Photo: Bluesnote · CC BY-SA 4.0Thousand Palms reaches 100° on about 115 days a year, more than all but 46 U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 107°, a January night drops to 45°, and snow is almost unheard of.
A year in Thousand Palms at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Thousand Palms’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Thousand Palms’ place in California beside it.
What a year in Thousand Palms feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 115 days a year reach 100°
And 177 days reach 90°. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Palm Springs Rgnl Airport, 9 miles from the town’s center, 190 ft higher; frost dates and degree days from Palm Springs, CA, 9 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Thousand Palms’ center in zone 10a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 32°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 3 inches of rain a year
January is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain falls on about 20 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Deep Canyon Lab, CA, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Thousand Palms
14% of the work is heating, so air conditioning is the bigger bill. No month averages under 55°.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Palm Springs, CA.
Living with Thousand Palms’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 10a. Frost comes about 1 winter in 5, so the growing year is set by heat, not cold: 115 days at 100° make midsummer the hard season for gardens.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: January, February, March, November and December. 30 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Thousand Palms from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (64%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Thousand Palms and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Thousand Palms in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Thousand Palms’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thousand Palms, CA | 45° | 107° | 3" | 0.0" |
| Boulder City, NV | 41° | 106° | 4" | 0.0" |
| Litchfield Park, AZ | 41° | 106° | 8" | 0.0" |
| St. George, UT | 33° | 103° | 8" | 1.2" |
| Laredo, TX | 45° | 99° | 20" | 0.1" |
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 Thousand Palms averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.7°).
A bigger shift than in 73% 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 Thousand Palms compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Thousand Palms’ place among California’s.
Thousand Palms weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Thousand Palms’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Deep Canyon Lab, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 70° | 45° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 54° – 64° |
| February | 73° | 47° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 54° – 67° |
| March | 80° | 53° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 59° – 73° |
| April | 86° | 58° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 66° – 76° |
| May | 93° | 65° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 73° – 85° |
| June | 102° | 72° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 81° – 91° |
| July | 107° | 78° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 87° – 96° |
| August | 106° | 78° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 89° – 95° |
| September | 101° | 72° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 83° – 90° |
| October | 90° | 61° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 72° – 81° |
| November | 78° | 50° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 56° – 69° |
| December | 68° | 43° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 51° – 60° |
| Year | 88° | 60° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 20 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 59° to 73°. September is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Thousand Palms’ 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 Thousand Palms’ center.
- Snow: Deep Canyon Lab, CA.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Palm Springs, CA, 9 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Palm Springs Rgnl Airport, 9 miles from the town’s center, 190 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 Thousand Palms’ climate
What is the weather like in Thousand Palms?
A typical July afternoon reaches 107°, a January night drops to 45°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 93% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than all but 31 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Thousand Palms in winter?
December nights average 43°. A night at 32° or below comes in only some winters (0.3 a year on average). In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 51°.
How much snow does Thousand Palms get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Deep Canyon Lab, CA, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Thousand Palms?
July, with a typical high of 107° and a low of 78°. About 177 days a year reach 90° and 115 reach 100° (Palm Springs, CA).
When is the first and last frost in Thousand Palms?
Most years have no frost at all: a 32° night comes in about 21% of winters at Palm Springs, CA, usually in December or January.
What growing zone is Thousand Palms in?
Zone 10a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 32°.
What is the best time of year to visit Thousand Palms?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), January, February, March, November and December. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Thousand Palms getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 73% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Thousand Palms.
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.