Photo: Finetooth · CC BY-SA 3.0Truckee gets about 183 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 30 U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 183 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Truckee at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Truckee’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Truckee’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Truckee feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze is possible in every month
About 229 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 4 to 0° or below. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Truckee Rs, CA, 1.6 miles from the town’s center, 170 ft lower; frost dates and degree days from Donner Mem Sp, CA, 2.8 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Truckee’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −3°. 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 183 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Donner Mem Sp, CA, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 35 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 75 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Truckee
99% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Donner Mem Sp, CA.
Living with Truckee’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 6b, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 81 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July and August. 119 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Truckee from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (45%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Truckee and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Truckee yet.
Climates most like Truckee’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Truckee, CA | 19° | 82° | 35" | 183" |
| Eden, NY | 17° | 81° | 41" | 168" |
| Summit Park, UT | 19° | 79° | 30" | 153" |
| Richmond Heights, OH | 21° | 82° | 41" | 114" |
| Westwood, MI | 17° | 83° | 38" | 109" |
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 Truckee averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.8°).
A smaller shift than in 63% 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 Truckee compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Truckee’s place among California’s.
Truckee weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Truckee’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Donner Mem Sp, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 19° | 6.2" | 40.0" | 11 | 24° – 37° |
| February | 45° | 20° | 5.8" | 37.7" | 10 | 25° – 41° |
| March | 49° | 24° | 5.1" | 32.9" | 10 | 29° – 43° |
| April | 54° | 27° | 2.5" | 15.4" | 7 | 35° – 46° |
| May | 63° | 33° | 1.9" | 3.4" | 7 | 40° – 55° |
| June | 73° | 39° | 0.7" | 0.5" | 3 | 52° – 61° |
| July | 82° | 44° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 1 | 57° – 67° |
| August | 81° | 43° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 58° – 66° |
| September | 74° | 38° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 2 | 52° – 60° |
| October | 63° | 30° | 2.0" | 2.4" | 4 | 42° – 52° |
| November | 50° | 24° | 3.4" | 10.1" | 7 | 28° – 43° |
| December | 42° | 19° | 6.3" | 40.5" | 11 | 25° – 35° |
| Year | 60° | 30° | 34.9" | 182.9" | 75 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 28° to 43°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Truckee’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 Truckee’s center.
- Snow: Donner Mem Sp, CA.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Donner Mem Sp, CA, 2.8 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Truckee Rs, CA, 1.6 miles from the town’s center, 170 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 Truckee’s climate
What is the weather like in Truckee?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 183 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 65% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 83% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Truckee in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 229 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 24°.
How much snow does Truckee get?
About 183 inches in a normal winter at Donner Mem Sp, CA, most of it in January, February and December.
How hot does it get in Truckee?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 44°. About 10 days a year reach 90° (Donner Mem Sp, CA).
When is the first and last frost in Truckee?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Donner Mem Sp, CA, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 229 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 81 days.
What growing zone is Truckee in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Truckee?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), July and August. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Truckee getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 63% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Truckee.
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.