Mammoth Lakes, California climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Mammoth Lakes's normal year runs from 17°F January nights to 78°F July afternoons, with 23.7 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.6°C, January lows of −9°C, July highs of 25°C, 602 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMammoth Lakes Ranger Station
- Station IDUSC00045280
- Location37.65°N 118.96°W
- Elevation7,804 ft (2,379 m)
- Population7,124
On October 14, the normal high in Mammoth Lakes is 61°F and the normal low 30°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Mammoth Lakes.
- Jan 41° 17°
- Feb 41° 18°
- Mar 46° 22°
- Apr 51° 27°
- May 60° 35°
- Jun 70° 42°
- Jul 78° 49°
- Aug 77° 47°
- Sep 71° 40°
- Oct 61° 30°
- Nov 49° 23°
- Dec 41° 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 in Mammoth Lakes each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 78°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 17°F. The most precipitation falls in January (4.20 in), the least in June (0.47 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41°F | 17°F | 28.9°F | 4.20 | – | <1 | 30 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 41°F | 18°F | 29.4°F | 3.77 | – | <1 | 27 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 46°F | 22°F | 33.8°F | 3.28 | – | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 51°F | 27°F | 39.1°F | 1.54 | – | <1 | 23 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 60°F | 35°F | 47.4°F | 1.49 | – | <1 | 14 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 70°F | 42°F | 56.2°F | 0.47 | – | <1 | 3 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 78°F | 49°F | 63.4°F | 0.51 | – | <1 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 77°F | 47°F | 62.4°F | 0.49 | – | <1 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 71°F | 40°F | 55.5°F | 0.47 | – | <1 | 5 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 61°F | 30°F | 45.5°F | 1.43 | – | <1 | 22 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 49°F | 23°F | 36.2°F | 2.00 | – | <1 | 26 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 41°F | 17°F | 29.2°F | 4.07 | – | <1 | 30 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 57°F | 31°F | 43.9°F | 23.72 | – | <1 | 210 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5°C | −9°C | −1.7°C | 107 mm |
| February | 5°C | −8°C | −1.4°C | 96 mm |
| March | 8°C | −5°C | 1.0°C | 83 mm |
| April | 11°C | −3°C | 3.9°C | 39 mm |
| May | 16°C | 1°C | 8.6°C | 38 mm |
| June | 21°C | 6°C | 13.4°C | 12 mm |
| July | 25°C | 9°C | 17.4°C | 13 mm |
| August | 25°C | 9°C | 16.9°C | 12 mm |
| September | 22°C | 4°C | 13.1°C | 12 mm |
| October | 16°C | −1°C | 7.5°C | 36 mm |
| November | 10°C | −5°C | 2.3°C | 51 mm |
| December | 5°C | −8°C | −1.6°C | 103 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Lee Vining (23 miles away), gets 70 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00045280; 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.
When is the best weather to visit Mammoth Lakes?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September.
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 USC00045280.
When is the last frost in Mammoth Lakes?
In Mammoth Lakes, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after June 10 in half of years and after June 30 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 17 in half of years and before September 2 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
- June 101 year in 10 after June 30; 9 in 10 after May 29
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 171 year in 10 before September 2; 9 in 10 before October 2
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 98 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 124 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 31 in half of springs and before October 1 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Mammoth Lakes in zone 6a in ZIP code 93546.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in California · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00045280; 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 in Mammoth Lakes?
In a normal year in Mammoth Lakes, a 90°F day is rare and 210 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
- 210a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 27high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00045280.
How sunny is Mammoth Lakes?
Over a year 85% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Mammoth Lakes, 5.4 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (92%) and December the cloudiest (76%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 77% | 2.8 |
| February | 76% | 3.7 |
| March | 77% | 4.9 |
| April | 79% | 6.2 |
| May | 82% | 7.2 |
| June | 91% | 8.3 |
| July | 89% | 7.8 |
| August | 92% | 7.3 |
| September | 92% | 6.2 |
| October | 89% | 4.6 |
| November | 83% | 3.2 |
| December | 76% | 2.4 |
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 much heating and cooling does Mammoth Lakes need?
A normal year in Mammoth Lakes brings 7,722 heating degree days, 44% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 65 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 1,322 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,119 | 0 |
| February | 998 | 0 |
| March | 966 | 0 |
| April | 775 | 0 |
| May | 544 | 0 |
| June | 268 | 5 |
| July | 86 | 34 |
| August | 104 | 23 |
| September | 286 | 2 |
| October | 606 | 0 |
| November | 863 | 0 |
| December | 1,108 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,722 | 65 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00045280. 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 Mammoth Lakes's climate compare?
Mammoth Lakes is warmer than 1 of the other 218 places with their own NOAA record in California, and wetter than 151. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 43.9°F is warmer than 15%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Mammoth Lakes 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 Mammoth Lakes 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.
- Crowley Lake, CA1,129 people · 13 mi SE
- Aspen Springs, CA241 people · 16 mi SE
- June Lake, CA209 people · 11 mi NW
- Sunny Slopes, CA95 people · 17 mi E
- McGee Creek, CA0 people · 11 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 Mammoth Lakes's climate
What is the coldest month in Mammoth Lakes?
January, with a normal high of 41°F and a normal low of 17°F. The warmest is July (78°F by day, 49°F at night).
Does it snow in Mammoth Lakes?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Mammoth Lakes's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Lee Vining (23 miles away), records 70 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Mammoth Lakes?
January, with 4.20 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is June with 0.47 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Mammoth Lakes in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Mammoth Lakes in zone 6a in ZIP code 93546.
How late can frost come in Mammoth Lakes?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after June 10; in one year in ten it comes after June 30. Waiting until June 30 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Mammoth Lakes in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- California climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Lee Vining, CA23 miles from this station, 48.6°F a year
- Tuolumne Meadows Ranger Station, CA26 miles from this station, 38.4°F a year
- Huntington Lake, CA32 miles from this station, 45.3°F a year
- Yosemite Park Headquarters, CA35 miles from this station, 54.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made