Photo: Utilizer · CC BY-SA 3.0Walnut Creek’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 39°, and snow is almost unheard of.
A year in Walnut Creek at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Walnut Creek’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Walnut Creek’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Walnut Creek feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze most winters
Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Concord Wwtp, CA, 6 miles from the city’s center point, 190 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Walnut Creek’s center in zone 9b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 28°. 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 20 inches of rain a year
January is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain falls on about 68 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Upper San Leandro Filters, CA, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Walnut Creek
65% 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 Concord Wwtp, CA.
Living with Walnut Creek’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 9b. Frost comes about 8 winters in 10, so tender plants can often stay out through winter.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, June, October and November. 81 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Walnut Creek from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (51%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Walnut Creek and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Walnut Creek in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Walnut 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walnut Creek, CA | 39° | 87° | 20" | 0.0" |
| Green, OR | 37° | 86° | 32" | 0.0" |
| Sierra Vista Southeast, AZ | 32° | 91° | 15" | 0.7" |
| Alpine, TX | 30° | 90° | 15" | 2.2" |
| College Place, WA | 30° | 91° | 15" | 7.2" |
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 Walnut Creek averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.2°).
A bigger shift than in 67% 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 Walnut Creek compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Walnut Creek’s place among California’s.
Walnut Creek weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Walnut Creek’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Upper San Leandro Filters, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56° | 39° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 44° – 55° |
| February | 61° | 42° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 45° – 57° |
| March | 65° | 44° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 48° – 61° |
| April | 70° | 46° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 53° – 62° |
| May | 76° | 50° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 56° – 70° |
| June | 83° | 54° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| July | 87° | 57° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| August | 87° | 57° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| September | 84° | 55° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| October | 77° | 50° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 60° – 71° |
| November | 65° | 44° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 47° – 59° |
| December | 56° | 39° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 44° – 51° |
| Year | 72° | 48° | 20.4" | 0.0" | 68 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. May swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 56° to 70°. December is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Walnut 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 Walnut Creek’s center.
- Snow: Upper San Leandro Filters, CA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Concord Wwtp, CA, 6 miles from the city’s center point, 190 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 Walnut Creek’s climate
What is the weather like in Walnut Creek?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, 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 60% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Walnut Creek in winter?
December nights average 39°. About 4 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 44°.
How much snow does Walnut Creek get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Upper San Leandro Filters, CA, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Walnut Creek?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 57°. About 47 days a year reach 90° and 6 reach 100° (Concord Wwtp, CA).
When is the first and last frost in Walnut Creek?
There is no reliable frost date: a 32° night comes in about 80% of winters at Concord Wwtp, CA, so most years bring a freeze but some pass without one.
What growing zone is Walnut Creek in?
Zone 9b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 28°.
What is the best time of year to visit Walnut Creek?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, May, June, October and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Walnut Creek getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 67% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Walnut 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.