Few U.S. towns get more rain and snow than Challenge-Brownsville: 64 inches a year
January mornings start at about 37°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 53° apart. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 85% of U.S. towns. Plan time outside from April to June and September to October, when highs sit at 64–84°.
A year in Challenge-Brownsville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Challenge-Brownsville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Challenge-Brownsville’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Challenge-Brownsville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 218 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 14 and the first by November 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Nevada City, CA, 21 miles from the town’s center, 360 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Challenge-Brownsville’s center in zone 9a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 24°. 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 9 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Grass Valley #2, CA, is heaviest from February through March, about 3 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 64 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 82 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Challenge-Brownsville
83% 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 Nevada City, CA.
Living with Challenge-Brownsville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
218 frost-free days in zone 9a. The last frost comes by Apr 14 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 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 6.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Challenge-Brownsville from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (72%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Challenge-Brownsville and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Challenge-Brownsville yet.
Climates most like Challenge-Brownsville’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Challenge-Brownsville, CA | 37° | 89° | 64" | 8.6" |
| Travelers Rest, SC | 32° | 88° | 60" | 1.9" |
| Porters Neck, NC | 36° | 89° | 59" | 0.9" |
| Dahlonega, GA | 30° | 87° | 63" | 3.3" |
| West Hattiesburg, MS | 38° | 92° | 62" | 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 Challenge-Brownsville averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 67% 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 Challenge-Brownsville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Challenge-Brownsville’s place among California’s.
Challenge-Brownsville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Challenge-Brownsville’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Grass Valley #2, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 37° | 11.5" | 0.7" | 13 | 0 | 41° – 53° |
| February | 55° | 37° | 11.0" | 3.0" | 12 | 1 | 39° – 53° |
| March | 59° | 39° | 9.7" | 3.0" | 12 | 1 | 42° – 56° |
| April | 64° | 42° | 5.0" | 0.5" | 9 | 0 | 47° – 57° |
| May | 72° | 49° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 50° – 69° |
| June | 82° | 56° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 63° – 74° |
| July | 89° | 62° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 71° – 79° |
| August | 89° | 61° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 72° – 78° |
| September | 84° | 57° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| October | 73° | 50° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 57° – 68° |
| November | 59° | 41° | 6.5" | 0.2" | 8 | 0 | 42° – 57° |
| December | 52° | 36° | 12.3" | 1.2" | 12 | 0 | 41° – 49° |
| Year | 69° | 47° | 63.8" | 8.6" | 82 | 2 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. May swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 50° to 69°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Challenge-Brownsville’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 Challenge-Brownsville’s center.
- Snow: Grass Valley #2, CA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Nevada City, CA, 21 miles from the town’s center, 360 ft higher; 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 Challenge-Brownsville’s climate
What is the weather like in Challenge-Brownsville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 37°, and about 9 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 85% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 74% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Challenge-Brownsville in winter?
December nights average 36°. About 49 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 41°.
How much snow does Challenge-Brownsville get?
About 8.6 inches in a normal winter at Grass Valley #2, CA, heaviest from February through March, about 3 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 2 days a year.
How hot does it get in Challenge-Brownsville?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 62°. About 30 days a year reach 90° (Nevada City, CA).
When is the first and last frost in Challenge-Brownsville?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 14 and the first fall frost by November 20, about 218 frost-free days, at Nevada City, CA.
What growing zone is Challenge-Brownsville in?
Zone 9a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 24°.
What is the best time of year to visit Challenge-Brownsville?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Challenge-Brownsville getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 67% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Challenge-Brownsville.
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.