Mineral King Road Cultural Landscape · Photo: Chris English · CC BY-SA 3.0Silver City gets about 220 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 9 U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 73°. Seasons differ by 54°, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly June 8 to September 20.
A year in Silver City at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Silver City’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Silver City’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Silver City feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 100 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 8 and the first by September 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Lodgepole, CA, 11 miles from the town’s center, 230 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Silver City’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 4°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 220 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lodgepole, CA, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 49 inches a year; January is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 68 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Silver City
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from September through June.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Lodgepole, CA.
Living with Silver City’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
100 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Jun 8 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 0.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Silver City from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (37%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Silver City and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Silver City yet.
Climates most like Silver City’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver City, CA | 20° | 73° | 49" | 220" |
| Incline Village, NV | 22° | 73° | 38" | 179" |
| Boston, NY | 15° | 79° | 45" | 168" |
| Stowe, VT | 7° | 78° | 45" | 139" |
| Petoskey, MI | 16° | 76° | 35" | 124" |
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 Silver City averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in September (+2.3°).
A bigger shift than in 61% 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 Silver City compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Silver City’s place among California’s.
Silver City weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Silver City’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lodgepole, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 20° | 9.3" | 42.4" | 9 | 30 | 26° – 37° |
| February | 40° | 20° | 9.1" | 61.5" | 10 | 28 | 23° – 38° |
| March | 44° | 22° | 7.7" | 37.1" | 10 | 31 | 25° – 40° |
| April | 48° | 26° | 4.5" | 22.2" | 8 | 24 | 31° – 42° |
| May | 55° | 33° | 2.3" | 6.0" | 6 | 8 | 34° – 53° |
| June | 66° | 41° | 0.5" | 1.1" | 2 | 1 | 46° – 58° |
| July | 73° | 48° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 57° – 65° |
| August | 73° | 47° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 56° – 63° |
| September | 67° | 41° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 50° – 58° |
| October | 57° | 33° | 2.4" | 3.4" | 4 | 2 | 41° – 51° |
| November | 47° | 26° | 4.0" | 11.7" | 6 | 14 | 28° – 42° |
| December | 39° | 20° | 8.3" | 35.0" | 8 | 27 | 26° – 35° |
| Year | 54° | 31° | 49.1" | 220.4" | 68 | 164 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. May swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 34° to 53°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Silver City’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 Silver City’s center.
- Snow: Lodgepole, CA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lodgepole, CA, 11 miles from the town’s center, 230 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 Silver City’s climate
What is the weather like in Silver City?
A typical July afternoon reaches 73°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 220 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 59% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 150 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Silver City in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 219 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 26°.
How much snow does Silver City get?
About 220 inches in a normal winter at Lodgepole, CA, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 164 days a year.
How hot does it get in Silver City?
July, with a typical high of 73°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Lodgepole, CA.
When is the first and last frost in Silver City?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 8 and the first fall frost by September 20, about 100 frost-free days, at Lodgepole, CA.
What growing zone is Silver City in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Silver City?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Silver City getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 61% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Silver City.
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.