Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Placerville reaches 100° on about 12 days a year, more than 92% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 37°.
A year in Placerville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Placerville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Placerville’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Placerville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 237 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 31 and the first by November 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Placerville, CA, 2.9 miles from the town’s center, 130 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Placerville’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°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 37 inches of rain a year
January is the wettest month and July the driest.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Placerville
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 Placerville, CA.
Living with Placerville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
237 frost-free days in zone 9b. The last frost comes by Mar 31 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 21.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, October and November. 1.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Placerville from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (36%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Placerville and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Placerville yet.
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 Placerville averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+1.9°).
A smaller shift than in 87% 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 Placerville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Placerville’s place among California’s.
Placerville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Placerville’s center. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56° | 37° | 6.7" | 42° – 53° |
| February | 58° | 38° | 6.5" | 41° – 55° |
| March | 62° | 41° | 6.0" | 43° – 58° |
| April | 67° | 43° | 3.4" | 48° – 59° |
| May | 76° | 49° | 2.0" | 53° – 71° |
| June | 85° | 55° | 0.5" | 64° – 76° |
| July | 93° | 62° | 0.0" | 73° – 82° |
| August | 92° | 60° | 0.1" | 72° – 81° |
| September | 87° | 57° | 0.3" | 66° – 76° |
| October | 76° | 49° | 1.8" | 58° – 69° |
| November | 62° | 41° | 3.6" | 43° – 57° |
| December | 55° | 36° | 6.6" | 41° – 49° |
| Year | 72° | 47° | 37.3" |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. May swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 53° to 71°. December is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Placerville’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 Placerville’s center.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Placerville, CA, 2.9 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 Placerville’s climate
What is the weather like in Placerville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 37°. Milder January nights than 84% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 91% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Placerville in winter?
December nights average 36°. About 30 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 41°.
How hot does it get in Placerville?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 62°. About 74 days a year reach 90° and 12 reach 100° (Placerville, CA).
When is the first and last frost in Placerville?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 31 and the first fall frost by November 21, about 237 frost-free days, at Placerville, CA.
What growing zone is Placerville 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 Placerville?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, October and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Placerville getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 87% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Placerville.
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.