Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Needles reaches 100° on about 122 days a year, more than all but 9 U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 110°, a January night drops to 45°, and snow is almost unheard of.
A year in Needles at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Needles’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Needles’ place in California beside it.
What a year in Needles feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 122 days a year reach 100°
And 177 days reach 90°. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Needles Airport, 3 miles from the town’s center, 210 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Needles’ center in zone 10a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 31°. 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 4 inches of rain a year
February is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain falls on about 23 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Needles Airport, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Needles
16% of the work is heating, so air conditioning is the bigger bill. Months averaging under 55° run from December.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Needles Airport.
Living with Needles’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 10a. Frost comes about 1 winter in 3, so the growing year is set by heat, not cold: 122 days at 100° make midsummer the hard season for gardens.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: January, February, March, November and December. 38 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Needles from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (94%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Needles and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Needles yet.
Climates most like Needles’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Needles, CA | 45° | 110° | 4" | 0.0" |
| Somerton, AZ | 45° | 108° | 3" | 0.0" |
| St. George, UT | 33° | 103° | 8" | 1.2" |
| Laredo, TX | 45° | 99° | 20" | 0.1" |
| Sunland Park, NM | 32° | 96° | 9" | 2.0" |
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 Needles 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 Needles compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Needles’ place among California’s.
Needles weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Needles’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Needles Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 65° | 45° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 51° – 61° |
| February | 70° | 47° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 52° – 65° |
| March | 78° | 53° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 58° – 73° |
| April | 86° | 59° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 66° – 78° |
| May | 95° | 68° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 76° – 88° |
| June | 106° | 77° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 86° – 97° |
| July | 110° | 84° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 93° – 99° |
| August | 109° | 83° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 92° – 99° |
| September | 102° | 75° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 86° – 93° |
| October | 89° | 63° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 72° – 82° |
| November | 75° | 51° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 56° – 69° |
| December | 64° | 44° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 49° – 59° |
| Year | 87° | 62° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 23 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 58° to 73°. July is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Needles’ 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 Needles’ center.
- Snow: Needles Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Needles Airport, 3 miles from the town’s center, 210 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 Needles’ climate
What is the weather like in Needles?
A typical July afternoon reaches 110°, a January night drops to 45°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 94% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than all but 5 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Needles in winter?
December nights average 44°. About 2 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 49°.
How much snow does Needles get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Needles Airport, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Needles?
July, with a typical high of 110° and a low of 84°. About 177 days a year reach 90° and 122 reach 100° (Needles Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Needles?
Most years have no frost at all: a 32° night comes in about 37% of winters at Needles Airport, usually in December or January.
What growing zone is Needles in?
Zone 10a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 31°.
What is the best time of year to visit Needles?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), January, February, March, November and December. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Needles 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 Needles.
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.