Cachuma Lake, 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 Cachuma Lake's primary NOAA station, CACHUMA LAKE.
The climate verdict for Cachuma Lake
A compact 20.8°F seasonal swing gives Cachuma Lake, California a steadier-than-extreme annual shape. NOAA reports an annual average of 60°F. It scores 93/100 for climate comfort (excellent), putting it in the top third of station-mapped location scores and exceeding 93% of them.
- 60°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 93/100
- comfort score, above 93% of station-mapped location scores
- 21.1"
- annual precipitation
- 211 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Cachuma Lake: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00041253 · Cachuma Lake, CA 60°F mean · 21.1" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-NARROW · COMF-TOP · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 60°F
- RANK-UPPER #5,146
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Woodside Fire
- PRCP-DRY 21.1"
- SWING-NARROW 21°F
- COMF-TOP 93/100
- LOAD-HEAT 2,432 HDD
- STN-1 USC00041253
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Woodside Fire Stn, CA (+ 0 °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.
- Cachuma Lake (this station) 60°F
- Hot Ben Lomond, CA 60°F
- Near Woodside Fire, CA 60°F
- Near Gilroy, CA 60°F
- Near Napa State Hosp…, CA 60°F
Climate Living Index · Cachuma Lake
Cachuma Lake: 75/100 · grade B
Cachuma Lake publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Cachuma Lake, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 93/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Snowfall burden | 0.0 inches/year | 90/100 · A |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 81 calendar days | 82/100 · B |
| Annual temperature balance | 60.1°F · 7.4° from 67.5°F | 77/100 · B |
| Frost-free season | 211 days/year | 72/100 · B |
| Precipitation balance | 21.1 in · 13.9 from 35 in | 51/100 · D |
Cachuma Lake · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Cachuma Lake is a temperate Köppen climate: Csb
Coldest-month mean 50.1°F and warmest-month mean 70.9°F place this station in temperate, dry-summer, warm summer climates (Csb). Class Csb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: temperate, specifically temperate, dry-summer, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Csb
- Group
- Temperate
- Warmest month
- 70.9°F
- Coldest month
- 50.1°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 Cachuma Lake sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Cachuma Lake's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Top 25% warmest
- Among 6,861 stations, Cachuma Lake sits in the warmer third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 71%
- Cachuma Lake's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 96%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Cachuma Lake is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Cachuma Lake compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Cachuma Lake's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
93 Top 7% score exceeds 93% 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%). Below this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Below this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Below this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Below this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). This entry sits in this band.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Cachuma Lake's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 47 complete annual observations from 1957 to 2025, CACHUMA LAKE warmed at a fitted rate of 0.20°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Cachuma Lake primary station fitted change +0.20 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 67°F (20°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 51°F (10°C) | 4.9" | 0.0" | 5.3 | 0.0 |
| February | 68°F (20°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 5.3" | 0.0" | 3.5 | 0.1 |
| March | 71°F (22°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 3.6" | 0.0" | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| April | 76°F (24°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 58°F (14°C) | 1.3" | 0.0" | 0.6 | 2.3 |
| May | 80°F (27°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 0.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 4.5 |
| June | 86°F (30°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 0.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 10.0 |
| July | 92°F (33°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 19.2 |
| August | 93°F (34°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 21.2 |
| September | 91°F (33°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 69°F (20°C) | 0.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 16.1 |
| October | 84°F (29°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 0.8" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 9.8 |
| November | 75°F (24°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 56°F (14°C) | 1.2" | 0.0" | 1.5 | 2.2 |
| December | 67°F (19°C) | 33°F (1°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 3.3" | 0.0" | 6.6 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
The year in Cachuma Lake runs from a mild 33°F around December 16 to 93°F at the peak near August 8, and the normal low never reaches freezing on any date in the record.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from July 1 through September 19, covering 81 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs March 8 to November 28.
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.
No freezing date
Not one calendar date in the 1991–2020 record carries a normal low at or below 32°F. The coldest normal low of the year is 33°F around December 16.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is February 11, when 30% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is August 6 at 0%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 45 wet dates a year.
The widest day
August 25 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 45°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Cachuma Lake.
