Mitchell Caverns, California climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Mitchell Caverns's normal year runs from 40°F December nights to 92°F July afternoons, with 10.6 inches of precipitation and less than an inch of snow (0.8 in) a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 17.4°C, December lows of 4°C, July highs of 33°C, 269 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMitchell Caverns
- Station IDUSC00045721
- Location34.94°N 115.55°W
- Elevation4,350 ft (1,326 m)
On October 24, the normal high in Mitchell Caverns is 71°F and the normal low 54°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 8%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Mitchell Caverns.
- Jan 54° 40°
- Feb 55° 41°
- Mar 62° 45°
- Apr 68° 50°
- May 77° 58°
- Jun 87° 69°
- Jul 92° 73°
- Aug 91° 72°
- Sep 85° 68°
- Oct 74° 57°
- Nov 62° 47°
- Dec 53° 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 Mitchell Caverns each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 92°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 40°F. The most precipitation falls in February (1.84 in), the least in June (0.05 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54°F | 40°F | 47.0°F | 1.27 | 5 | <1 | 5 | 10 h |
| February | 55°F | 41°F | 48.3°F | 1.84 | 6 | <1 | 4 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 62°F | 45°F | 53.3°F | 1.58 | 4 | <1 | 2 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 68°F | 50°F | 58.8°F | 0.61 | 2 | <1 | 1 | 13 h |
| May | 77°F | 58°F | 67.7°F | 0.16 | 1 | 3 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 87°F | 69°F | 78.0°F | 0.05 | <1 | 14 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 92°F | 73°F | 82.6°F | 1.08 | 3 | 24 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 91°F | 72°F | 81.6°F | 0.60 | 3 | 21 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 85°F | 68°F | 76.4°F | 0.70 | 3 | 8 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 74°F | 57°F | 65.1°F | 0.57 | 3 | 1 | <1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 62°F | 47°F | 54.6°F | 0.50 | 2 | <1 | 2 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 53°F | 40°F | 46.4°F | 1.63 | 3 | <1 | 6 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 72°F | 55°F | 63.3°F | 10.59 | 34 | 71 | 22 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 12°C | 5°C | 8.3°C | 32 mm |
| February | 13°C | 5°C | 9.1°C | 47 mm |
| March | 17°C | 7°C | 11.8°C | 40 mm |
| April | 20°C | 10°C | 14.9°C | 15 mm |
| May | 25°C | 15°C | 19.8°C | 4 mm |
| June | 31°C | 20°C | 25.6°C | 1 mm |
| July | 33°C | 23°C | 28.1°C | 27 mm |
| August | 33°C | 22°C | 27.6°C | 15 mm |
| September | 29°C | 20°C | 24.7°C | 18 mm |
| October | 23°C | 14°C | 18.4°C | 14 mm |
| November | 17°C | 8°C | 12.6°C | 13 mm |
| December | 12°C | 4°C | 8.0°C | 41 mm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00045721; 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 Mitchell Caverns?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, September and October. Of those, May 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 USC00045721.
When is the last frost at Mitchell Caverns?
In Mitchell Caverns, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after March 6 in half of years and after April 9 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before December 8 in half of years and before November 12 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
- March 61 year in 10 after April 9; 9 in 10 after January 17
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- December 81 year in 10 before November 12; 9 in 10 before January 5
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 272 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 329 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after February 1 in half of springs and before December 25 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Mitchell Caverns in zone 9a in ZIP code 92332, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 9a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 24°F (15 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in California · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00045721; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. 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 Mitchell Caverns?
In a normal year in Mitchell Caverns, 71 days a year reach 90°F (6 of them 100°F or more), 22 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 34 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 71a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 6a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 22a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- fewer than 1high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 34a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1958) is 110°F, on July 23, 1980; the lowest is 8°F, on February 19, 1990.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1983, with 22.85 in; the snowiest season is 2008–09, with 16.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00045721; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00045721. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Mitchell Caverns?
Over a year 93% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Mitchell Caverns, 5.8 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (97%) and December the cloudiest (85%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 87% | 3.3 |
| February | 87% | 4.4 |
| March | 90% | 5.8 |
| April | 92% | 7.1 |
| May | 95% | 8.0 |
| June | 97% | 8.5 |
| July | 93% | 7.7 |
| August | 95% | 7.2 |
| September | 95% | 6.3 |
| October | 93% | 4.9 |
| November | 90% | 3.7 |
| December | 85% | 3.0 |
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 Mitchell Caverns record?
A normal year at Mitchell Caverns brings 2,703 heating degree days, 50% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 2,118 cooling degree days, 2.3 times the median (908). Five months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 5,424 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 558 | 0 |
| February | 468 | 0 |
| March | 368 | 5 |
| April | 219 | 32 |
| May | 73 | 156 |
| June | 8 | 396 |
| July | 0 | 547 |
| August | 0 | 515 |
| September | 7 | 349 |
| October | 104 | 109 |
| November | 323 | 10 |
| December | 575 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 2,703 | 2,118 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00045721. 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 Mitchell Caverns's climate compare?
Mitchell Caverns is warmer than 155 of the 219 places with their own NOAA record in California, and wetter than 45. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 63.3°F is warmer than 84%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Mitchell Caverns is BSk: cold semi-arid steppe. 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.
Questions about Mitchell Caverns's climate
What is the coldest month at Mitchell Caverns?
December, with a normal high of 53°F and a normal low of 40°F. The warmest is July (92°F by day, 73°F at night).
Does it snow at Mitchell Caverns?
Rarely: NOAA's normal is 0.8 inch a year.
What is the rainiest month at Mitchell Caverns?
February, with 1.84 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is June with 0.05 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Mitchell Caverns in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Mitchell Caverns in zone 9a in ZIP code 92332, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 24°F (15 years, 1991-2020): zone 9a.
How late can frost come at Mitchell Caverns?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after March 6; in one year in ten it comes after April 9. Waiting until April 9 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- California climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Baker, CA37 miles from this station, 70.3°F a year
- Searchlight, NV50 miles from this station, 64.0°F a year
- Needles, CA54 miles from this station, 76.2°F a year
- Laughlin, NV57 miles from this station, 74.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made