Donner Mem State Park, 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 Donner Mem State Park's primary NOAA station, DONNER MEM SP.
The climate verdict for Donner Mem State Park
Donner Mem State Park, California has a mixed annual climate rather than one dominant extreme. Its NOAA normal shows an annual average of 44°F. At 47/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 17% of scores.
- 44°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 47/100
- comfort score, above 17% of station-mapped location scores
- 38.8"
- annual precipitation · 183" snow
Donner Mem State Park: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00042467 · Donner Mem State Park, CA 44°F mean · 38.8" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 44°F
- RANK-COOL #1,029
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Truckee Ranger…
- PRCP-MID 38.8"
- SWING-MID 35°F
- COMF-LOW 47/100
- LOAD-HEAT 7,707 HDD
- STN-1 USC00042467
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Truckee Ranger Station, 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.
- Donner Mem Stat… (this station) 44°F
- Cold Hatch, UT 44°F
- Hot San Luis, CO 44°F
- Near Truckee Ranger…, CA 44°F
- Near Mammoth Lakes R…, CA 44°F
Climate Living Index · Donner Mem State Park
Donner Mem State Park: 25/100 · grade F
Donner Mem State Park publishes 4 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 2 missing weights rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Donner Mem State Park, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 47/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 38.8 in · 3.8 from 35 in | 86/100 · A |
| Annual temperature balance | 44.0°F · 23.5° from 67.5°F | 16/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 219 calendar days | 6/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 182.9 inches/year | 0/100 · F |
Donner Mem State Park · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Donner Mem State Park is a continental Köppen climate: Dsb
Coldest-month mean 28.1°F and warmest-month mean 62.9°F place this station in continental, dry-summer, warm summer climates (Dsb). Class Dsb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, dry-summer, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Dsb
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 62.9°F
- Coldest month
- 28.1°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 Donner Mem State Park sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Donner Mem State Park's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 85%
- Among 6,861 stations, Donner Mem State Park sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- 55th percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 83%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Donner Mem State Park is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Donner Mem State Park compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Donner Mem State Park's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
47 17th percentile score exceeds 17% 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%). This entry sits in this band.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41°F (5°C) | 17°F (-8°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 6.7" | 40.0" | 30.5 | 0.0 |
| February | 43°F (6°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 31°F (-1°C) | 6.6" | 37.7" | 27.2 | 0.0 |
| March | 48°F (9°C) | 22°F (-6°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 6.2" | 32.9" | 29.7 | 0.0 |
| April | 54°F (12°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 2.7" | 15.4" | 26.8 | 0.0 |
| May | 63°F (17°C) | 33°F (1°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 2.1" | 3.4" | 15.5 | 0.0 |
| June | 73°F (23°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 0.7" | 0.5" | 5.2 | 0.5 |
| July | 82°F (28°C) | 44°F (6°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 0.3" | 0.0" | 0.6 | 3.7 |
| August | 81°F (27°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 0.4" | 0.0" | 0.6 | 2.1 |
| September | 75°F (24°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 0.5" | 0.0" | 7.2 | 0.0 |
| October | 63°F (17°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 2.2" | 2.4" | 24.9 | 0.0 |
| November | 49°F (10°C) | 23°F (-5°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 3.6" | 10.1" | 28.3 | 0.0 |
| December | 39°F (4°C) | 17°F (-8°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 6.9" | 40.5" | 30.0 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 84°F around July 21, short of 90°F on every date, while 219 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 16°F near December 26.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into May 10, then returns to freezing around October 5, covering 219 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is February 16, when 37% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is July 22 at 5%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 75 wet dates a year.
The widest day
July 15 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 39°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Donner Mem State Park.
Where Donner Mem State Park Stands Nationally
Winters bite deep and often: the normal nightly low dips to freezing or below on around 219 nights a year, placing this among the most frost-prone tenth of ranked stations.
Day-to-night contrast is extreme by national standards — the widest normal daily swing reaches about 39°F, sharper than nine in ten ranked stations see.
Donner Mem State Park 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
Snow: 40.0"
10.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 37.7"
10.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 32.9"
9.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 15.4"
7.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.4"
6.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.5"
3.2 days with precipitation
1.3 days with precipitation
1.6 days with precipitation
2.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.4"
4.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 10.1"
6.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 40.5"
10.5 days with precipitation
Donner Mem State Park's wet season runs through the cold months
December, January and February carry 52% of the year's precipitation here, while June through August contribute 4%. 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 a 34.8°F seasonal spread.
- Wettest month
- December, 6.9"
- Driest month
- July, 0.3"
- Wettest three months
- December, January, February (52% 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 Donner Mem State Park, it arrives in quantity
38.8" of precipitation falls across only about 75 wet days here, averaging 0.52 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 75 a year, 20% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.52 inches
- Most wet days
- January, about 11
- Fewest wet days
- July, about 1
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.
Winter brings real snow to Donner Mem State Park
Donner Mem State Park averages 182.9 inches of snowfall a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 43 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 182.9 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 43 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 47% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
N/A
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
N/A
50% probability date
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
7,707
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
60
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside CA closest to Donner Mem State Park 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 (44°F here).
- Blair, WI 44°F · 0.0°F off
- Brockway, MT 44°F · 0.0°F off
- Dassel, MN 44°F · 0.0°F off
- De Smet, SD 44°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (38.8" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Blackwell, OK 38.8" · 0.0" off
- Princeville, IL 38.8" · 0.0" off
- Elkader, IA 38.8" · 0.0" off
- Columbus Junction, IA 38.8" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Donner Mem State Park
heating led · moderate · mid swing
Donner Mem State Park's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 7,707 annual heating degree days against 60 for cooling. Its 34.8°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
A frost-free growing-season length is not available for Donner Mem State Park. That missing field is kept separate from the observed temperature and precipitation record rather than filled from a regional estimate.
-
1. Donner Mem State Park coldest normal
December
The monthly mean of 28°F (-2°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Donner Mem State Park typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Donner Mem State Park snow peak
December
Donner Mem State Park averages 182.9 inches of snow a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Donner Mem State Park's climate
How much snow does Donner Mem State Park get? ▼
How cold does Donner Mem State Park get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Donner Mem State Park? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Donner Mem State Park's primary station: DONNER MEM SP (USC00042467). 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 Donner Mem State Park; 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 Donner Mem State Park 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.