Lakehead reaches 100° on about 24 days a year, more than 97% of U.S. towns
On a normal January night the air cools to about 35°. December is the wettest month, July the driest. Precipitation is plentiful here, more than falls on 97% of U.S. towns. Radiators earn their keep from December to February, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Lakehead at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Lakehead’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Lakehead’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Lakehead feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 24 days a year reach 100°
And 90 days reach 90°. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Shasta Dam, CA, 13 miles from the town’s center, 130 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Lakehead’s center in zone 9a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 24°. 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 6 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Trinity Rvr Hatchery, CA, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 60 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 95 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Lakehead
55% 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 Shasta Dam, CA.
Living with Lakehead’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 9a. Frost comes about 9 winters in 10, so the growing year is set by heat, not cold: 24 days at 100° make midsummer the hard season for gardens.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May and October. 3.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Lakehead from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (61%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Lakehead and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Lakehead yet.
Climates most like Lakehead’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakehead, CA | 35° | 97° | 60" | 6.4" |
| Natchitoches, LA | 38° | 93° | 57" | 0.6" |
| Sheridan, AR | 32° | 93° | 55" | 2.5" |
| Flowood, MS | 36° | 92° | 58" | 1.0" |
| Center, TX | 37° | 93° | 54" | 0.6" |
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 Lakehead averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in September (+2.3°).
A smaller 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 Lakehead compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Lakehead’s place among California’s.
Lakehead weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Lakehead’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Trinity Rvr Hatchery, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 35° | 9.7" | 1.2" | 15 | 0 | 39° – 50° |
| February | 58° | 36° | 10.8" | 1.6" | 12 | 0 | 41° – 53° |
| March | 63° | 39° | 9.9" | 0.3" | 13 | 0 | 42° – 58° |
| April | 69° | 42° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 49° – 60° |
| May | 79° | 49° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 54° – 72° |
| June | 88° | 56° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 66° – 79° |
| July | 97° | 61° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 74° – 82° |
| August | 95° | 59° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 74° – 82° |
| September | 90° | 54° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| October | 77° | 46° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| November | 61° | 40° | 7.1" | 0.6" | 11 | 0 | 42° – 56° |
| December | 52° | 35° | 11.4" | 2.7" | 15 | 1 | 40° – 48° |
| Year | 74° | 46° | 60.3" | 6.4" | 95 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. May swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 54° to 72°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Lakehead’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 Lakehead’s center.
- Snow: Trinity Rvr Hatchery, CA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Shasta Dam, CA, 13 miles from the town’s center, 130 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 Lakehead’s climate
What is the weather like in Lakehead?
A typical July afternoon reaches 97°, a January night drops to 35°, and about 6 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 80% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 98% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Lakehead in winter?
December nights average 35°. About 6 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 40°.
How much snow does Lakehead get?
About 6.4 inches in a normal winter at Trinity Rvr Hatchery, CA, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Lakehead?
July, with a typical high of 97° and a low of 61°. About 90 days a year reach 90° and 24 reach 100° (Shasta Dam, CA).
When is the first and last frost in Lakehead?
There is no reliable frost date: a 32° night comes in about 87% of winters at Shasta Dam, CA, so most years bring a freeze but some pass without one.
What growing zone is Lakehead in?
Zone 9a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 24°.
What is the best time of year to visit Lakehead?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Lakehead getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 60% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Lakehead.
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.