Less rain and snow falls on C-Road than on 84% of U.S. towns: 32 inches a year
January mornings start at about 23°. Temperatures cover 64° across the year, low to high. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings suit June and September, with highs of 78–79°.
A year in C-Road at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about C-Road’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with C-Road’s place in California beside it.
What a year in C-Road feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 91 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 11 and the first by September 10. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Portola, CA, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts C-Road’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 0°. 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 38 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Portola, CA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 32 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 62 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in C-Road
98% 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 Portola, CA.
Living with C-Road’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
91 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Jun 11 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 10.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and September. 3.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in C-Road from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (58%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →C-Road and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of C-Road in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like C-Road’s, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-Road, CA | 23° | 86° | 32" | 38" |
| Toledo, OH | 21° | 85° | 34" | 37" |
| Lambertville, MI | 20° | 85° | 34" | 37" |
| Halfway, MD | 23° | 87° | 40" | 31" |
| Bellevue, PA | 22° | 85° | 40" | 44" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in C-Road averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 52% 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 C-Road compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with C-Road’s place among California’s.
C-Road weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at C-Road’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Portola, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 23° | 5.5" | 11.7" | 9 | 9 | 25° – 40° |
| February | 48° | 25° | 5.3" | 7.6" | 9 | 6 | 29° – 44° |
| March | 53° | 28° | 4.6" | 6.4" | 8 | 5 | 33° – 47° |
| April | 59° | 31° | 2.4" | 1.8" | 6 | 1 | 39° – 49° |
| May | 68° | 37° | 1.7" | 0.2" | 6 | 0 | 44° – 59° |
| June | 78° | 43° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 56° – 65° |
| July | 86° | 48° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| August | 85° | 46° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 63° – 70° |
| September | 79° | 41° | 0.5" | 0.1" | 2 | 0 | 56° – 63° |
| October | 67° | 33° | 1.8" | 0.4" | 4 | 0 | 46° – 54° |
| November | 52° | 27° | 3.1" | 2.4" | 6 | 1 | 31° – 45° |
| December | 43° | 23° | 5.8" | 7.2" | 8 | 6 | 28° – 37° |
| Year | 63° | 33° | 31.6" | 37.8" | 62 | 29 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. May swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 44° to 59°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where C-Road’s 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 C-Road’s center.
- Snow: Portola, CA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Portola, CA, 6 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 C-Road’s climate
What is the weather like in C-Road?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 38 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 55% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in C-Road in winter?
December nights average 23°. About 205 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 28°.
How much snow does C-Road get?
About 38 inches in a normal winter at Portola, CA, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 29 days a year.
How hot does it get in C-Road?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 48°. About 22 days a year reach 90° (Portola, CA).
When is the first and last frost in C-Road?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 11 and the first fall frost by September 10, about 91 frost-free days, at Portola, CA.
What growing zone is C-Road in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 0°.
What is the best time of year to visit C-Road?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is C-Road getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 52% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in C-Road.
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.