Kep'el sits near the top of U.S. towns for precipitation, with 59 inches a year
July afternoons average 88°. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 84% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.5° higher. Garden chairs stay out from April to June and September to October, the months with highs of 65–84°.
A year in Kep'el at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Kep'el’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Kep'el’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Kep'el feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 209 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 12 and the first by November 6. Frost and day counts come from Orick Prairie Creek Park, CA, 12 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Kep'el’s center in zone 9b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 25°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 3 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Orleans, CA, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 59 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 109 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Kep'el
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. 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 Orick Prairie Creek Park, CA.
Living with Kep'el’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
209 frost-free days in zone 9b. The last frost comes by Apr 12 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 6.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Kep'el from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (55%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Kep'el and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Kep'el yet.
Climates most like Kep'el’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kep'el, CA | 37° | 88° | 59" | 2.8" |
| Carolina Beach, NC | 37° | 89° | 57" | 0.9" |
| Travelers Rest, SC | 32° | 88° | 60" | 1.9" |
| Toccoa, GA | 33° | 89° | 57" | 1.4" |
| Oneonta, AL | 32° | 89° | 57" | 1.4" |
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 Kep'el averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.4°).
A bigger shift than in 60% 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 Kep'el compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Kep'el’s place among California’s.
Kep'el weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Kep'el’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Orleans, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50° | 37° | 10.0" | 0.1" | 16 | 0 | 40° – 49° |
| February | 55° | 38° | 8.0" | 1.5" | 14 | 1 | 40° – 52° |
| March | 60° | 39° | 8.0" | 0.2" | 15 | 0 | 45° – 54° |
| April | 65° | 42° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 50° – 58° |
| May | 73° | 46° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 54° – 64° |
| June | 80° | 50° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 61° – 71° |
| July | 88° | 56° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| August | 88° | 55° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 69° – 75° |
| September | 84° | 51° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 65° – 70° |
| October | 70° | 45° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 54° – 62° |
| November | 56° | 40° | 7.2" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 41° – 52° |
| December | 49° | 36° | 11.9" | 1.0" | 17 | 0 | 38° – 48° |
| Year | 68° | 44° | 58.6" | 2.8" | 109 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 40° to 52°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Kep'el’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 Kep'el’s center.
- Snow: Orleans, CA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Orick Prairie Creek Park, CA, 12 miles from the town’s center, 860 ft lower; no station nearby passes every check; this is the nearest one in the same valley, flagged above.
- 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 Kep'el’s climate
What is the weather like in Kep'el?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 37°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 84% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 69% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Kep'el in winter?
December nights average 36°. About 44 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 38°.
How much snow does Kep'el get?
About 2.8 inches in a normal winter at Orleans, CA, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Kep'el?
July, with a typical high of 88°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Orick Prairie Creek Park, CA.
When is the first and last frost in Kep'el?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 12 and the first fall frost by November 6, about 209 frost-free days, at Orick Prairie Creek Park, CA.
What growing zone is Kep'el in?
Zone 9b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 25°.
What is the best time of year to visit Kep'el?
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 Kep'el getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 60% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Kep'el.
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.