Photo: Renelibrary · CC BY-SA 4.0Chico reaches 100° on about 23 days a year, more than 96% of U.S. towns
Nights in January average 32°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 77% of U.S. towns. March has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 0.8° rise. The heating season runs December to February: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Chico at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Chico’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Chico’s place in Texas beside it.
What a year in Chico feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 222 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 29 and the first by November 7. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Bridgeport, TX, 6 miles from the town’s center, 180 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Chico’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 13°. 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 2 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bridgeport, TX, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 35 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 64 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Chico
53% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through February.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Bridgeport, TX.
Living with Chico’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
222 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 29 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 7.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, October and November.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Chico from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (35%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 15%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Chico and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Chico yet.
Climates most like Chico’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chico, TX | 32° | 96° | 35" | 1.8" |
| The Village, OK | 28° | 94° | 36" | 2.5" |
| Oakhurst, CA | 34° | 95° | 29" | 2.5" |
| Cayce, SC | 35° | 93° | 46" | 1.2" |
| Grants Pass, OR | 34° | 90° | 33" | 0.9" |
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 Chico averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 88% 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 Chico compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Chico’s place among Texas’.
Chico weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Chico’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bridgeport, TX. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56° | 32° | 1.7" | 0.6" | 5 | 40° – 52° |
| February | 60° | 37° | 2.2" | 0.5" | 5 | 40° – 57° |
| March | 68° | 45° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 50° – 64° |
| April | 76° | 51° | 2.9" | 0.2" | 6 | 58° – 69° |
| May | 83° | 61° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 68° – 79° |
| June | 91° | 69° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 76° – 86° |
| July | 96° | 73° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 4 | 80° – 90° |
| August | 96° | 72° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 5 | 77° – 92° |
| September | 88° | 65° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 5 | 72° – 83° |
| October | 78° | 54° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 60° – 70° |
| November | 66° | 43° | 2.4" | 0.3" | 5 | 48° – 60° |
| December | 57° | 34° | 2.1" | 0.2" | 5 | 38° – 50° |
| Year | 76° | 53° | 34.8" | 1.8" | 64 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 40° to 57°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Chico’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 Chico’s center.
- Snow: Bridgeport, TX.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Bridgeport, TX, 6 miles from the town’s center, 180 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 Chico’s climate
What is the weather like in Chico?
A typical July afternoon reaches 96°, a January night drops to 32°, and about 2 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 75% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 96% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Chico in winter?
January nights average 32°. About 61 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 40°.
How much snow does Chico get?
About 1.8 inches in a normal winter at Bridgeport, TX, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Chico?
July, with a typical high of 96° and a low of 73°. About 101 days a year reach 90° and 23 reach 100° (Bridgeport, TX).
When is the first and last frost in Chico?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 29 and the first fall frost by November 7, about 222 frost-free days, at Bridgeport, TX.
What growing zone is Chico in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 13°.
What is the best time of year to visit Chico?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, May, October and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Chico getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 88% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Chico.
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.