Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Stockton reaches 100° on about 19 days a year, more than 95% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 39°, and snow is almost unheard of.
A year in Stockton at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Stockton’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Stockton’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Stockton feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 304 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by February 6 and the first by December 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Stockton Metro Airport, 8 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Stockton’s center in zone 9b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 26°. 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 Stockton Fire Stn 4, CA, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Stockton
59% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through February.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Stockton Metro Airport.
Living with Stockton’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
304 frost-free days in zone 9b. The last frost comes by Feb 6 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Dec 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: February, March, April, May, October and November. 66 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Stockton from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (68%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Stockton and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Stockton in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Stockton’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stockton, CA | 39° | 94° | 16" | 0.0" |
| Corona de Tucson, AZ | 36° | 96° | 14" | 0.1" |
| Fort Stockton, TX | 33° | 96° | 13" | 1.4" |
| Ashland, OR | 31° | 91° | 19" | 0.5" |
| Chaparral, NM | 31° | 95° | 9" | 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 Stockton averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.4°).
A bigger shift than in 72% 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 325,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Stockton compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Stockton’s place among California’s.
Stockton weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Stockton’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Stockton Fire Stn 4, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 57° | 39° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 44° – 52° |
| February | 62° | 42° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 49° – 56° |
| March | 68° | 45° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 51° – 62° |
| April | 74° | 48° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 56° – 65° |
| May | 81° | 53° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| June | 89° | 57° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| July | 94° | 60° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 73° – 81° |
| August | 93° | 59° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 73° – 81° |
| September | 89° | 57° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 70° – 77° |
| October | 79° | 51° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| November | 66° | 43° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 49° – 60° |
| December | 57° | 39° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 44° – 53° |
| Year | 76° | 49° | 15.7" | 0.0" | 58 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. May swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 60° to 72°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Stockton’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 Stockton’s center.
- Snow: Stockton Fire Stn 4, CA (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Stockton Metro Airport, 8 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; 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 Stockton’s climate
What is the weather like in Stockton?
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 39°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 87% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 92% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Stockton in winter?
December nights average 39°. About 19 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 44°.
How much snow does Stockton get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Stockton Fire Stn 4, CA, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Stockton?
July, with a typical high of 94° and a low of 60°. About 88 days a year reach 90° and 19 reach 100° (Stockton Metro Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Stockton?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by February 6 and the first fall frost by December 1, about 304 frost-free days, at Stockton Metro Airport.
What growing zone is Stockton in?
Zone 9b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 26°.
What is the best time of year to visit Stockton?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), February, March, April, May, October and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Stockton getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 72% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Stockton.
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.