Photo: Always dreamin · CC BY-SA 4.0Shasta Lake reaches 100° on about 24 days a year, more than 97% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 98°, a January night drops to 38°, and snow is almost unheard of.
A year in Shasta Lake at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Shasta Lake’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Shasta Lake’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Shasta Lake 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, 3 miles from the town’s center, 250 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Shasta Lake’s center in zone 9b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 28°. 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 44 inches of rain a year
December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain falls on about 59 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.7" in a normal year at Redding Cdf, CA, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Shasta Lake
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 Shasta Lake’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: 24 days at 100° make midsummer the hard season for gardens.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, October and November. 47 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Shasta Lake from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (67%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Shasta Lake and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Shasta Lake in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Shasta Lake’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shasta Lake, CA | 38° | 98° | 44" | 0.7" |
| Navasota, TX | 40° | 95° | 44" | 0.0" |
| Cayce, SC | 35° | 93° | 46" | 1.2" |
| Durant, OK | 32° | 94° | 43" | 2.0" |
| Glennville, GA | 39° | 93° | 48" | 0.0" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Shasta Lake averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in September (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 59% 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 Shasta Lake compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Shasta Lake’s place among California’s.
Shasta Lake weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Shasta Lake’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Redding Cdf, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 55° | 38° | 7.5" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 42° – 53° |
| February | 59° | 40° | 7.9" | 0.5" | 9 | 0 | 44° – 56° |
| March | 64° | 42° | 7.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 45° – 60° |
| April | 70° | 46° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 52° – 63° |
| May | 80° | 53° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 56° – 74° |
| June | 89° | 60° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 68° – 82° |
| July | 98° | 65° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 77° – 85° |
| August | 96° | 63° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 76° – 85° |
| September | 91° | 58° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 71° – 79° |
| October | 78° | 51° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| November | 62° | 43° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 45° – 58° |
| December | 54° | 37° | 8.2" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 41° – 49° |
| Year | 75° | 50° | 44.4" | 0.7" | 59 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. May swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 56° to 74°. December is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Shasta Lake’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 Shasta Lake’s center.
- Snow: Redding Cdf, CA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Shasta Dam, CA, 3 miles from the town’s center, 250 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 Shasta Lake’s climate
What is the weather like in Shasta Lake?
A typical July afternoon reaches 98°, a January night drops to 38°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 86% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 98% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Shasta Lake in winter?
December nights average 37°. About 6 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 41°.
How much snow does Shasta Lake get?
About 0.7 inches in a normal winter at Redding Cdf, CA, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Shasta Lake?
July, with a typical high of 98° and a low of 65°. About 90 days a year reach 90° and 24 reach 100° (Shasta Dam, CA).
When is the first and last frost in Shasta Lake?
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 Shasta Lake in?
Zone 9b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 28°.
What is the best time of year to visit Shasta Lake?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, May, October and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Shasta Lake getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 59% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Shasta Lake.
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.