Photo: Frank Schulenburg · CC BY-SA 4.0Summer arrives in force in Cherokee, hotter than in 94% of U.S. towns
January nights here settle around 40°. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 89% of U.S. towns. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 1.2°, most of all in January. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from December to January, which average under 50°.
A year in Cherokee at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cherokee’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cherokee’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Cherokee feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 313 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by February 7 and the first by December 18. Frost and day counts come from Paradise, CA, 9 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cherokee’s center in zone 9b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 28°. 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 46 inches of rain a year
December is the wettest month and July the driest.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Cherokee
64% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Paradise, CA.
Living with Cherokee’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
313 frost-free days in zone 9b. The last frost comes by Feb 7 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Dec 18.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, October and November. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cherokee from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (60%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cherokee and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Cherokee yet.
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 Cherokee averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 60% 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 Cherokee compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cherokee’s place among California’s.
Cherokee weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cherokee’s center. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56° | 40° | 8.4" | 45° – 55° |
| February | 60° | 42° | 8.1" | 45° – 57° |
| March | 64° | 44° | 7.0" | 47° – 60° |
| April | 70° | 47° | 3.6" | 53° – 63° |
| May | 79° | 54° | 2.0" | 57° – 74° |
| June | 88° | 60° | 0.8" | 68° – 79° |
| July | 95° | 65° | 0.0" | 76° – 84° |
| August | 93° | 64° | 0.1" | 76° – 82° |
| September | 89° | 60° | 0.3" | 71° – 78° |
| October | 77° | 52° | 2.4" | 61° – 71° |
| November | 63° | 45° | 4.9" | 46° – 59° |
| December | 55° | 39° | 8.4" | 44° – 52° |
| Year | 74° | 51° | 46.0" |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. May swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 57° to 74°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Cherokee’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 Cherokee’s center.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Paradise, CA, 9 miles from the town’s center, 660 ft higher; no station nearby passes every check; this is the nearest one in the same valley, flagged above.
- 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 Cherokee’s climate
What is the weather like in Cherokee?
A typical July afternoon reaches 95°, a January night drops to 40°. Milder January nights than 89% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 94% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cherokee in winter?
December nights average 39°. About 7 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 44°.
How hot does it get in Cherokee?
July, with a typical high of 95° and a low of 65°. About 66 days a year reach 90° and 9 reach 100° (Paradise, CA).
When is the first and last frost in Cherokee?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by February 7 and the first fall frost by December 18, about 313 frost-free days, at Paradise, CA.
What growing zone is Cherokee in?
Zone 9b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 28°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cherokee?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, May, October and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Cherokee getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 60% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cherokee.
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.