Buck Meadows has warmer summer afternoons than 82% of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 31°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 75% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with January up the most. Homes need heating from November to March, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Buck Meadows at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Buck Meadows’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Buck Meadows’ place in California beside it.
What a year in Buck Meadows feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 192 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 22 and the first by November 2. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Groveland 2, CA, 9 miles from the town’s center, 300 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Buck Meadows’ center in zone 8b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 17°. 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 8 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Groveland Rs, CA, falls mostly in January, March and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 36 inches a year; January is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 60 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Buck Meadows
84% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Groveland 2, CA.
Living with Buck Meadows’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
192 frost-free days in zone 8b. The last frost comes by Apr 22 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 2.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Buck Meadows from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (52%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 24%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Buck Meadows and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Buck Meadows yet.
Climates most like Buck Meadows’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buck Meadows, CA | 31° | 91° | 36" | 8.2" |
| Midwest City, OK | 28° | 93° | 37" | 6.7" |
| Waxhaw, NC | 31° | 90° | 43" | 2.6" |
| Lancaster, SC | 31° | 91° | 43" | 2.6" |
| Grants Pass, OR | 34° | 90° | 33" | 0.9" |
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 Buck Meadows averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 71% 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 Buck Meadows compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Buck Meadows’ place among California’s.
Buck Meadows weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Buck Meadows’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Groveland Rs, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 31° | 6.7" | 1.8" | 9 | 38° – 50° |
| February | 55° | 33° | 6.0" | 1.6" | 9 | 35° – 52° |
| March | 59° | 35° | 6.0" | 1.7" | 8 | 38° – 55° |
| April | 64° | 38° | 3.2" | 0.5" | 6 | 44° – 57° |
| May | 73° | 44° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 5 | 49° – 67° |
| June | 83° | 50° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 60° – 72° |
| July | 91° | 56° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 69° – 78° |
| August | 91° | 56° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 1 | 69° – 77° |
| September | 85° | 51° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 63° – 72° |
| October | 74° | 43° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 4 | 54° – 65° |
| November | 61° | 35° | 3.4" | 0.9" | 7 | 38° – 55° |
| December | 53° | 30° | 6.3" | 1.7" | 9 | 37° – 48° |
| Year | 70° | 42° | 35.8" | 8.2" | 60 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. May swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 49° to 67°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Buck Meadows’ 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 Buck Meadows’ center.
- Snow: Groveland Rs, CA (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Groveland 2, CA, 9 miles from the town’s center, 300 ft lower; 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 Buck Meadows’ climate
What is the weather like in Buck Meadows?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 31°, and about 8 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 73% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 82% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Buck Meadows in winter?
December nights average 30°. About 91 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 37°.
How much snow does Buck Meadows get?
About 8.2 inches in a normal winter at Groveland Rs, CA, most of it in January, March and December.
How hot does it get in Buck Meadows?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 56°. About 59 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Groveland 2, CA).
When is the first and last frost in Buck Meadows?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 22 and the first fall frost by November 2, about 192 frost-free days, at Groveland 2, CA.
What growing zone is Buck Meadows in?
Zone 8b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 17°.
What is the best time of year to visit Buck Meadows?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Buck Meadows getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 71% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Buck Meadows.
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.