Alturas, CA Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Explore NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 climate normals → and a clearly labeled PlainClimate comfort calculation
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Alturas's primary NOAA station, ALTURAS.
The climate verdict for Alturas
Dryness leads the climate profile for Alturas, California, with 11.7 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 48°F. At 52/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 24% of scores.
- 48°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 52/100
- comfort score, above 24% of station-mapped location scores
- 11.7"
- precipitation, annual total
- 102 days
- frost-free growing season
Alturas: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00040161 · Alturas, CA 48°F mean · 11.7" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-ARID · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 48°F
- RANK-COOL #2,264
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Carson Fish Hat…
- PRCP-ARID 11.7"
- SWING-MID 36°F
- COMF-LOW 52/100
- LOAD-HEAT 6,300 HDD
- STN-1 USC00040161
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Carson Fish Hatchery, WA ( -0.1 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every CA station list.
- Hot Pullman Moscow…, WA 49°F
- Near Mitchell, OR 49°F
- Alturas (this station) 48°F
- Cold Frost, WV 48°F
- Near Carson Fish Hat…, WA 48°F
Climate Living Index · Alturas
Alturas: 16/100 · grade F
Alturas publishes 4 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 2 missing weights rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Alturas, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 52/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Annual temperature balance | 48.4°F · 19.1° from 67.5°F | 33/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 11.7 in · 23.3 from 35 in | 18/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 220 calendar days | 5/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 102 days/year | 0/100 · F |
Alturas · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Alturas's normals sit in a dry climate class: BSk
Precipitation is low relative to temperature but above true desert thresholds: cold semi-arid steppe (BSk). Class BSk is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: dry (arid or semi-arid), specifically cold semi-arid steppe.
- Köppen code
- BSk
- Group
- Dry (arid or semi-arid)
- Warmest month
- 68.0°F
- Coldest month
- 32.0°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Alturas sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Alturas's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 33rd percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 90%
- Alturas's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 80%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Alturas is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Alturas compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Alturas's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
52 24th percentile score exceeds 24% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). This entry sits in this band.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44°F (7°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 33°F (0°C) | 1.5" | 28.7 | 0.0 |
| February | 47°F (8°C) | 23°F (-5°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 1.0" | 25.8 | 0.0 |
| March | 53°F (12°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 40°F (5°C) | 1.2" | 26.0 | 0.0 |
| April | 59°F (15°C) | 31°F (-1°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 1.2" | 22.5 | 0.0 |
| May | 70°F (21°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 1.4" | 10.6 | 0.6 |
| June | 79°F (26°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 0.7" | 3.4 | 4.2 |
| July | 90°F (32°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 0.2" | 0.3 | 17.4 |
| August | 88°F (31°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 0.3" | 0.9 | 14.0 |
| September | 81°F (27°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 60°F (15°C) | 0.4" | 8.5 | 4.4 |
| October | 67°F (19°C) | 31°F (-1°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 0.9" | 22.7 | 0.2 |
| November | 52°F (11°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 1.4" | 25.8 | 0.0 |
| December | 42°F (5°C) | 23°F (-5°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 1.5" | 28.6 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Alturas works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 92°F by July 23 and hold at or above 90°F on 25 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 195 dates, bottoming at 21°F around January 11.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from July 14 through August 7, covering 25 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs May 17 to October 10.
This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 22, then returns to freezing around October 11, covering 195 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is April 7, when 33% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is August 12 at 6%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 77 wet dates a year.
The widest day
July 23 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 44°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Alturas.
Where Alturas Stands Nationally
Aridity defines the water calendar: about 12 inches in a normal year lands this among the driest tenth of ranked stations.
Day-to-night contrast is extreme by national standards — the widest normal daily swing reaches about 44°F, sharper than nine in ten ranked stations see.
Alturas earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall
9.0 days with precipitation
8.7 days with precipitation
9.0 days with precipitation
9.8 days with precipitation
7.9 days with precipitation
4.9 days with precipitation
2.1 days with precipitation
1.9 days with precipitation
3.2 days with precipitation
4.7 days with precipitation
7.8 days with precipitation
8.4 days with precipitation
Alturas spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 11% of the annual total and December through February 34%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Alturas has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 36°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: December averages 1.5" and July 0.2". The three wettest months together take 37% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
Alturas is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 77 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 21% of the calendar, and they carry 11.7" between them. At roughly 0.15 inches on an average wet day, this is not the damp drizzle of a marine climate; it is an arid record in which precipitation is both uncommon and light when it appears.
The wettest month by count is April at about 10 wet days; the driest is August at about 2.
A low per-event average in a dry record is a statement about typical days only. Arid regions can still take a large share of a year's total from a single convective storm, which a normal cannot show.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, not the extremes within it.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
September 13
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
June 3
50% probability date
Growing Season
102 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
6,300
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
259
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside CA closest to Alturas on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (48°F here).
- Dunkirk, NY 48°F · 0.0°F off
- Falls Village, CT 48°F · 0.0°F off
- Haverhill, MA 48°F · 0.0°F off
- Kenosha, WI 48°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (11.7" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- El Rito, NM 11.7" · 0.0" off
- Delta Junction, AK 11.8" · 0.0" off
- Flaming Gorge, UT 11.8" · 0.0" off
- Gulkana, AK 11.8" · 0.0" off
Scarce-water calendar
Where Alturas's limited precipitation lands
heating led · dry · mid swing
Alturas's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 6,300 annual heating degree days against 259 for cooling. Its 36.0°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 102 days are frost-free in a normal year. That short interval is consistent with the cold-season signal, but the measure does not predict the exact first or last freeze in any one year.
July and December mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Alturas's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 36.0°F. The annual average is 48°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Alturas's cold-season load does not imply a wet climate. Annual precipitation is 11.7 inches, which places the station in PlainClimate's dry range. Snowfall is not added to the interpretation because its annual value is missing. The snowfall and rainfall fields should be read separately rather than inferred from temperature.
Alturas wettest normal
December
December concentrates the scarce annual total (11.7 inches).
Alturas driest normal
July
July is typically driest; arid stations are defined by when water is absent, not by a four-season grid.
Questions about Alturas's climate
How dry is Alturas? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Alturas get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Alturas? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Alturas's primary station: ALTURAS (USC00040161). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 0601444). Match rule for Alturas: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Alturas comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.