Drakesbad Guest Ranch · Photo: LassenNPS · Public domainWarner Valley gets about 110 inches of snow a winter, more than 98% of U.S. towns
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 81°. Temperatures cover 59° across the year, low to high. Its July afternoons stay fresher than in 90% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about June 9, with the first autumn frost due around September 21.
A year in Warner Valley at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Warner Valley’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Warner Valley’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Warner Valley feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 102 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 9 and the first by September 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Manzanita Lake, CA, 16 miles from the town’s center, 350 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Warner Valley’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 4°. 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 110 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Chester, CA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 42 inches a year; December is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 86 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Warner Valley
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 Manzanita Lake, CA.
Living with Warner Valley’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
102 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Jun 9 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 21.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 31 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Warner Valley from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (58%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Warner Valley and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Warner Valley yet.
Climates most like Warner Valley’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warner Valley, CA | 22° | 81° | 42" | 110" |
| Mentor-on-the-Lake, OH | 22° | 80° | 42" | 114" |
| Erie, PA | 20° | 81° | 44" | 104" |
| Lackawanna, NY | 19° | 80° | 40" | 95" |
| Allegan, MI | 18° | 83° | 39" | 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 Warner Valley averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.2°).
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 Warner Valley compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Warner Valley’s place among California’s.
Warner Valley weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Warner Valley’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Chester, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 22° | 7.0" | 31.9" | 12 | 22 | 25° – 39° |
| February | 44° | 24° | 6.8" | 23.9" | 11 | 21 | 26° – 41° |
| March | 47° | 26° | 6.5" | 17.0" | 12 | 15 | 28° – 43° |
| April | 52° | 29° | 3.6" | 3.8" | 9 | 3 | 34° – 45° |
| May | 62° | 36° | 2.4" | 0.2" | 7 | 0 | 40° – 56° |
| June | 71° | 42° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| July | 81° | 48° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 59° – 68° |
| August | 80° | 46° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 59° – 67° |
| September | 74° | 40° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 53° – 61° |
| October | 62° | 33° | 2.2" | 0.3" | 5 | 0 | 43° – 53° |
| November | 48° | 27° | 4.3" | 10.1" | 9 | 4 | 28° – 43° |
| December | 41° | 22° | 7.6" | 22.4" | 12 | 16 | 27° – 35° |
| Year | 59° | 33° | 42.3" | 109.6" | 86 | 80 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. May swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 40° to 56°. December is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Warner Valley’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 Warner Valley’s center.
- Snow: Chester, CA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Manzanita Lake, CA, 16 miles from the town’s center, 350 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 Warner Valley’s climate
What is the weather like in Warner Valley?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 110 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 51% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 90% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Warner Valley in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 195 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 25°.
How much snow does Warner Valley get?
About 110 inches in a normal winter at Chester, CA, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 80 days a year.
How hot does it get in Warner Valley?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 48°. About 4 days a year reach 90° (Manzanita Lake, CA).
When is the first and last frost in Warner Valley?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 9 and the first fall frost by September 21, about 102 frost-free days, at Manzanita Lake, CA.
What growing zone is Warner Valley in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Warner Valley?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Warner Valley 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 Warner Valley.
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.