Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 3.0Joshua Tree reaches 100° on about 23 days a year, more than 96% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 97°, a January night drops to 38°, and about 2 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Joshua Tree at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Joshua Tree’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Joshua Tree’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Joshua Tree feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 255 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 14 and the first by November 28. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Yucca Valley, CA, 4 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Joshua Tree’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 2 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Yucca Valley, CA, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 8 inches a year; February is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 26 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Joshua Tree
58% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from December through February.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Yucca Valley, CA.
Living with Joshua Tree’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
255 frost-free days in zone 9a. The last frost comes by Mar 14 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 28.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, October and November. 173 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Joshua Tree from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (48%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Joshua Tree and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Joshua Tree yet.
Climates most like Joshua Tree’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joshua Tree, CA | 38° | 97° | 8" | 1.7" |
| Green Valley, AZ | 36° | 97° | 13" | 0.1" |
| Sunland Park, NM | 32° | 96° | 9" | 2.0" |
| El Paso, TX | 32° | 96° | 9" | 2.8" |
| Ivins, UT | 32° | 100° | 11" | 1.2" |
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 Joshua Tree averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.7°).
A bigger 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 Joshua Tree compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Joshua Tree’s place among California’s.
Joshua Tree weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Joshua Tree’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Yucca Valley, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 59° | 38° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 45° – 54° |
| February | 62° | 39° | 1.9" | 0.7" | 3 | 44° – 58° |
| March | 68° | 43° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 3 | 48° – 61° |
| April | 74° | 47° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 54° – 65° |
| May | 83° | 54° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 61° – 75° |
| June | 92° | 62° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 71° – 82° |
| July | 97° | 70° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 79° – 87° |
| August | 97° | 69° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 80° – 87° |
| September | 90° | 63° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 74° – 80° |
| October | 79° | 52° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 1 | 62° – 72° |
| November | 67° | 43° | 0.5" | 0.1" | 2 | 47° – 61° |
| December | 58° | 36° | 1.0" | 0.9" | 4 | 43° – 52° |
| Year | 77° | 51° | 8.1" | 1.7" | 26 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 47° to 61°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Joshua Tree’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 Joshua Tree’s center.
- Snow: Yucca Valley, CA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Yucca Valley, CA, 4 miles from the town’s center, 150 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 Joshua Tree’s climate
What is the weather like in Joshua Tree?
A typical July afternoon reaches 97°, a January night drops to 38°, and about 2 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 85% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 98% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Joshua Tree in winter?
December nights average 36°. About 31 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 43°.
How much snow does Joshua Tree get?
About 1.7 inches in a normal winter at Yucca Valley, CA, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Joshua Tree?
July, with a typical high of 97° and a low of 70°. About 109 days a year reach 90° and 23 reach 100° (Yucca Valley, CA).
When is the first and last frost in Joshua Tree?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 14 and the first fall frost by November 28, about 255 frost-free days, at Yucca Valley, CA.
What growing zone is Joshua Tree 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 Joshua Tree?
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 Joshua Tree getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 80% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Joshua Tree.
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.