Monterey, CA Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Pulled from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →: climate measurements used in PlainClimate's documented score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Monterey's primary NOAA station, MONTEREY - 2 stations mapped to the area.
The climate verdict for Monterey
A compact 10.6°F seasonal swing gives Monterey, California a steadier-than-extreme annual shape. NOAA reports an annual average of 57°F. It scores 90/100 for climate comfort (excellent), putting it in the top third of station-mapped location scores and exceeding 91% of them.
- 57°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 90/100
- comfort score, above 91% of station-mapped location scores
- 20.4"
- precipitation, annual total
- 363 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Monterey: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00045795 · Monterey, CA 57°F mean · 20.4" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-NARROW · COMF-TOP · LOAD-HEAT · STN-MULTI · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 57°F
- RANK-UPPER #4,528
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Shelter Cove Av…
- PRCP-DRY 20.4"
- SWING-NARROW 11°F
- COMF-TOP 90/100
- LOAD-HEAT 3,083 HDD
- STN-MULTI USC00045795
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Shelter Cove Aviation, CA (+ 0.1 °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.
- Monterey (this station) 57°F
- Hot Pacifica, CA 57°F
- Near Shelter Cove Av…, CA 57°F
- Near Watsonville, CA 57°F
- Near Monterey Penins…, CA 57°F
Climate Living Index · Monterey
Monterey: 80/100 · grade B
Monterey publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Monterey, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 90/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Frost-free season | 363 days/year | 100/100 · A |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 0 calendar days | 100/100 · A |
| Snowfall burden | 0.3 inches/year | 88/100 · A |
| Annual temperature balance | 56.8°F · 10.7° from 67.5°F | 66/100 · C |
| Precipitation balance | 20.4 in · 14.6 from 35 in | 49/100 · D |
Monterey · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Monterey is a temperate Köppen climate: Csb
Coldest-month mean 51.5°F and warmest-month mean 62.1°F place this station in temperate, dry-summer, warm summer climates (Csb). Class Csb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: temperate, specifically temperate, dry-summer, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Csb
- Group
- Temperate
- Warmest month
- 62.1°F
- Coldest month
- 51.5°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 Monterey sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Monterey's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 66th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 72%
- Monterey's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 99%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Monterey is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Monterey compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Monterey's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
90 Top 9% score exceeds 91% 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%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Below this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Below this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Below this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). This entry sits in this band.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Monterey's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 59 complete annual observations from 1958 to 2025, MONTEREY warmed at a fitted rate of 0.04°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Monterey primary station fitted change +0.04 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60°F (16°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 4.3" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| February | 61°F (16°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 4.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| March | 63°F (17°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 3.3" | 0.2" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| April | 63°F (17°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 1.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| May | 64°F (18°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 0.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| June | 66°F (19°C) | 51°F (10°C) | 58°F (15°C) | 0.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.4 |
| July | 67°F (20°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 60°F (16°C) | 0.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| August | 69°F (20°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 0.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| September | 71°F (22°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 0.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.6 |
| October | 71°F (22°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 0.9" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.8 |
| November | 64°F (18°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 1.8" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| December | 59°F (15°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 3.6" | 0.1" | 0.2 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
The calendar barely moves in Monterey: no date carries a normal high of 90°F or a normal low at freezing. The year runs between 44°F near December 17 and 72°F near October 2.
No freezing date
Not one calendar date in the 1991–2020 record carries a normal low at or below 32°F. The coldest normal low of the year is 44°F around December 17.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is February 19, when 40% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is September 3 at 5%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 75 wet dates a year.
The widest day
October 19 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 20°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Monterey.
Where Monterey Stands Nationally
Among the steadiest day-night climates ranked: even the widest normal daily swing holds to roughly 20°F.
Monterey earns one nationally notable standing (outer quintile) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations, middle-of-the-pack metrics stay silent here.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
10.7 days with precipitation
11.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.2"
9.9 days with precipitation
6.4 days with precipitation
5.3 days with precipitation
2.4 days with precipitation
2.6 days with precipitation
2.4 days with precipitation
1.5 days with precipitation
3.6 days with precipitation
7.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
10.8 days with precipitation
Monterey's wet season runs through the cold months
December, January and February carry 59% of the year's precipitation here, while June through August contribute 1%. 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 an unusually narrow 10.6°F seasonal spread.
- Wettest month
- January, 4.3"
- Driest month
- July, 0.1"
- Wettest three months
- January, February, December (59% 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.
How Monterey's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 74 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 20.4" between them, or roughly 0.27 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Snow reaches Monterey, but rarely amounts to much
The normals record 0.3 inches of snow a year here, most likely in March. That is a real but marginal amount: enough that snow is part of the local record, not enough to define the winter.
A figure in this range usually reflects a handful of events that melt quickly rather than a season of accumulation; about 1 days a year record any measurable snow at all.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. An average across thirty years can smooth away a single heavy winter, so a small annual figure does not mean a significant snowfall is impossible.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
December 30
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
January 1
50% probability date
Growing Season
363 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
3,083
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
89
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
September
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside CA closest to Monterey 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 (57°F here).
- Advance, MO 57°F · 0.0°F off
- Andrews, NC 57°F · 0.0°F off
- Bardstown, KY 57°F · 0.0°F off
- Byrdstown, TN 57°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (20.4" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Pullman, WA 20.4" · 0.0" off
- Sterling City, TX 20.4" · 0.0" off
- Zapata, TX 20.4" · 0.0" off
- Colby, KS 20.4" · 0.0" off
Data-derived climate profile
How Monterey's climate pattern fits together
heating led · moderate · low swing
Heating is the larger measured load in Monterey, at 3,083 degree days versus 89 for cooling. Unlike a strongly continental record, however, its 10.6°F month-to-month range is compact; persistent cool-season demand matters more than a dramatic summer-to-winter reversal.
The frost-free window extends for about 363 days. That is a long calendar measure, but it is not a forecast and does not combine heat, rainfall, soil, or local elevation into a planting recommendation.
Temperature varies within a narrow 10.6°F band across the normal year. September and December mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar. The annual average is 57°F. Monthly rows still matter, but they refine a steady profile rather than reveal two climatic extremes.
Monterey's 20.4 inches of annual precipitation falls in PlainClimate's middle band, so “wet” or “dry” is not the leading description. Recorded annual snowfall is negligible. Temperature balance and the calendar distribution carry more information than the annual moisture label alone.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Monterey's primary station, so the winter figures are a thirty-year average and not a floor: a single hard season can run well below them. Treat each band as a descriptive range for Monterey, not an official NOAA class or a year-ahead forecast.
Questions about Monterey's climate
How much rain does Monterey get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Monterey? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Monterey's primary station: MONTEREY (USC00045795). 2 NOAA stations are mapped to the Monterey area; the primary station's record is used for consistency. For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 0648872). Match rule for Monterey: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Monterey 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.