Frog Creek Cabin · Photo: National Park Service · Public domainCold Springs has milder winter nights than 77% of U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 85°. Its yearly precipitation tops that of 66% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 0.9° higher. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly May 2 to November 4.
A year in Cold Springs at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cold Springs’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cold Springs’ place in California beside it.
What a year in Cold Springs feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 183 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 2 and the first by November 4. Frost and day counts come from Cherry Valley Dam, CA, 15 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cold Springs’ center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 11°. 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 51 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Hetch Hetchy, CA, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 46 inches a year; January is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 74 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cold Springs
85% 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 Cherry Valley Dam, CA.
Living with Cold Springs’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
183 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by May 2 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 4.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, September and October. 2.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cold Springs from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (66%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cold Springs and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Cold Springs yet.
Climates most like Cold Springs’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Springs, CA | 33° | 85° | 46" | 51" |
| Mount Vernon, NY | 26° | 86° | 47" | 33" |
| Jersey City, NJ | 26° | 86° | 47" | 32" |
| Riverside, CT | 25° | 85° | 47" | 34" |
| Clarksburg, MD | 25° | 86° | 45" | 33" |
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 Cold Springs averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+1.9°).
A smaller shift than in 86% 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 Cold Springs compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cold Springs’ place among California’s.
Cold Springs weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cold Springs’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Hetch Hetchy, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50° | 33° | 8.5" | 9.7" | 11 | 10 | 36° – 49° |
| February | 51° | 32° | 7.7" | 13.5" | 10 | 7 | 34° – 50° |
| March | 55° | 34° | 7.0" | 10.8" | 11 | 5 | 36° – 52° |
| April | 60° | 36° | 4.1" | 4.3" | 8 | 2 | 41° – 54° |
| May | 68° | 43° | 2.7" | 0.1" | 6 | 0 | 46° – 64° |
| June | 77° | 51° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 58° – 70° |
| July | 85° | 58° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| August | 85° | 58° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| September | 79° | 53° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 62° – 71° |
| October | 69° | 45° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| November | 56° | 37° | 4.3" | 3.0" | 7 | 2 | 37° – 53° |
| December | 48° | 32° | 7.9" | 10.0" | 10 | 8 | 35° – 47° |
| Year | 65° | 43° | 46.2" | 51.4" | 74 | 34 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. May swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 46° to 64°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Cold Springs’ 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 Cold Springs’ center.
- Snow: Hetch Hetchy, CA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cherry Valley Dam, CA, 15 miles from the town’s center, 740 ft lower; 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 Cold Springs’ climate
What is the weather like in Cold Springs?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 33°, and about 51 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 77% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cold Springs in winter?
December nights average 32°. About 87 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 35°.
How much snow does Cold Springs get?
About 51 inches in a normal winter at Hetch Hetchy, CA, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 34 days a year.
How hot does it get in Cold Springs?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 58°. About 38 days a year reach 90° (Cherry Valley Dam, CA).
When is the first and last frost in Cold Springs?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 2 and the first fall frost by November 4, about 183 frost-free days, at Cherry Valley Dam, CA.
What growing zone is Cold Springs in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 11°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cold Springs?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Cold Springs getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 86% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cold Springs.
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.