Chiriaco Summit, California climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Chiriaco Summit's normal year runs from 40°F December nights to 103°F July afternoons, with 4.6 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 20.8°C, December lows of 4°C, July highs of 39°C, 117 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationChiriaco Summit
- Station IDUSC00041738
- Location33.66°N 115.72°W
- Elevation1,706 ft (520 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Chiriaco Summit is 84°F and the normal low 54°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Chiriaco Summit.
- Jan 66° 40°
- Feb 67° 42°
- Mar 75° 46°
- Apr 83° 51°
- May 89° 58°
- Jun 99° 66°
- Jul 103° 74°
- Aug 102° 75°
- Sep 96° 68°
- Oct 86° 56°
- Nov 74° 46°
- Dec 64° 40°
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 Chiriaco Summit each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 103°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 40°F. The most precipitation falls in February (0.87 in), the least in June (0.01 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 66°F | 40°F | 52.9°F | 0.82 | – | <1 | 3 | 10 h 10 min |
| February | 67°F | 42°F | 54.5°F | 0.87 | – | <1 | 3 | 11 h |
| March | 75°F | 46°F | 60.2°F | 0.45 | – | 2 | <1 | 12 h |
| April | 83°F | 51°F | 67.0°F | 0.16 | – | 6 | <1 | 13 h |
| May | 89°F | 58°F | 73.7°F | 0.09 | – | 16 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| June | 99°F | 66°F | 82.4°F | 0.01 | – | 27 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| July | 103°F | 74°F | 88.4°F | 0.29 | – | 31 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| August | 102°F | 75°F | 88.4°F | 0.35 | – | 30 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 96°F | 68°F | 82.0°F | 0.51 | – | 27 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 86°F | 56°F | 71.2°F | 0.20 | – | 12 | <1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 74°F | 46°F | 60.3°F | 0.27 | – | 1 | 1 | 10 h 30 min |
| December | 64°F | 40°F | 51.8°F | 0.58 | – | <1 | 3 | 10 h |
| Year (annual) | 84°F | 55°F | 69.4°F | 4.60 | – | 152 | 9 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19°C | 4°C | 11.6°C | 21 mm |
| February | 20°C | 5°C | 12.5°C | 22 mm |
| March | 24°C | 8°C | 15.7°C | 11 mm |
| April | 28°C | 11°C | 19.4°C | 4 mm |
| May | 32°C | 15°C | 23.2°C | 2 mm |
| June | 37°C | 19°C | 28.0°C | 0 mm |
| July | 39°C | 23°C | 31.3°C | 7 mm |
| August | 39°C | 24°C | 31.3°C | 9 mm |
| September | 36°C | 20°C | 27.8°C | 13 mm |
| October | 30°C | 13°C | 21.8°C | 5 mm |
| November | 24°C | 8°C | 15.7°C | 7 mm |
| December | 18°C | 4°C | 11.0°C | 15 mm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00041738; 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 Chiriaco Summit?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in January, February, March, April 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 USC00041738.
When is the last frost at Chiriaco Summit?
In Chiriaco Summit, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after February 5 in half of years and after March 5 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before December 17 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 51 year in 10 after March 5; 9 in 10 after December 30
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- December 171 year in 10 before November 25; 9 in 10 before January 10
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 313 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 360 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after January 10 in half of springs and before December 31 in half of autumns.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in California · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00041738. 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 Chiriaco Summit?
In a normal year in Chiriaco Summit, 152 days a year reach 90°F (81 of them 100°F or more) and 9 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 152a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 81a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 9a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- fewer than 1high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00041738.
How sunny is it at Chiriaco Summit?
Over a year 94% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Chiriaco Summit, 5.9 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (97%) and December the cloudiest (87%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 88% | 3.5 |
| February | 89% | 4.5 |
| March | 92% | 5.9 |
| April | 94% | 7.3 |
| May | 96% | 8.2 |
| June | 97% | 8.5 |
| July | 94% | 7.8 |
| August | 95% | 7.3 |
| September | 96% | 6.3 |
| October | 95% | 5.0 |
| November | 91% | 3.8 |
| December | 87% | 3.1 |
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 Chiriaco Summit record?
A normal year at Chiriaco Summit brings 1,514 heating degree days, 72% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 3,158 cooling degree days, 3.5 times the median (908). Two months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 7,247 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 376 | 1 |
| February | 297 | 4 |
| March | 177 | 28 |
| April | 48 | 108 |
| May | 11 | 283 |
| June | 0 | 524 |
| July | 0 | 727 |
| August | 0 | 727 |
| September | 0 | 510 |
| October | 22 | 212 |
| November | 175 | 35 |
| December | 408 | 1 |
| Year (annual) | 1,514 | 3,158 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00041738. 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 Chiriaco Summit been warmer than normal?
2023 averaged 69.2°F, 0.2°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 69.4°F. 2 of the 3 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 70.9°F | +1.5°F | 2.58 |
| 2022 | 71.3°F | +1.9°F | 3.39 |
| 2023 | 69.2°F | −0.2°F | 2.43 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00041738. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Chiriaco Summit's climate compare?
Chiriaco Summit is warmer than 209 of the 219 places with their own NOAA record in California, and wetter than 13. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 69.4°F is warmer than 94%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Chiriaco Summit 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 Chiriaco Summit share this climate record?
Bombay Beach has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its 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.
- Bombay Beach, CA313 people · 21 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 Chiriaco Summit's climate
What is the coldest month at Chiriaco Summit?
December, with a normal high of 64°F and a normal low of 40°F. The warmest is July (103°F by day, 74°F at night).
What is the rainiest month at Chiriaco Summit?
February, with 0.87 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is June with 0.01 in.
How late can frost come at Chiriaco Summit?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after February 5; in one year in ten it comes after March 5. Waiting until March 5 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- California climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Hayfield Pumping Plant, CA6 miles from this station, 70.6°F a year
- Eagle Mountain, CA19 miles from this station, 73.6°F a year
- Mecca, CA21 miles from this station, 74.7°F a year
- Desert Resorts Regional Airport, CA25 miles from this station, 72.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made