Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domainDrytown reaches 100° on about 21 days a year, more than 96% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 95°, a January night drops to 38°, and snow is almost unheard of.
A year in Drytown at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Drytown’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Drytown’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Drytown feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 21 days a year reach 100°
And 87 days reach 90°. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Camp Pardee, CA, 13 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Drytown’s center in zone 9b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 27°. 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 29 inches of rain a year
January is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain falls on about 69 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.3" in a normal year at Fiddletown Dexter Rch, CA, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Drytown
61% 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 Camp Pardee, CA.
Living with Drytown’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 9b. Frost comes about 9 winters in 10, so the growing year is set by heat, not cold: 21 days at 100° make midsummer the hard season for gardens.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, October and November.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Drytown from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (42%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Drytown and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Drytown yet.
Climates most like Drytown’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drytown, CA | 38° | 95° | 29" | 0.3" |
| Hondo, TX | 40° | 96° | 28" | 0.0" |
| Lawton, OK | 29° | 96° | 32" | 1.8" |
| Central Point, OR | 32° | 93° | 22" | 3.4" |
| Corona de Tucson, AZ | 36° | 96° | 14" | 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 Drytown averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+1.6°).
A smaller shift than in 80% 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 Drytown compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Drytown’s place among California’s.
Drytown weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Drytown’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Fiddletown Dexter Rch, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56° | 38° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 43° – 54° |
| February | 60° | 40° | 4.9" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 43° – 56° |
| March | 65° | 42° | 4.8" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 45° – 61° |
| April | 70° | 44° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| May | 79° | 50° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 55° – 73° |
| June | 88° | 56° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 66° – 78° |
| July | 95° | 60° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 74° – 83° |
| August | 94° | 59° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 73° – 81° |
| September | 89° | 56° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| October | 78° | 50° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 60° – 71° |
| November | 64° | 42° | 2.9" | 0.1" | 7 | 0 | 45° – 59° |
| December | 56° | 37° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 43° – 51° |
| Year | 75° | 48° | 28.6" | 0.3" | 69 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. May swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 55° to 73°. December is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Drytown’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 Drytown’s center.
- Snow: Fiddletown Dexter Rch, CA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Camp Pardee, CA, 13 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft lower; 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 Drytown’s climate
What is the weather like in Drytown?
A typical July afternoon reaches 95°, a January night drops to 38°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 85% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 95% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Drytown in winter?
December nights average 37°. About 7 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 43°.
How much snow does Drytown get?
About 0.3 inches in a normal winter at Fiddletown Dexter Rch, CA, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Drytown?
July, with a typical high of 95° and a low of 60°. About 87 days a year reach 90° and 21 reach 100° (Camp Pardee, CA).
When is the first and last frost in Drytown?
There is no reliable frost date: a 32° night comes in about 88% of winters at Camp Pardee, CA, so most years bring a freeze but some pass without one.
What growing zone is Drytown in?
Zone 9b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 27°.
What is the best time of year to visit Drytown?
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 Drytown getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 80% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Drytown.
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.