Balch Power House, California climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Balch Power House's normal year runs from 38°F December nights to 93°F August afternoons, with 28.6 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 16.6°C, December lows of 4°C, August highs of 34°C, 725 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBalch Power House
- Station IDUSC00040449
- Location36.91°N 119.09°W
- Elevation1,735 ft (529 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Balch Power House is 73°F and the normal low 52°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Balch Power House.
- Jan 52° 39°
- Feb 56° 40°
- Mar 63° 43°
- Apr 68° 47°
- May 77° 54°
- Jun 85° 61°
- Jul 93° 69°
- Aug 93° 69°
- Sep 88° 64°
- Oct 77° 54°
- Nov 60° 45°
- Dec 51° 38°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Balch Power House each month?
August is the warmest month, with normal highs of 93°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 38°F. The most precipitation falls in January (5.55 in), the least in August (0.05 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 52°F | 39°F | 45.5°F | 5.55 | – | <1 | 4 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 56°F | 40°F | 48.1°F | 4.91 | – | <1 | 3 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 63°F | 43°F | 53.2°F | 5.05 | – | <1 | 1 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 68°F | 47°F | 57.5°F | 2.56 | – | <1 | 1 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 77°F | 54°F | 65.0°F | 1.41 | – | 4 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 85°F | 61°F | 73.0°F | 0.40 | – | 13 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 93°F | 69°F | 80.8°F | 0.22 | – | 26 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 93°F | 69°F | 81.2°F | 0.05 | – | 27 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 88°F | 64°F | 76.1°F | 0.24 | – | 18 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 77°F | 54°F | 65.5°F | 1.36 | – | 3 | <1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 60°F | 45°F | 52.5°F | 2.14 | – | <1 | 1 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 51°F | 38°F | 44.6°F | 4.66 | – | <1 | 5 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 72°F | 52°F | 61.9°F | 28.55 | – | 90 | 15 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11°C | 4°C | 7.5°C | 141 mm |
| February | 13°C | 5°C | 8.9°C | 125 mm |
| March | 17°C | 6°C | 11.8°C | 128 mm |
| April | 20°C | 8°C | 14.2°C | 65 mm |
| May | 25°C | 12°C | 18.3°C | 36 mm |
| June | 30°C | 16°C | 22.8°C | 10 mm |
| July | 34°C | 20°C | 27.1°C | 6 mm |
| August | 34°C | 21°C | 27.3°C | 1 mm |
| September | 31°C | 18°C | 24.5°C | 6 mm |
| October | 25°C | 12°C | 18.6°C | 35 mm |
| November | 16°C | 7°C | 11.4°C | 54 mm |
| December | 11°C | 4°C | 7.0°C | 118 mm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00040449; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
Which months are mildest at Balch Power House?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May and October.
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00040449.
When is the last frost at Balch Power House?
In Balch Power House, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after February 23 in half of years and after April 4 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before December 12 in half of years and before November 25 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- February 231 year in 10 after April 4; 9 in 10 after January 17
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- December 121 year in 10 before November 25; 9 in 10 before January 7
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 294 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 351 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after January 21 in half of springs and before December 27 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Balch Power House in zone 9a in ZIP code 93621, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in California · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00040449; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get at Balch Power House?
In a normal year in Balch Power House, 90 days a year reach 90°F (15 of them 100°F or more) and 15 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 90a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 15a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 15a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- fewer than 1high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00040449.
How sunny is it at Balch Power House?
Over a year 90% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Balch Power House, 5.4 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (98%) and January the cloudiest (71%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 71% | 2.4 |
| February | 78% | 3.6 |
| March | 84% | 5.1 |
| April | 87% | 6.5 |
| May | 92% | 7.7 |
| June | 97% | 8.5 |
| July | 97% | 8.1 |
| August | 98% | 7.4 |
| September | 97% | 6.1 |
| October | 92% | 4.5 |
| November | 83% | 3.1 |
| December | 72% | 2.2 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How many heating and cooling degree days does Balch Power House record?
A normal year at Balch Power House brings 2,898 heating degree days, 46% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,806 cooling degree days, 99% more than the median (908). Five months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 4,923 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 606 | 0 |
| February | 473 | 0 |
| March | 370 | 3 |
| April | 241 | 15 |
| May | 92 | 94 |
| June | 17 | 259 |
| July | 0 | 491 |
| August | 0 | 504 |
| September | 6 | 337 |
| October | 84 | 101 |
| November | 378 | 3 |
| December | 631 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 2,898 | 1,806 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00040449. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
How does Balch Power House's climate compare?
Balch Power House is warmer than 120 of the 219 places with their own NOAA record in California, and wetter than 165. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 61.9°F is warmer than 80%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Balch Power House is Csa: temperate, dry-summer, hot summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Questions about Balch Power House's climate
What is the coldest month at Balch Power House?
December, with a normal high of 51°F and a normal low of 38°F. The warmest is August (93°F by day, 69°F at night).
What is the rainiest month at Balch Power House?
January, with 5.55 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is August with 0.05 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Balch Power House in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Balch Power House in zone 9a in ZIP code 93621, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Balch Power House?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after February 23; in one year in ten it comes after April 4. Waiting until April 4 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- California climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Grant Grove, CA14 miles from this station, 48.0°F a year
- Huntington Lake, CA23 miles from this station, 45.3°F a year
- Auberry, CA27 miles from this station, 61.7°F a year
- Lodgepole, CA29 miles from this station, 42.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made