Photo: Flickr user MiguelVieira · CC BY 2.0Sutter Creek reaches 100° on about 13 days a year, more than 92% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 38°, and snow is almost unheard of.
A year in Sutter Creek at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sutter Creek’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sutter Creek’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Sutter Creek feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 285 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 4 and the first by December 11. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Sutter Hill Cdf, CA, 1.1 miles from the town’s center, 240 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sutter Creek’s center in zone 9a: 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 30 inches of rain a year
January is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain falls on about 69 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.3" in a normal year at Fiddletown Dexter Rch, CA, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Sutter Creek
67% 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 Sutter Hill Cdf, CA.
Living with Sutter Creek’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
285 frost-free days in zone 9a. The last frost comes by Mar 4 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 11.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, October and November. 0.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sutter Creek from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (40%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sutter Creek and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sutter Creek yet.
Climates most like Sutter Creek’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutter Creek, CA | 38° | 94° | 30" | 0.3" |
| Lakehills, TX | 39° | 94° | 32" | 0.1" |
| Grants Pass, OR | 34° | 90° | 33" | 0.9" |
| Lawton, OK | 29° | 96° | 32" | 1.8" |
| Lugoff, SC | 33° | 92° | 43" | 0.4" |
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 Sutter Creek averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in September (+1.6°).
A smaller shift than in 80% 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 Sutter Creek compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sutter Creek’s place among California’s.
Sutter Creek weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sutter Creek’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Fiddletown Dexter Rch, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56° | 38° | 5.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 43° – 55° |
| February | 59° | 40° | 5.3" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 43° – 56° |
| March | 63° | 43° | 4.7" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 44° – 60° |
| April | 68° | 45° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 51° – 61° |
| May | 77° | 51° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 55° – 73° |
| June | 87° | 57° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 65° – 78° |
| July | 94° | 62° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 74° – 83° |
| August | 93° | 61° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 73° – 82° |
| September | 88° | 58° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| October | 77° | 51° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 60° – 71° |
| November | 64° | 43° | 2.8" | 0.1" | 7 | 0 | 45° – 59° |
| December | 55° | 38° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 42° – 51° |
| Year | 74° | 49° | 30.2" | 0.3" | 69 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. May swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 55° to 73°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Sutter Creek’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 Sutter Creek’s center.
- Snow: Fiddletown Dexter Rch, CA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Sutter Hill Cdf, CA, 1.1 miles from the town’s center, 240 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 Sutter Creek’s climate
What is the weather like in Sutter Creek?
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, 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 93% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sutter Creek in winter?
December nights average 38°. About 15 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 42°.
How much snow does Sutter Creek get?
About 0.3 inches in a normal winter at Fiddletown Dexter Rch, CA, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Sutter Creek?
July, with a typical high of 94° and a low of 62°. About 75 days a year reach 90° and 13 reach 100° (Sutter Hill Cdf, CA).
When is the first and last frost in Sutter Creek?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 4 and the first fall frost by December 11, about 285 frost-free days, at Sutter Hill Cdf, CA.
What growing zone is Sutter Creek in?
Zone 9a 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 Sutter Creek?
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 Sutter Creek getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 80% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sutter Creek.
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.