Photo: Bureau of Land Management California · Public domainDesert Center reaches 100° on about 88 days a year, more than all but 83 U.S. towns
January nights here settle around 43°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on almost every U.S. town. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.7° above 1901–2000. The outdoor season runs from November to March, with highs of 66–78°.
A year in Desert Center at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Desert Center’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Desert Center’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Desert Center feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 88 days a year reach 100°
And 152 days reach 90°. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Eagle Mtn, CA, 7 miles from the town’s center, 290 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Desert Center’s center in zone 10a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 33°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 3 inches of rain a year
February is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain falls on about 17 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Eagle Mtn, CA, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Desert Center
20% of the work is heating, so air conditioning is the bigger bill. Months averaging under 55° run from December.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Eagle Mtn, CA.
Living with Desert Center’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 10a. Frost comes about 1 winter in 8, so the growing year is set by heat, not cold: 88 days at 100° make midsummer the hard season for gardens.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: January, February, March, November and December. 9.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Desert Center from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (41%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Desert Center and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Desert Center yet.
Climates most like Desert Center’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Center, CA | 43° | 107° | 3" | 0.0" |
| Litchfield Park, AZ | 41° | 106° | 8" | 0.0" |
| Whitney, NV | 38° | 107° | 4" | 0.2" |
| St. George, UT | 33° | 103° | 8" | 1.2" |
| Laredo, TX | 45° | 99° | 20" | 0.1" |
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 Desert Center averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.7°).
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 Desert Center compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Desert Center’s place among California’s.
Desert Center weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Desert Center’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Eagle Mtn, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 67° | 43° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 51° – 61° |
| February | 71° | 46° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 52° – 65° |
| March | 78° | 51° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 58° – 72° |
| April | 85° | 57° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| May | 94° | 65° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 73° – 86° |
| June | 103° | 74° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 83° – 92° |
| July | 107° | 81° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 89° – 97° |
| August | 106° | 80° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 90° – 98° |
| September | 101° | 72° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 83° – 90° |
| October | 89° | 60° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 71° – 81° |
| November | 76° | 49° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| December | 66° | 42° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 49° – 58° |
| Year | 87° | 60° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 58° to 72°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Desert Center’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 Desert Center’s center.
- Snow: Eagle Mtn, CA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Eagle Mtn, CA, 7 miles from the town’s center, 290 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 Desert Center’s climate
What is the weather like in Desert Center?
A typical July afternoon reaches 107°, a January night drops to 43°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 92% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than all but 24 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Desert Center in winter?
December nights average 42°. A night at 32° or below comes in only some winters (0.5 a year on average). In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 49°.
How much snow does Desert Center get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Eagle Mtn, CA, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Desert Center?
July, with a typical high of 107° and a low of 81°. About 152 days a year reach 90° and 88 reach 100° (Eagle Mtn, CA).
When is the first and last frost in Desert Center?
Most years have no frost at all: a 32° night comes in about 13% of winters at Eagle Mtn, CA, usually in December or January.
What growing zone is Desert Center in?
Zone 10a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 33°.
What is the best time of year to visit Desert Center?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), January, February, March, November and December. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Desert Center 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 Desert Center.
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.