Photo: User:bobjgalindo · CC BY-SA 3.0Live Oak reaches 100° on about 31 days a year, more than 98% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 96°, a January night drops to 39°, and snow is almost unheard of.
A year in Live Oak at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Live Oak’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Live Oak’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Live Oak feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 31 days a year reach 100°
And 105 days reach 90°. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Marysville, CA, 10 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Live Oak’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 21 inches of rain a year
January is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain falls on about 55 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Colusa 2 Ssw, CA, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Live Oak
53% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November 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 Marysville, CA.
Living with Live Oak’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 9b. Frost comes about 9 winters in 10, so the growing year is set by heat, not cold: 31 days at 100° make midsummer the hard season for gardens.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: February, March, April, May, October and November. 1.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Live Oak from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (34%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Live Oak and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Live Oak yet.
Climates most like Live Oak’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live Oak, CA | 39° | 96° | 21" | 0.0" |
| Pearsall, TX | 41° | 97° | 24" | 0.0" |
| Corona de Tucson, AZ | 36° | 96° | 14" | 0.1" |
| Central Point, OR | 32° | 93° | 22" | 3.4" |
| Anthony, NM | 31° | 96° | 9" | 0.0" |
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 Live Oak averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.3°).
A bigger shift than in 50% 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 Live Oak compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Live Oak’s place among California’s.
Live Oak weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Live Oak’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Colusa 2 Ssw, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56° | 39° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 44° – 53° |
| February | 62° | 42° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 47° – 57° |
| March | 67° | 45° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 50° – 62° |
| April | 73° | 48° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 55° – 64° |
| May | 82° | 54° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 60° – 76° |
| June | 91° | 60° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 70° – 80° |
| July | 96° | 63° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 76° – 83° |
| August | 95° | 61° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 75° – 82° |
| September | 90° | 58° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| October | 80° | 51° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 61° – 71° |
| November | 65° | 44° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 48° – 60° |
| December | 57° | 39° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 44° – 52° |
| Year | 76° | 50° | 21.0" | 0.0" | 55 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. May swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 60° to 76°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Live Oak’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 Live Oak’s center.
- Snow: Colusa 2 Ssw, CA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Marysville, CA, 10 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; 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 Live Oak’s climate
What is the weather like in Live Oak?
A typical July afternoon reaches 96°, a January night drops to 39°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 88% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 97% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Live Oak in winter?
December nights average 39°. About 8 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 44°.
How much snow does Live Oak get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Colusa 2 Ssw, CA, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Live Oak?
July, with a typical high of 96° and a low of 63°. About 105 days a year reach 90° and 31 reach 100° (Marysville, CA).
When is the first and last frost in Live Oak?
There is no reliable frost date: a 32° night comes in about 89% of winters at Marysville, CA, so most years bring a freeze but some pass without one.
What growing zone is Live Oak 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 Live Oak?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), February, March, April, May, October and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Live Oak getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 50% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Live Oak.
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.