Occidental, California climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Occidental's normal year runs from 41°F December nights to 78°F August afternoons, with 53.8 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 14.2°C, December lows of 5°C, August highs of 26°C, 1,367 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationOccidental
- Station IDUSC00046370
- Location38.39°N 122.97°W
- Elevation865 ft (264 m)
- Population (census place)1,162
On October 23, the normal high in Occidental is 72°F and the normal low 52°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 16%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Occidental.
- Jan 56° 42°
- Feb 59° 43°
- Mar 61° 44°
- Apr 66° 45°
- May 70° 48°
- Jun 76° 51°
- Jul 78° 52°
- Aug 78° 53°
- Sep 77° 53°
- Oct 73° 52°
- Nov 62° 46°
- Dec 55° 41°
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 Occidental each month?
August is the warmest month, with normal highs of 78°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 41°F. The most precipitation falls in December (11.08 in), the least in July (0.09 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56°F | 42°F | 49.1°F | 10.79 | 12 | <1 | 1 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 59°F | 43°F | 50.7°F | 9.92 | 12 | <1 | 1 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 61°F | 44°F | 52.7°F | 6.99 | 13 | <1 | <1 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 66°F | 45°F | 55.6°F | 3.75 | 7 | <1 | <1 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 70°F | 48°F | 59.1°F | 2.01 | 5 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 76°F | 51°F | 63.7°F | 0.58 | 2 | 3 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 78°F | 52°F | 65.0°F | 0.09 | 1 | 4 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 78°F | 53°F | 65.9°F | 0.09 | 1 | 3 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 77°F | 53°F | 65.1°F | 0.18 | 1 | 3 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 73°F | 52°F | 62.4°F | 2.65 | 4 | 1 | <1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 62°F | 46°F | 54.1°F | 5.70 | 9 | <1 | <1 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 55°F | 41°F | 48.2°F | 11.08 | 13 | <1 | 1 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 68°F | 48°F | 57.6°F | 53.83 | 78 | 15 | 3 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13°C | 6°C | 9.5°C | 274 mm |
| February | 15°C | 6°C | 10.4°C | 252 mm |
| March | 16°C | 7°C | 11.5°C | 178 mm |
| April | 19°C | 7°C | 13.1°C | 95 mm |
| May | 21°C | 9°C | 15.1°C | 51 mm |
| June | 25°C | 11°C | 17.6°C | 15 mm |
| July | 26°C | 11°C | 18.3°C | 2 mm |
| August | 26°C | 12°C | 18.8°C | 2 mm |
| September | 25°C | 12°C | 18.4°C | 5 mm |
| October | 23°C | 11°C | 16.9°C | 67 mm |
| November | 17°C | 8°C | 12.3°C | 145 mm |
| December | 13°C | 5°C | 9.0°C | 281 mm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00046370; 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 Occidental?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, July, August, September and October. Of those, July 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 USC00046370.
When is the last frost in Occidental?
In Occidental, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after January 29 in half of years and after March 17 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before December 30 in half of years and before December 1 in one year in ten. A night at 32°F or colder comes at all in 67% 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
- January 291 year in 10 after March 17; 9 in 10 after December 17
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- December 301 year in 10 before December 1; 9 in 10 before February 27
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 347 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 365 days.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Occidental in zone 9b in ZIP code 95419, 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 USC00046370; 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 Occidental?
In a normal year in Occidental, 15 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more), 3 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 78 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 15a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 3a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- fewer than 1high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 78a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00046370.
How sunny is Occidental?
Over a year 87% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Occidental, 5.1 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (95%) and December the cloudiest (72%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 74% | 2.3 |
| February | 77% | 3.3 |
| March | 78% | 4.6 |
| April | 84% | 6.1 |
| May | 88% | 7.3 |
| June | 93% | 8.1 |
| July | 95% | 8.0 |
| August | 94% | 7.1 |
| September | 93% | 5.8 |
| October | 88% | 4.2 |
| November | 81% | 2.8 |
| December | 72% | 2.0 |
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 much heating and cooling does Occidental need?
A normal year in Occidental brings 3,087 heating degree days, 43% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 404 cooling degree days, 56% fewer than 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 3,083 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 495 | 0 |
| February | 401 | 0 |
| March | 386 | 3 |
| April | 295 | 12 |
| May | 210 | 27 |
| June | 96 | 57 |
| July | 74 | 74 |
| August | 59 | 87 |
| September | 81 | 82 |
| October | 140 | 57 |
| November | 331 | 4 |
| December | 520 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 3,087 | 404 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00046370. 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 Occidental's climate compare?
Occidental is warmer than 55 of the other 218 places with their own NOAA record in California, and wetter than 205. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 57.6°F is warmer than 68%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Occidental 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 Occidental share this climate record?
3 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.
- Monte Rio, CA765 people · 7 mi NW
- Tomales, CA192 people · 10 mi S
- Valley Ford, CA0 people · 5 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 Occidental's climate
What is the coldest month in Occidental?
December, with a normal high of 55°F and a normal low of 41°F. The warmest is August (78°F by day, 53°F at night).
What is the rainiest month in Occidental?
December, with 11.08 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is July with 0.09 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Occidental in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Occidental in zone 9b in ZIP code 95419, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Occidental?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after January 29; in one year in ten it comes after March 17. Waiting until March 17 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- California climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Graton, CA6 miles from this station, 57.8°F a year
- Bodega, CA7 miles from this station, 53.5°F a year
- Santa Rosa, CA12 miles from this station, 58.1°F a year
- Fort Ross, CA17 miles from this station, 53.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made