Photo: AstroDominant · CC BY 4.0Grass Valley’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 36°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Grass Valley at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Grass Valley’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Grass Valley’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Grass Valley feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 215 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 10 and the first by November 13. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Grass Valley #2, CA, 1.4 miles from the town’s center, 190 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Grass Valley’s center in zone 9a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 22°. 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 15 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Nevada City, CA, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 57 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 85 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Grass Valley
84% 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 Grass Valley #2, CA.
Living with Grass Valley’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
215 frost-free days in zone 9a. The last frost comes by Apr 10 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 13.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 14 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Grass Valley from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (77%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Grass Valley and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Grass Valley yet.
Climates most like Grass Valley’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grass Valley, CA | 36° | 89° | 57" | 15" |
| Douglasville, GA | 33° | 89° | 53" | 3.8" |
| Middle Valley, TN | 31° | 89° | 55" | 4.3" |
| Rainsville, AL | 31° | 87° | 57" | 5.0" |
| Lyman, SC | 32° | 89° | 52" | 3.9" |
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 Grass Valley averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in September (+1.8°).
A smaller shift than in 96% 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 Grass Valley compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Grass Valley’s place among California’s.
Grass Valley weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Grass Valley’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Nevada City, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 53° | 36° | 10.0" | 2.3" | 14 | 2 | 40° – 51° |
| February | 55° | 36° | 9.6" | 4.6" | 12 | 4 | 38° – 52° |
| March | 58° | 38° | 8.5" | 3.2" | 12 | 3 | 40° – 55° |
| April | 64° | 41° | 4.7" | 0.9" | 9 | 1 | 46° – 57° |
| May | 72° | 48° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 50° – 68° |
| June | 81° | 54° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 63° – 73° |
| July | 89° | 61° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 71° – 79° |
| August | 89° | 60° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 71° – 78° |
| September | 84° | 56° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| October | 73° | 48° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| November | 59° | 40° | 5.8" | 0.8" | 9 | 1 | 41° – 56° |
| December | 51° | 35° | 11.0" | 2.7" | 12 | 2 | 40° – 48° |
| Year | 69° | 46° | 56.5" | 14.5" | 85 | 13 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. May swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 50° to 68°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Grass Valley’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 Grass Valley’s center.
- Snow: Nevada City, CA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Grass Valley #2, CA, 1.4 miles from the town’s center, 190 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 Grass Valley’s climate
What is the weather like in Grass Valley?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 36°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 82% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 74% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Grass Valley in winter?
December nights average 35°. About 61 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 40°.
How much snow does Grass Valley get?
About 15 inches in a normal winter at Nevada City, CA, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 13 days a year.
How hot does it get in Grass Valley?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 61°. About 36 days a year reach 90° (Grass Valley #2, CA).
When is the first and last frost in Grass Valley?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 10 and the first fall frost by November 13, about 215 frost-free days, at Grass Valley #2, CA.
What growing zone is Grass Valley in?
Zone 9a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 22°.
What is the best time of year to visit Grass Valley?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Grass Valley getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 96% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Grass Valley.
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.