Where Cachuma Lake Stands Nationally
Day-to-night contrast is extreme by national standards — the widest normal daily swing reaches about 45°F, sharper than nine in ten ranked stations see.
Heat is a defining feature of the normals calendar — the normal daily high reaches 90°F on roughly 81 days a year, more than four out of five ranked stations record.
Cachuma Lake earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
8.3 days with precipitation
8.7 days with precipitation
6.8 days with precipitation
3.7 days with precipitation
2.1 days with precipitation
0.4 days with precipitation
0.3 days with precipitation
0.1 days with precipitation
0.8 days with precipitation
2.5 days with precipitation
4.2 days with precipitation
7.3 days with precipitation
Cachuma Lake's wet season runs through the cold months
December, January and February carry 64% of the year's precipitation here, while June through August contribute 0%. That is the cool-season-dominant pattern of the West Coast and the higher inland West, where storm tracks swing south in winter and summer turns dry; the thermometer meanwhile shows an unusually narrow 20.8°F seasonal spread.
- Wettest month
- February, 5.3"
- Driest month
- August, 0.0"
- Wettest three months
- February, January, March (65% of the year)
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A cool-season label means the December-February share reaches 35%. Where snow falls, the monthly figures above report liquid-equivalent precipitation, so a wet winter month is not necessarily a rainy one.
When it rains in Cachuma Lake, it arrives in quantity
21.1" of precipitation falls across only about 45 wet days here, averaging 0.47 inches each. Fewer days carry more water: the year's total is delivered in comparatively heavy events rather than persistent damp.
- Days with measurable precipitation
- about 45 a year, 12% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.47 inches
- Most wet days
- February, about 9
- Fewest wet days
- August, about 0
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, and a per-day average is not a forecast of any individual storm.
Cachuma Lake's record shows no measurable snowfall
This station measured snowfall across the 1991-2020 period and recorded none: the annual normal is 0.0 inches. That is a measured zero rather than missing data, which is a meaningful distinction here , most stations in the database simply do not report snow at all, and those pages say nothing about it.
A thirty-year normal of zero describes the typical year at this station. It is not a claim that snow has never fallen in the area.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
November 8
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 11
50% probability date
Growing Season
211 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
2,432
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
657
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
August
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside CA closest to Cachuma Lake 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 (60°F here).
- Anadarko, OK 60°F · 0.0°F off
- Apex, NC 60°F · 0.0°F off
- Catawba, NC 60°F · 0.0°F off
- Cumming, GA 60°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (21.1" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Alpine, UT 21.1" · 0.0" off
- Idaho City, ID 21.1" · 0.0" off
- McHenry, ND 21.1" · 0.0" off
- Beaver, OK 21.1" · 0.0" off
Data-derived climate profile
How Cachuma Lake's climate pattern fits together
heating led · moderate · low swing
Heating is the larger measured load in Cachuma Lake, at 2,432 degree days versus 657 for cooling. Unlike a strongly continental record, however, its 20.8°F month-to-month range is compact; persistent cool-season demand matters more than a dramatic summer-to-winter reversal.
Cachuma Lake's frost-free season lasts about 211 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
Temperature varies within a narrow 20.8°F band across the normal year. August and December mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar. The annual average is 60°F. Monthly rows still matter, but they refine a steady profile rather than reveal two climatic extremes.
Cachuma Lake's 21.1 inches of annual precipitation falls in PlainClimate's middle band, so “wet” or “dry” is not the leading description. Recorded annual snowfall is negligible. Temperature balance and the calendar distribution carry more information than the annual moisture label alone.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Cachuma Lake's primary station, so the winter figures are a thirty-year average and not a floor: a single hard season can run well below them. Treat each band as a descriptive range for Cachuma Lake, not an official NOAA class or a year-ahead forecast.
Questions about Cachuma Lake's climate
How much rain does Cachuma Lake get? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Cachuma Lake get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Cachuma Lake? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Cachuma Lake's primary station: CACHUMA LAKE (USC00041253). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The conservative exact name-and-state crosswalk finds no Census place match, so PlainClimate treats this as a station-mapped location and does not claim it is a municipality. No exact Gazetteer row for Cachuma Lake; facility counts that depend on place identity are therefore an upper bound, not a municipal census.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Cachuma Lake 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.