Photo: NoeHill · CC BY-SA 3.0Fort Jones’ winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 29°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Fort Jones at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fort Jones’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fort Jones’ place in California beside it.
What a year in Fort Jones feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 135 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 20 and the first by October 5. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Callahan, CA, 19 miles from the town’s center, 330 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fort Jones’ center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 10°. 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 12 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Yreka, CA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 20 inches a year; December is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 91 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fort Jones
92% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October 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 Callahan, CA.
Living with Fort Jones’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
135 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by May 20 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 5.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 0.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Fort Jones from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (43%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fort Jones and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Fort Jones yet.
Climates most like Fort Jones’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Jones, CA | 29° | 91° | 20" | 12" |
| Walla Walla, WA | 30° | 91° | 16" | 9.0" |
| Payson, AZ | 30° | 92° | 20" | 19" |
| Milton-Freewater, OR | 30° | 90° | 17" | 7.2" |
| Plainview, TX | 26° | 92° | 19" | 8.2" |
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 Fort Jones averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.1°).
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 Fort Jones compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fort Jones’ place among California’s.
Fort Jones weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fort Jones’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Yreka, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 29° | 3.6" | 4.3" | 13 | 2 | 32° – 43° |
| February | 51° | 30° | 2.5" | 2.6" | 10 | 1 | 34° – 47° |
| March | 57° | 32° | 2.3" | 0.4" | 11 | 0 | 37° – 51° |
| April | 63° | 35° | 1.4" | 0.2" | 9 | 0 | 44° – 54° |
| May | 72° | 42° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 49° – 65° |
| June | 81° | 48° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 60° – 73° |
| July | 91° | 55° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 64° – 78° |
| August | 90° | 53° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| September | 83° | 47° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 61° – 70° |
| October | 69° | 39° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 49° – 60° |
| November | 53° | 33° | 2.4" | 1.5" | 11 | 1 | 34° – 49° |
| December | 44° | 28° | 3.9" | 2.6" | 13 | 1 | 33° – 40° |
| Year | 67° | 39° | 20.1" | 11.6" | 91 | 5 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. May swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 49° to 65°. December is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Fort Jones’ 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 Fort Jones’ center.
- Snow: Yreka, CA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Callahan, CA, 19 miles from the town’s center, 330 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 Fort Jones’ climate
What is the weather like in Fort Jones?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 29°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 71% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 83% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fort Jones in winter?
December nights average 28°. About 148 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 33°.
How much snow does Fort Jones get?
About 12 inches in a normal winter at Yreka, CA, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 5 days a year.
How hot does it get in Fort Jones?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 55°. About 33 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Callahan, CA).
When is the first and last frost in Fort Jones?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 20 and the first fall frost by October 5, about 135 frost-free days, at Callahan, CA.
What growing zone is Fort Jones in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Fort Jones?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Fort Jones 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 Fort Jones.
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.