Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0California’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 13 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in California at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about California’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with California’s place in Maryland beside it.
What a year in California feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 248 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 22 and the first by November 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Solomons, MD, 2.6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts California’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 10°. 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 13 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Patuxent River Nas, MD, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 45 inches a year; August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 118 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in California
70% 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 Solomons, MD.
Living with California’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
248 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 22 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 7.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in California from natural hazards, hurricanes are the largest share (33%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →California and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around California yet.
Climates most like California’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California, MD | 28° | 88° | 45" | 13" |
| Vinton, VA | 27° | 88° | 45" | 15" |
| Johnson City, TN | 27° | 87° | 46" | 9.2" |
| St. Albans, WV | 25° | 87° | 45" | 11" |
| Winston-Salem, NC | 29° | 88° | 45" | 7.1" |
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 California averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.3°).
A bigger shift than in 58% 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 California compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with California’s place among Maryland’s.
California weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at California’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Patuxent River Nas, MD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 28° | 3.1" | 3.9" | 10 | 2 | 29° – 43° |
| February | 48° | 29° | 2.7" | 6.0" | 9 | 3 | 28° – 45° |
| March | 56° | 36° | 3.9" | 1.3" | 11 | 1 | 40° – 54° |
| April | 66° | 46° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| May | 74° | 55° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 60° – 71° |
| June | 83° | 65° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| July | 88° | 70° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 74° – 82° |
| August | 86° | 68° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 73° – 80° |
| September | 79° | 62° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| October | 69° | 50° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| November | 58° | 39° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 44° – 54° |
| December | 49° | 32° | 3.6" | 1.3" | 10 | 1 | 32° – 52° |
| Year | 67° | 48° | 45.1" | 12.5" | 118 | 7 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 32° to 52°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where California’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 California’s center.
- Snow: Patuxent River Nas, MD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Solomons, MD, 2.6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; 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 California’s climate
What is the weather like in California?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 13 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 65% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in California in winter?
January nights average 28°. About 59 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 29°.
How much snow does California get?
About 13 inches in a normal winter at Patuxent River Nas, MD, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 7 days a year.
How hot does it get in California?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 70°. About 31 days a year reach 90° (Solomons, MD).
When is the first and last frost in California?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 22 and the first fall frost by November 26, about 248 frost-free days, at Solomons, MD.
What growing zone is California in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 10°.
What is the best time of year to visit California?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is California getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 58% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in California.
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.