Photo: Stacey Baca · CC BY-SA 3.0Lafayette’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 39°, and snow is almost unheard of.
A year in Lafayette at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Lafayette’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Lafayette’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Lafayette feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze most winters
Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Vallejo, CA, 15 miles from the town’s center, 190 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Lafayette’s center in zone 9b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 26°. 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 23 inches of rain a year
December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain falls on about 68 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Upper San Leandro Filters, CA, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Lafayette
71% 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 Vallejo, CA.
Living with Lafayette’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 9b. Frost comes about 7 winters in 10, so tender plants can often stay out through winter.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, June, September, October and November. 28 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Lafayette from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (54%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Lafayette and its neighbors
Walnut Creek the hottest July afternoons (87°, 2° warmer). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Lafayette’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette, CA | 39° | 85° | 23" | 0.0" |
| Green, OR | 37° | 86° | 32" | 0.0" |
| Sierra Vista Southeast, AZ | 32° | 91° | 15" | 0.7" |
| Alpine, TX | 30° | 90° | 15" | 2.2" |
| College Place, WA | 30° | 91° | 15" | 7.2" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Lafayette averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.2°).
A bigger shift than in 69% 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 Lafayette compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Lafayette’s place among California’s.
Lafayette weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Lafayette’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Upper San Leandro Filters, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56° | 39° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 45° – 55° |
| February | 61° | 42° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 46° – 57° |
| March | 65° | 44° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 48° – 61° |
| April | 69° | 46° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 53° – 61° |
| May | 75° | 50° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 56° – 69° |
| June | 81° | 53° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 63° – 70° |
| July | 85° | 56° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| August | 85° | 56° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| September | 83° | 54° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 65° – 73° |
| October | 76° | 51° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 60° – 70° |
| November | 64° | 44° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 47° – 59° |
| December | 56° | 39° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 44° – 51° |
| Year | 71° | 48° | 22.6" | 0.0" | 68 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 48° to 61°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Lafayette’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 Lafayette’s center.
- Snow: Upper San Leandro Filters, CA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Vallejo, CA, 15 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 Lafayette’s climate
What is the weather like in Lafayette?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 39°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 88% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 50% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Lafayette in winter?
January nights average 39°. About 5 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 45°.
How much snow does Lafayette get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Upper San Leandro Filters, CA, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Lafayette?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 56°. About 36 days a year reach 90° and 7 reach 100° (Vallejo, CA).
When is the first and last frost in Lafayette?
There is no reliable frost date: a 32° night comes in about 75% of winters at Vallejo, CA, so most years bring a freeze but some pass without one.
What growing zone is Lafayette in?
Zone 9b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 26°.
What is the best time of year to visit Lafayette?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, May, June, September, October and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Lafayette getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 69% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Lafayette.
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.