NOAA NCEI Climate Normals 1991–2020

California Weather by Month

Temperature, rain and the hurricane season at 225 California stations, month by month.

Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated October 26, 2026

The median station records 16.0 inches of precipitation a year; Crescent City 3 NNW, CA records the most, 71.6 inches, and Brawley 2 SW, CA the least, 2.4 (29.8 times as much). August is the hottest month at the median station (average high 89°F); the hottest August is at Needles Airport, CA, 109°F. December is the coldest (average low 39°F); the coldest December nights are at Donner Mem Sp, CA, 17°F. Highs reach 90°F on 60 days a year at the median station and on 195 at Mecca Fire Stn, CA, the most. Snowfall is heaviest at Grant Grove, CA, 186.0 inches a year; 123 of the 152 stations that measure snow average less than half an inch.

This page compares the 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals of 225 California weather stations, each the nearest station with full normals to at least one of the 702 California cities on this site that have one within 25 miles.

At the median station, February is the wettest month (3.5 inches) and July the driest (0.0). Station by station, the wettest month is January at 90, February at 85 and December at 48 of the 225, and the driest July at 144, June at 46 and August at 26. The gap between the wettest and driest station is widest in December: 13.6 inches.

Month by month across California

California climate normals by month: median of 225 stations and the station at each extreme
Month	High °F	Low °F	Precip. in	Hottest days	Coldest nights	Wettest	Driest
Jan	59	40	3.3	Brawley 2 SW, CA72°	Donner Mem Sp, CA17°	Richardson Gr Sp, CA12.7"	El Centro 2 SSW, CA0.4"
Feb	62	42	3.5	Brawley 2 SW, CA75°	Donner Mem Sp, CA18°	De Sabla, CA11.8"	El Centro 2 SSW, CA0.4"
Mar	67	44	2.5	Brawley 2 SW, CA81°	Donner Mem Sp, CA22°	Nevada City, CA9.9"	Brawley 2 SW, CA0.3"
Apr	72	47	1.0	Blythe, CA89°	Donner Mem Sp, CA26°	Crescent City 3 NNW, CA6.8"	Blythe, CA0.1"
May	77	52	0.5	Blythe, CA98°	Donner Mem Sp, CA33°	Crescent City 3 NNW, CA3.2"	Brawley 2 SW, CA0.0"
Jun	83	57	0.1	Needles Airport, CA106°	Donner Mem Sp, CA38°	Crescent City 3 NNW, CA1.8"	Bakersfield 5 NW, CA0.0"
Jul	89	61	0.0	Needles Airport, CA111°	South Lake Tahoe Airport, CA43°	Wrightwood, CA1.1"	Angwin Pacific Union College, CA0.0"
Aug	89	61	0.0	Needles Airport, CA109°	South Lake Tahoe Airport, CA41°	Big Bear Lake, CA0.8"	Anaheim, CA0.0"
Sep	87	57	0.1	Brawley 2 SW, CA104°	South Lake Tahoe Airport, CA35°	Crescent City 3 NNW, CA1.3"	Gilroy, CA0.0"
Oct	78	51	0.7	Brawley 2 SW, CA93°	Donner Mem Sp, CA29°	Crescent City 3 NNW, CA4.7"	Brawley 2 SW, CA0.1"
Nov	67	44	1.3	Brawley 2 SW, CA80°	Donner Mem Sp, CA23°	Crescent City 3 NNW, CA9.5"	Blythe, CA0.2"
Dec	59	39	2.7	Anaheim, CA71°	Donner Mem Sp, CA17°	Richardson Gr Sp, CA14.0"	El Centro 2 SSW, CA0.4"

High, low and precipitation are the median of the 225 stations; the station columns name the station with the highest average high, the lowest average low, and the most and least precipitation that month, each linked to the city page it serves. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Coastal water temperature by month

Across 13 NOAA tide stations, the water is warmest in August (median 68°F, up to 74°F at Redwood City, CA) and coolest in January (median 53°F, down to 51°F at Port Chicago, CA). No month averages 80°F at the median station.

Average water temperature by month at NOAA tide stations in California, 2021–2025
Station	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Crescent City, CA	52	51	51	51	52	54	59	60	58	56	54	52
North Spit, CA	51	50	50	51	52	54	55	56	56	55	53	52
Arena Cove, CA	53	52	51	49	49	49	51	52	54	53	53	55
Port Chicago, CA	51	52	55	60	64	68	70	71	70	65	59	52
Martinez-Amorco Pier, CA	51	53	55	60	64	67	69	71	69	66	59	53
Richmond, CA	53	54	55	58	60	62	65	66	66	63	59	54
Alameda, CA	53	54	57	61	64	67	68	69	69	65	59	54
Redwood City, CA	54	55	58	62	67	70	73	74	73	69	60	55
Monterey, CA	56	56	55	56	57	58	60	61	62	60	57	57
Port San Luis, CA	56	55	54	53	55	57	59	60	61	59	57	57
Santa Monica, CA	58	58	58	59	62	66	68	69	69	65	62	60
La Jolla, CA	58	58	59	60	64	65	67	68	67	65	63	60
San Diego, CA	59	60	61	63	66	69	71	72	72	68	65	61

°F, average of hourly readings 2021–2025; a month counts when at least three years have half their hours on record. Source: NOAA Tides & Currents; the newest readings are preliminary.

California cities and their stations

California city pages with the normals of their nearest station
City	Station	Miles	Hottest month high °F	Coldest month low °F	Year precip. in
Perris	Elsinore, CA	10	98	40	11.8
Menifee	Elsinore, CA	9	98	40	11.8
Hesperia	Victorville, CA	9	98	33	5.6
Lakewood	Long Beach Daugherty Field, CA	3	83	47	12.3
Redlands	Redlands, CA	2	96	40	12.9
Beaumont	San Jacinto, CA	10	97	39	12.4
Fallbrook	Fallbrook 5 NE, CA	4	89	46	15.3
Encinitas	Carlsbad Palomar Airport, CA	5	76	47	11.4
El Centro	El Centro 2 SSW, CA	2	107	43	2.6
Diamond Bar	Pomona/Fairplex, CA	6	92	42	14.5
Winchester	San Jacinto, CA	12	97	39	12.4
Galt	Lodi, CA	11	92	39	18.2
Blythe	Blythe, CA	2	110	38	3.7
Coronado	North Island NAS, CA	2	77	49	9.5

All California cities and their storm history →

How stations are matched to cities and what normals are: methodology · other states by month