Photo: Mike · CC BY 2.0Crescent City’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 64°, a January night drops to 42°, and snow is almost unheard of.
A year in Crescent City at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Crescent City’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Crescent City’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Crescent City feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze most winters
Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Crescent City Mcnamara Airport, 2.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Crescent City’s center in zone 9b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 29°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 69 inches of rain a year
December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain falls on about 124 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Crescent City 3 Nnw, CA, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Crescent City
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. 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 Crescent City Mcnamara Airport.
Living with Crescent City’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 9b. Frost comes about 8 winters in 10, so tender plants can often stay out through winter.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 2.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Crescent City from natural hazards, tsunamis are the largest share (92%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Crescent City and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Crescent City yet.
Climates most like Crescent City’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crescent City, CA | 42° | 64° | 69" | 0.0" |
| Newport, OR | 40° | 66° | 74" | 0.1" |
| Ocean Shores, WA | 38° | 66° | 82" | 0.0" |
| Kodiak, AK | 26° | 62° | 78" | 70" |
| Waipio Acres, HI | 61° | 82° | 64" | 0.0" |
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 Crescent City averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.3°).
A bigger shift than in 75% 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 Crescent City compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Crescent City’s place among California’s.
Crescent City weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Crescent City’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Crescent City 3 Nnw, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 42° | 11.3" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 | 42° – 54° |
| February | 55° | 42° | 8.6" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 40° – 54° |
| March | 56° | 42° | 9.2" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 | 45° – 55° |
| April | 57° | 44° | 6.3" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 47° – 54° |
| May | 60° | 47° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 50° – 57° |
| June | 63° | 50° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 53° – 63° |
| July | 64° | 52° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 55° – 61° |
| August | 65° | 52° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 56° – 63° |
| September | 65° | 50° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 53° – 61° |
| October | 62° | 47° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 50° – 60° |
| November | 56° | 44° | 8.9" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 45° – 55° |
| December | 53° | 41° | 13.2" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 | 43° – 51° |
| Year | 59° | 46° | 68.8" | 0.0" | 124 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 40° to 54°. July is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Crescent City’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 Crescent City’s center.
- Snow: Crescent City 3 Nnw, CA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Crescent City Mcnamara Airport, 2.2 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 Crescent City’s climate
What is the weather like in Crescent City?
A typical July afternoon reaches 64°, a January night drops to 42°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 91% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 19 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Crescent City in winter?
December nights average 41°. About 4 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 43°.
How much snow does Crescent City get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Crescent City 3 Nnw, CA, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Crescent City?
July, with a typical high of 64°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Crescent City Mcnamara Airport.
When is the first and last frost in Crescent City?
There is no reliable frost date: a 32° night comes in about 75% of winters at Crescent City Mcnamara Airport, so most years bring a freeze but some pass without one.
What growing zone is Crescent City in?
Zone 9b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 29°.
What is the best time of year to visit Crescent City?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Crescent City getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 75% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Crescent City.
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.