Donner Mem State Park, California climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Donner Mem State Park's normal year runs from 17°F December nights to 82°F July afternoons, with 38.8 inches of precipitation and 183 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.7°C, December lows of −8°C, July highs of 28°C, 986 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationDonner Mem State Park
- Station IDUSC00042467
- Location39.32°N 120.23°W
- Elevation5,937 ft (1,810 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Donner Mem State Park is 60°F and the normal low 28°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 16%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Donner Mem State Park.
- Jan 41° 17°
- Feb 43° 18°
- Mar 48° 22°
- Apr 54° 26°
- May 63° 33°
- Jun 73° 38°
- Jul 82° 44°
- Aug 81° 42°
- Sep 75° 36°
- Oct 63° 29°
- Nov 49° 23°
- Dec 39° 17°
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 Donner Mem State Park each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 82°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 17°F. The most precipitation falls in December (6.90 in), the least in July (0.35 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41°F | 17°F | 29.0°F | 6.73 | 40.0 | 11 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 43°F | 18°F | 30.7°F | 6.57 | 37.7 | 10 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 48°F | 22°F | 34.8°F | 6.18 | 32.9 | 10 | <1 | 30 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 54°F | 26°F | 39.9°F | 2.67 | 15.4 | 7 | <1 | 27 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 63°F | 33°F | 48.1°F | 2.13 | 3.4 | 7 | <1 | 16 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 73°F | 38°F | 55.5°F | 0.67 | 0.5 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 15 h |
| July | 82°F | 44°F | 62.9°F | 0.35 | 0.0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 81°F | 42°F | 61.4°F | 0.36 | 0.0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 75°F | 36°F | 55.4°F | 0.49 | 0.0 | 2 | <1 | 7 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 63°F | 29°F | 45.9°F | 2.19 | 2.4 | 4 | <1 | 25 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 49°F | 23°F | 35.9°F | 3.57 | 10.1 | 7 | <1 | 28 | 10 h |
| December | 39°F | 17°F | 28.1°F | 6.90 | 40.5 | 11 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 59°F | 29°F | 44.0°F | 38.81 | 182.9 | 75 | 6 | 227 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5°C | −8°C | −1.7°C | 171 mm | 102 cm |
| February | 6°C | −8°C | −0.7°C | 167 mm | 96 cm |
| March | 9°C | −6°C | 1.6°C | 157 mm | 84 cm |
| April | 12°C | −3°C | 4.4°C | 68 mm | 39 cm |
| May | 17°C | 1°C | 8.9°C | 54 mm | 9 cm |
| June | 23°C | 3°C | 13.1°C | 17 mm | 1 cm |
| July | 28°C | 6°C | 17.2°C | 9 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 27°C | 6°C | 16.3°C | 9 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 24°C | 2°C | 13.0°C | 12 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 17°C | −2°C | 7.7°C | 56 mm | 6 cm |
| November | 10°C | −5°C | 2.2°C | 91 mm | 26 cm |
| December | 4°C | −8°C | −2.2°C | 175 mm | 103 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00042467; 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 Donner Mem State Park?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, July has the fewest days with rain (1).
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 USC00042467.
How hot and how cold does it get at Donner Mem State Park?
In a normal year in Donner Mem State Park, 6 days a year reach 90°F, 227 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 75 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 6a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 227a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 16high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 75a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 34a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1953) is 99°F, on July 11, 2002; the lowest is −28°F, on February 27, 1962.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1995, with 57.42 in; the snowiest season is 1994–95, with 300.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00042467; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00042467. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Donner Mem State Park?
Over a year 85% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Donner Mem State Park, 5.1 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (95%) and December the cloudiest (69%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 73% | 2.4 |
| February | 72% | 3.2 |
| March | 73% | 4.4 |
| April | 77% | 5.8 |
| May | 82% | 7.1 |
| June | 92% | 8.3 |
| July | 95% | 8.3 |
| August | 95% | 7.4 |
| September | 93% | 5.9 |
| October | 87% | 4.2 |
| November | 77% | 2.7 |
| December | 69% | 2.0 |
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 Donner Mem State Park record?
A normal year at Donner Mem State Park brings 7,707 heating degree days, 43% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 60 cooling degree days, 93% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,222 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,116 | 0 |
| February | 959 | 0 |
| March | 936 | 0 |
| April | 754 | 0 |
| May | 524 | 0 |
| June | 290 | 5 |
| July | 101 | 36 |
| August | 131 | 19 |
| September | 288 | 0 |
| October | 592 | 0 |
| November | 872 | 0 |
| December | 1,144 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,707 | 60 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00042467. 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 Donner Mem State Park's climate compare?
Donner Mem State Park is warmer than 2 of the 219 places with their own NOAA record in California, and wetter than 185. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 44.0°F is warmer than 15%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Donner Mem State Park is Dsb: continental, dry-summer, warm 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 Donner Mem State Park share this climate record?
Soda Springs 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.
- Soda Springs, CA174 people · 8 mi W
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 Donner Mem State Park's climate
What is the coldest month at Donner Mem State Park?
December, with a normal high of 39°F and a normal low of 17°F. The warmest is July (82°F by day, 44°F at night).
Does it snow at Donner Mem State Park?
Yes: 183 inches in a normal year, falling on 43 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (40.5 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Donner Mem State Park?
December, with 6.90 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is July with 0.35 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Donner Mem State Park in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Donner Mem State Park in zone 6b in ZIP code 96161, the nearest ZIP area.
Nearby and next
- California climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Truckee, CA3 miles from this station, 44.0°F a year
- Sagehen Creek, CA7 miles from this station, 41.3°F a year
- Boca, CA9 miles from this station, 44.3°F a year
- Tahoe City, CA12 miles from this station, 43.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made