Fort Ross, California climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Fort Ross's normal year runs from 42°F January nights to 67°F August afternoons, with 39.2 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 12.0°C, January lows of 5°C, August highs of 19°C, 995 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationFort Ross
- Station IDUSC00043191
- Location38.52°N 123.24°W
- Elevation112 ft (34 m)
On October 14, the normal high in Fort Ross is 67°F and the normal low 48°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Fort Ross.
- Jan 57° 42°
- Feb 59° 42°
- Mar 59° 42°
- Apr 60° 43°
- May 62° 45°
- Jun 66° 46°
- Jul 66° 48°
- Aug 67° 50°
- Sep 67° 48°
- Oct 66° 47°
- Nov 61° 44°
- Dec 57° 42°
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 Fort Ross each month?
August is the warmest month, with normal highs of 67°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 42°F. The most precipitation falls in December (8.44 in), the least in July (0.04 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 57°F | 42°F | 49.2°F | 7.18 | – | <1 | 2 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 59°F | 42°F | 50.3°F | 6.95 | – | <1 | 2 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 59°F | 42°F | 50.4°F | 5.15 | – | <1 | 2 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 60°F | 43°F | 51.5°F | 2.88 | – | <1 | <1 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 62°F | 45°F | 53.5°F | 1.60 | – | <1 | 1 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 66°F | 46°F | 56.1°F | 0.48 | – | <1 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 66°F | 48°F | 57.0°F | 0.04 | – | <1 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 67°F | 50°F | 58.1°F | 0.07 | – | <1 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 67°F | 48°F | 57.8°F | 0.17 | – | <1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 66°F | 47°F | 56.8°F | 1.97 | – | <1 | 1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 61°F | 44°F | 52.6°F | 4.24 | – | <1 | 1 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 57°F | 42°F | 49.4°F | 8.44 | – | <1 | 2 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 62°F | 45°F | 53.6°F | 39.17 | – | <1 | 12 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14°C | 5°C | 9.6°C | 182 mm |
| February | 15°C | 6°C | 10.2°C | 177 mm |
| March | 15°C | 6°C | 10.2°C | 131 mm |
| April | 16°C | 6°C | 10.8°C | 73 mm |
| May | 17°C | 7°C | 11.9°C | 41 mm |
| June | 19°C | 8°C | 13.4°C | 12 mm |
| July | 19°C | 9°C | 13.9°C | 1 mm |
| August | 19°C | 10°C | 14.5°C | 2 mm |
| September | 20°C | 9°C | 14.3°C | 4 mm |
| October | 19°C | 8°C | 13.8°C | 50 mm |
| November | 16°C | 7°C | 11.4°C | 108 mm |
| December | 14°C | 5°C | 9.7°C | 214 mm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00043191; 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 Fort Ross?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August, September and October.
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 USC00043191.
When is the last frost at Fort Ross?
In Fort Ross, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after February 26 in half of years and after May 1 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before December 27 in half of years and before December 1 in one year in ten. A night at 32°F or colder comes at all in 87% of years here (NOAA).
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- February 261 year in 10 after May 1; 9 in 10 after December 27
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- December 271 year in 10 before December 1; 9 in 10 before February 27
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 310 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 365 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after January 29 in half of springs and before January 16 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Fort Ross in zone 10a in ZIP code 95450, 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 USC00043191; 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 Fort Ross?
In a normal year in Fort Ross, a 90°F day is rare and 12 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 12a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- fewer than 1high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1897) is 97°F, on September 3, 1950; the lowest is 20°F, on December 8, 1972.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1902, with 76.00 in.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00043191; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00043191. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Fort Ross?
Over a year 79% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Fort Ross, 4.7 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (86%) and December the cloudiest (70%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 73% | 2.3 |
| February | 75% | 3.2 |
| March | 77% | 4.5 |
| April | 81% | 5.9 |
| May | 82% | 6.8 |
| June | 86% | 7.5 |
| July | 79% | 6.6 |
| August | 77% | 5.8 |
| September | 81% | 5.0 |
| October | 81% | 3.8 |
| November | 78% | 2.6 |
| December | 70% | 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 many heating and cooling degree days does Fort Ross record?
A normal year at Fort Ross brings 4,178 heating degree days, 22% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 11 cooling degree days, 99% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,555 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 490 | 0 |
| February | 410 | 0 |
| March | 453 | 0 |
| April | 405 | 0 |
| May | 357 | 0 |
| June | 266 | 0 |
| July | 251 | 1 |
| August | 214 | 1 |
| September | 218 | 2 |
| October | 259 | 4 |
| November | 373 | 1 |
| December | 484 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,178 | 11 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00043191. 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 Fort Ross's climate compare?
Fort Ross is warmer than 37 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 53.6°F is warmer than 55%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Fort Ross is Csb: temperate, 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 Fort Ross share this climate record?
5 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.
- Sea Ranch, CA1,200 people · 19 mi NW
- Anchor Bay, CA770 people · 27 mi NW
- Cazadero, CA435 people · 7 mi E
- Timber Cove, CA181 people · 2 mi NW
- Jenner, CA17 people · 7 mi SE
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 Fort Ross's climate
What is the coldest month at Fort Ross?
January, with a normal high of 57°F and a normal low of 42°F. The warmest is August (67°F by day, 50°F at night).
What is the rainiest month at Fort Ross?
December, with 8.44 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is July with 0.04 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Fort Ross in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Fort Ross in zone 10a in ZIP code 95450, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Fort Ross?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after February 26; in one year in ten it comes after May 1. Waiting until May 1 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- California climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Bodega, CA16 miles from this station, 53.5°F a year
- Occidental, CA17 miles from this station, 57.6°F a year
- Graton, CA21 miles from this station, 57.8°F a year
- Healdsburg, CA22 miles from this station, 60.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made