China Lake Naf, California climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
China Lake Naf's normal year runs from 30°F December nights to 105°F July afternoons, with 4.7 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 18.5°C, December lows of −1°C, July highs of 40°C, 119 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationChina Lake Naf
- Station IDUSW00093104
- Location35.69°N 117.69°W
- Elevation2,230 ft (680 m)
On October 23, the normal high in China Lake Naf is 80°F and the normal low 46°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for China Lake Naf.
- Jan 60° 31°
- Feb 65° 35°
- Mar 72° 42°
- Apr 79° 47°
- May 88° 56°
- Jun 99° 64°
- Jul 105° 70°
- Aug 103° 69°
- Sep 95° 61°
- Oct 83° 49°
- Nov 69° 37°
- Dec 60° 30°
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 China Lake Naf each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 105°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 30°F. The most precipitation falls in February (1.11 in), the least in June (0.07 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60°F | 31°F | 45.5°F | 0.94 | – | <1 | 18 | 10 h |
| February | 65°F | 35°F | 50.0°F | 1.11 | – | <1 | 10 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 72°F | 42°F | 56.9°F | 0.55 | – | 1 | 3 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 79°F | 47°F | 63.1°F | 0.24 | – | 4 | 1 | 13 h |
| May | 88°F | 56°F | 71.8°F | 0.10 | – | 15 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 99°F | 64°F | 81.1°F | 0.07 | – | 26 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 105°F | 70°F | 87.5°F | 0.12 | – | 31 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 103°F | 69°F | 85.9°F | 0.11 | – | 31 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 95°F | 61°F | 77.8°F | 0.24 | – | 26 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 83°F | 49°F | 65.6°F | 0.27 | – | 8 | 1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 69°F | 37°F | 53.1°F | 0.38 | – | <1 | 8 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 60°F | 30°F | 44.9°F | 0.54 | – | <1 | 19 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 81°F | 49°F | 65.3°F | 4.67 | – | 141 | 59 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16°C | −1°C | 7.5°C | 24 mm |
| February | 18°C | 2°C | 10.0°C | 28 mm |
| March | 22°C | 5°C | 13.8°C | 14 mm |
| April | 26°C | 9°C | 17.3°C | 6 mm |
| May | 31°C | 13°C | 22.1°C | 3 mm |
| June | 37°C | 18°C | 27.3°C | 2 mm |
| July | 40°C | 21°C | 30.8°C | 3 mm |
| August | 40°C | 20°C | 29.9°C | 3 mm |
| September | 35°C | 16°C | 25.4°C | 6 mm |
| October | 28°C | 9°C | 18.7°C | 7 mm |
| November | 21°C | 3°C | 11.7°C | 10 mm |
| December | 15°C | −1°C | 7.2°C | 14 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Inyokern (8 miles away), gets 1 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00093104; 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 China Lake Naf?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in March, April, October and November.
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 USW00093104.
When is the last frost at China Lake Naf?
In China Lake Naf, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after March 11 in half of years and after April 9 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 12 in half of years and before October 29 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
- March 111 year in 10 after April 9; 9 in 10 after February 18
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 121 year in 10 before October 29; 9 in 10 before November 25
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 244 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 275 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after February 20 in half of springs and before November 23 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts China Lake Naf in zone 8b in ZIP code 93555, 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 USW00093104; 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 China Lake Naf?
In a normal year in China Lake Naf, 141 days a year reach 90°F (82 of them 100°F or more) and 59 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 141a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 82a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 59a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- fewer than 1high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1945) is 119°F, on July 18, 1988; the lowest is 6°F, on January 13, 1963.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2023, with 7.95 in; the snowiest season is 1973–74, with 10.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00093104; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00093104. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at China Lake Naf?
Over a year 93% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at China Lake Naf, 5.8 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (97%) and December the cloudiest (85%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 86% | 3.1 |
| February | 87% | 4.2 |
| March | 90% | 5.7 |
| April | 93% | 7.0 |
| May | 94% | 8.0 |
| June | 97% | 8.6 |
| July | 95% | 8.0 |
| August | 97% | 7.5 |
| September | 97% | 6.3 |
| October | 94% | 4.8 |
| November | 91% | 3.5 |
| December | 85% | 2.8 |
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 China Lake Naf record?
A normal year at China Lake Naf brings 2,491 heating degree days, 54% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 2,620 cooling degree days, 2.9 times the median (908). Four months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 6,075 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 606 | 0 |
| February | 420 | 0 |
| March | 260 | 7 |
| April | 115 | 57 |
| May | 25 | 238 |
| June | 1 | 484 |
| July | 0 | 697 |
| August | 0 | 649 |
| September | 4 | 390 |
| October | 77 | 95 |
| November | 359 | 2 |
| December | 623 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 2,491 | 2,620 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00093104. 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.
Have recent years at China Lake Naf been warmer than normal?
2023 averaged 64.6°F, 0.7°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 65.3°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 64.6°F | −0.7°F | 7.95 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00093104. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does China Lake Naf's climate compare?
China Lake Naf is warmer than 188 of the 219 places with their own NOAA record in California, and wetter than 14. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 65.3°F is warmer than 88%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, China Lake Naf is BWh: hot desert. 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 China Lake Naf share this climate record?
2 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.
- Ridgecrest, CA28,373 people · 4 mi S
- Ridgecrest Heights, CA355 people · 6 mi S
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 China Lake Naf's climate
What is the coldest month at China Lake Naf?
December, with a normal high of 60°F and a normal low of 30°F. The warmest is July (105°F by day, 70°F at night).
Does it snow at China Lake Naf?
Rarely. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Inyokern (8 miles away), records 1 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at China Lake Naf?
February, with 1.11 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is June with 0.07 in.
What plant hardiness zone is China Lake Naf in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts China Lake Naf in zone 8b in ZIP code 93555, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at China Lake Naf?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after March 11; in one year in ten it comes after April 9. Waiting until April 9 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- California climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Inyokern, CA7 miles from this station, 64.8°F a year
- Trona, CA18 miles from this station, 68.4°F a year
- Randsburg, CA22 miles from this station, 64.2°F a year
- Haiwee, CA34 miles from this station, 57.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made