Photo: Sgerbic · CC BY-SA 4.0Salinas’ winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 72°, a January night drops to 41°, and snow is almost unheard of.
A year in Salinas at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Salinas’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Salinas’ place in California beside it.
What a year in Salinas 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 Salinas Municipal Airport, Salinas’s official weather station (the one in National Weather Service reports), 2.3 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Salinas’ center in zone 9b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 30°. 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 16 inches of rain a year
January is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain falls on about 58 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Salinas #2, CA, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Salinas
95% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from December 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 Salinas Municipal Airport.
Living with Salinas’ 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 tender plants can often stay out through winter.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November. 19 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Salinas from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (66%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Salinas and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Salinas yet.
Climates most like Salinas’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salinas, CA | 41° | 72° | 16" | 0.0" |
| Sequim, WA | 34° | 71° | 18" | 1.4" |
| Makawao, HI | 53° | 75° | 23" | 0.0" |
| Cedar Mill, OR | 36° | 81° | 39" | 3.6" |
| Butte-Silver Bow, MT | 14° | 79° | 14" | 15" |
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 Salinas averaged 2.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.8°).
A bigger shift than in 88% 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. In a city of 159,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Salinas compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Salinas’ place among California’s.
Salinas weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Salinas’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Salinas #2, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 62° | 41° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 47° – 56° |
| February | 64° | 42° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 49° – 58° |
| March | 66° | 44° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 50° – 60° |
| April | 68° | 45° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 53° – 60° |
| May | 69° | 49° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 56° – 63° |
| June | 72° | 51° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 58° – 64° |
| July | 72° | 54° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 60° – 67° |
| August | 74° | 54° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 61° – 68° |
| September | 76° | 52° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 62° – 68° |
| October | 74° | 48° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 59° – 66° |
| November | 67° | 43° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 50° – 59° |
| December | 62° | 40° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 47° – 55° |
| Year | 69° | 47° | 15.5" | 0.0" | 58 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 47° to 56°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Salinas’ 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 Salinas’ center.
- Snow: Salinas #2, CA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Salinas Municipal Airport, 2.3 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; the city’s official station.
- 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 Salinas’ climate
What is the weather like in Salinas?
A typical July afternoon reaches 72°, a January night drops to 41°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 90% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 116 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Salinas in winter?
December nights average 40°. About 6 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 47°.
How much snow does Salinas get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Salinas #2, CA, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Salinas?
July, with a typical high of 72° and a low of 54°. About 6 days a year reach 90° (Salinas Municipal Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Salinas?
There is no reliable frost date: a 32° night comes in about 90% of winters at Salinas Municipal Airport, so most years bring a freeze but some pass without one.
What growing zone is Salinas in?
Zone 9b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 30°.
What is the best time of year to visit Salinas?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Salinas getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 88% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Salinas.
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.