Nevada City, CA Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, plus PlainClimate's derived comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Nevada City's primary NOAA station, NEVADA CITY.
The climate verdict for Nevada City
Water is the standout signal in Nevada City, California: 62.3 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records an annual average of 56°F. Its climate comfort score of 58/100 (moderate) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 37% of station-mapped location scores.
- 56°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 58/100
- comfort score, above 37% of station-mapped location scores
- 62.3"
- annual precipitation · 15" snow
- 220 days
- frost-free growing season
Nevada City: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00046136 · Nevada City, CA 56°F mean · 62.3" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-WET · SWING-MID · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 56°F
- RANK-UPPER #4,391
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Trinity Rvr Hat…
- PRCP-WET 62.3"
- SWING-MID 32°F
- COMF-MID 58/100
- LOAD-HEAT 4,038 HDD
- STN-1 USC00046136
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Trinity Rvr Hatchery, 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.
- Nevada City (this station) 56°F
- Cold Groveland, CA 56°F
- Hot N Fork, NC 56°F
- Near Trinity Rvr Hat…, CA 56°F
- Near Loraine, CA 56°F
Climate Living Index · Nevada City
Nevada City: 65/100 · grade C
Nevada City publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Nevada City, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 58/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 0 calendar days | 100/100 · A |
| Frost-free season | 220 days/year | 77/100 · B |
| Annual temperature balance | 56.2°F · 11.3° from 67.5°F | 64/100 · C |
| Snowfall burden | 14.5 inches/year | 57/100 · C |
| Precipitation balance | 62.3 in · 27.3 from 35 in | 7/100 · F |
Nevada City · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Nevada City is a temperate Köppen climate: Csa
Coldest-month mean 41.5°F and warmest-month mean 73.5°F place this station in temperate, dry-summer, hot summer climates (Csa). Class Csa is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: temperate, specifically temperate, dry-summer, hot summer.
- Köppen code
- Csa
- Group
- Temperate
- Warmest month
- 73.5°F
- Coldest month
- 41.5°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 Nevada City sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Nevada City's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 64th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Top 4% wettest
- Nevada City's annual total ranks in the wetter third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 88%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Nevada City is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Nevada City compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Nevada City's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
58 37th percentile score exceeds 37% 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%). This entry sits in this band.
- 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
Nevada City's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 87 complete annual observations from 1894 to 2025, NEVADA CITY changed little at a fitted rate of 0.00°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Nevada City primary station fitted change +0.00 °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 | 51°F (10°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 10.9" | 2.3" | 10.1 | 0.0 |
| February | 53°F (12°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 10.5" | 4.6" | 9.8 | 0.0 |
| March | 57°F (14°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 9.9" | 3.2" | 7.8 | 0.0 |
| April | 63°F (17°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 5.2" | 0.9" | 4.2 | 0.0 |
| May | 71°F (21°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 2.9" | 0.0" | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| June | 79°F (26°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 67°F (19°C) | 0.9" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 3.5 |
| July | 87°F (31°C) | 60°F (15°C) | 74°F (23°C) | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 11.2 |
| August | 87°F (30°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 0.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 9.7 |
| September | 82°F (28°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 69°F (20°C) | 0.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 4.2 |
| October | 71°F (21°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 2.9" | 0.0" | 0.4 | 0.6 |
| November | 57°F (14°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 6.2" | 0.8" | 4.5 | 0.0 |
| December | 48°F (9°C) | 35°F (1°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 12.2" | 2.7" | 11.6 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
The calendar barely moves in Nevada City: no date carries a normal high of 90°F or a normal low at freezing. The year runs between 34°F near December 17 and 88°F near July 25.
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 34°F around December 17.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is February 18, when 44% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is July 16 at 2%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 85 wet dates a year.
The widest day
August 20 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 28°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Nevada City.
Where Nevada City Stands Nationally
This is one of the wettest normals climates ranked: about 62 inches of precipitation in a normal year, a total fewer than one station in ten surpasses.
Nevada City 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
Snow: 2.3"
13.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 4.6"
12.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.2"
12.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.9"
9.1 days with precipitation
6.2 days with precipitation
2.6 days with precipitation
0.3 days with precipitation
0.9 days with precipitation
2.0 days with precipitation
4.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.8"
9.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.7"
12.2 days with precipitation
Nevada City's wet season runs through the cold months
December, January and February carry 54% of the year's precipitation here, while June through August contribute 2%. 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 32°F seasonal spread.
- Wettest month
- December, 12.2"
- Driest month
- July, 0.0"
- Wettest three months
- December, January, February (54% 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 Nevada City, it arrives in quantity
62.3" of precipitation falls across only about 85 wet days here, averaging 0.73 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 85 a year, 23% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.73 inches
- Most wet days
- January, about 14
- Fewest wet days
- July, about 0
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 Nevada City
Nevada City averages 14.5 inches of snowfall a year, with February the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 8 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: 14.5 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 8 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 2% 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
November 20
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 14
50% probability date
Growing Season
220 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
4,038
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
847
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside CA closest to Nevada City 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 (56°F here).
- Baltimore, MD 56°F · 0.0°F off
- Cape May, NJ 56°F · 0.0°F off
- Carrizozo, NM 56°F · 0.0°F off
- Galena, MO 56°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (62.3" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Geneva, AL 62.3" · 0.0" off
- Gustavus, AK 62.3" · 0.0" off
- Iuka, MS 62.3" · 0.1" off
- Elizabeth, LA 62.1" · 0.1" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Nevada City
heating led · wet · mid swing
Nevada City's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 4,038 annual heating degree days against 847 for cooling. Its 32.0°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Nevada City's frost-free season lasts about 220 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Nevada City coldest normal
December
The coldest month still averages 42°F (5°C), above freezing, so this calendar has no hard winter.
-
2. Nevada City typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Nevada City snow peak
February
Nevada City averages 14.5 inches of snow a year, with February the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Nevada City's climate
How much snow does Nevada City get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Nevada City? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Nevada City's primary station: NEVADA CITY (USC00046136). 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 0650874). Match rule for Nevada City: 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 Nevada City 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.