California, Missouri climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
California's normal year runs from 20°F January nights to 88°F July afternoons, with 43.1 inches of precipitation and 10 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 12.7°C, January lows of −7°C, July highs of 31°C, 1,096 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationCalifornia
- Station IDUSC00231189
- Location38.63°N 92.56°W
- Elevation879 ft (268 m)
- From the centerunder 1 mile
- Population4,522
On October 23, the normal high in California is 65°F and the normal low 43°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 27%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for California.
- Jan 40° 20°
- Feb 45° 24°
- Mar 55° 33°
- Apr 66° 44°
- May 75° 54°
- Jun 84° 63°
- Jul 88° 67°
- Aug 87° 66°
- Sep 80° 57°
- Oct 68° 45°
- Nov 55° 34°
- Dec 44° 25°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in California each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 88°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 20°F. The most precipitation falls in May (4.98 in), the least in December (1.92 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40°F | 20°F | 29.8°F | 2.01 | 3.3 | 7 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 45°F | 24°F | 34.5°F | 2.31 | 1.8 | 7 | <1 | 22 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 55°F | 33°F | 44.4°F | 2.97 | 0.7 | 9 | <1 | 14 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 66°F | 44°F | 54.8°F | 4.90 | 0.0 | 11 | <1 | 3 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 75°F | 54°F | 64.6°F | 4.98 | 0.0 | 12 | <1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 84°F | 63°F | 73.4°F | 4.41 | 0.0 | 9 | 4 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 88°F | 67°F | 77.6°F | 4.71 | 0.0 | 8 | 12 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 87°F | 66°F | 76.4°F | 3.88 | 0.0 | 7 | 10 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 80°F | 57°F | 68.5°F | 4.11 | 0.0 | 7 | 3 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 68°F | 45°F | 56.7°F | 3.78 | 0.0 | 9 | <1 | 2 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 55°F | 34°F | 44.5°F | 3.17 | 0.4 | 7 | <1 | 13 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 44°F | 25°F | 34.3°F | 1.92 | 3.5 | 7 | <1 | 24 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 66°F | 44°F | 54.9°F | 43.15 | 9.7 | 98 | 30 | 105 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4°C | −7°C | −1.2°C | 51 mm | 8 cm |
| February | 7°C | −5°C | 1.4°C | 59 mm | 5 cm |
| March | 13°C | 1°C | 6.9°C | 75 mm | 2 cm |
| April | 19°C | 6°C | 12.7°C | 124 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 24°C | 12°C | 18.1°C | 126 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 29°C | 17°C | 23.0°C | 112 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 31°C | 20°C | 25.3°C | 120 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 31°C | 19°C | 24.7°C | 99 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 27°C | 14°C | 20.3°C | 104 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 20°C | 7°C | 13.7°C | 96 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 13°C | 1°C | 6.9°C | 81 mm | 1 cm |
| December | 7°C | −4°C | 1.3°C | 49 mm | 9 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00231189; 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.
When is the best weather to visit California?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, September and October. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (7).
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 USC00231189.
When is the last frost in California?
In California, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 11 in half of years and after April 27 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 25 in half of years and before October 12 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
- April 111 year in 10 after April 27; 9 in 10 after March 28
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 251 year in 10 before October 12; 9 in 10 before November 6
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 195 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 215 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 1 in half of springs and before November 2 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts California in zone 6b in ZIP code 65018, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, California's NOAA station is in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −4°F (24 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Missouri · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00231189; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. 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 in California?
In a normal year in California, 30 days a year reach 90°F (2 of them 100°F or more), 105 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 98 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 30a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 2a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 105a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 24high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 98a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 4a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1954) is 109°F, on July 31, 1980; the lowest is −21°F, on December 23, 1989.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1998, with 54.20 in; the snowiest season is 1977–78, with 40.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00231189; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00231189. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is California?
Over a year 75% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around California, 4.2 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (83%) and February the cloudiest (67%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 68% | 2.2 |
| February | 67% | 2.9 |
| March | 68% | 3.8 |
| April | 71% | 5.0 |
| May | 73% | 5.7 |
| June | 81% | 6.5 |
| July | 83% | 6.5 |
| August | 81% | 5.6 |
| September | 82% | 4.8 |
| October | 75% | 3.5 |
| November | 72% | 2.4 |
| December | 68% | 1.9 |
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 much heating and cooling does California need?
A normal year in California brings 4,943 heating degree days, 8% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,315 cooling degree days, 45% more than the median (908). Six months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 4,008 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,092 | 0 |
| February | 854 | 0 |
| March | 643 | 3 |
| April | 326 | 19 |
| May | 108 | 96 |
| June | 9 | 261 |
| July | 1 | 391 |
| August | 2 | 355 |
| September | 53 | 158 |
| October | 286 | 29 |
| November | 617 | 2 |
| December | 950 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,943 | 1,315 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00231189. 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.
Has California been warmer than normal lately?
2021 averaged 56.5°F, 1.6°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 54.9°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 56.5°F | +1.6°F | 48.90 | – |
Over 39 complete years from 1972 to 2021, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 2.9°F per century (+0.16°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00231189; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does California's climate compare?
California is warmer than 58 of the other 133 places with their own NOAA record in Missouri, and wetter than 56. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 54.9°F is warmer than 60%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, California is Dfa: continental, no dry season, 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.
Which places near California share this climate record?
6 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Tipton, MO2,648 people · 12 mi W
- Russellville, MO798 people · 10 mi SE
- Jamestown, MO331 people · 11 mi N
- Centertown, MO292 people · 8 mi E
- Clarksburg, MO256 people · 6 mi W
- Latham, MO67 people · 8 mi SW
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about California's climate
What is the coldest month in California?
January, with a normal high of 40°F and a normal low of 20°F. The warmest is July (88°F by day, 67°F at night).
Does it snow in California?
Yes: 10 inches in a normal year, falling on 6 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (3.5 inches).
What is the rainiest month in California?
May, with 4.98 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is December with 1.92 in.
What plant hardiness zone is California in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts California in zone 6b in ZIP code 65018, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at California's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −4°F (24 years, 1991-2020): zone 6b.
How late can frost come in California?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 11; in one year in ten it comes after April 27. Waiting until April 27 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Missouri climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Eldon, MO19 miles from this station, 56.1°F a year
- Versailles, MO21 miles from this station, 55.8°F a year
- Jefferson City, MO22 miles from this station, 56.3°F a year
- Columbia, MO22 miles from this station, 56.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made