alturas’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cedarville, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 20° | 1.4" | 6.1" | 9 | 10 | 24° – 40° |
| February | 47° | 22° | 1.2" | 3.3" | 8 | 4 | 27° – 42° |
| March | 53° | 26° | 1.4" | 2.3" | 9 | 2 | 34° – 46° |
| April | 59° | 30° | 1.4" | 0.8" | 9 | 1 | 40° – 50° |
| May | 68° | 37° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 45° – 59° |
| June | 78° | 42° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| July | 89° | 48° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| August | 87° | 46° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 63° – 71° |
| September | 80° | 39° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 56° – 64° |
| October | 66° | 31° | 0.8" | 0.3" | 5 | 0 | 44° – 54° |
| November | 51° | 25° | 1.3" | 2.8" | 9 | 2 | 28° – 43° |
| December | 42° | 20° | 1.6" | 6.6" | 10 | 8 | 25° – 35° |
| Year | 64° | 32° | 12.2" | 22.2" | 80 | 26 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 24° to 40°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Alturas’ numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Alturas’ center.
- Snow: Cedarville, CA.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Alturas Muni Airport, 0.7 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Alturas, CA, 0.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Alturas’ climate
What is the weather like in Alturas?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 22 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 57% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 71% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Alturas in winter?
December nights average 20°. About 204 nights a year reach 32° or below and 5 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 25°.
How much snow does Alturas get?
About 22 inches in a normal winter at Cedarville, CA, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 26 days a year.
How hot does it get in Alturas?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 48°. About 41 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Alturas Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Alturas?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 3 and the first fall frost by September 12, about 97 frost-free days, at Alturas Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Alturas in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Alturas?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Alturas getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 63% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Alturas.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.