Pinnacles National Monument, 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 Pinnacles National Monument's primary NOAA station, PINNACLES NM.
The climate verdict for Pinnacles National Monument
Dryness leads the climate profile for Pinnacles National Monument, California, with 16.6 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 60°F. Its climate comfort score of 73/100 (good) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 66% of station-mapped location scores.
- 60°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 73/100
- comfort score, above 66% of station-mapped location scores
- 16.6"
- precipitation, annual total
- 194 days
- frost-free growing season
Pinnacles National Monument: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00046926 · Pinnacles National Monument, CA 60°F mean · 16.6" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-NARROW · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 60°F
- RANK-UPPER #5,077
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Merced
- PRCP-DRY 16.6"
- SWING-NARROW 26°F
- COMF-MID 73/100
- LOAD-HEAT 2,857 HDD
- STN-1 USC00046926
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Merced, 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.
- Pinnacles Natio… (this station) 60°F
- Hot Paso Robles, CA 60°F
- Near Merced, CA 60°F
- Near Paso Robles, CA 60°F
- Near Ukiah, CA 60°F
Climate Living Index · Pinnacles National Monument
Pinnacles National Monument: 68/100 · grade C
Pinnacles National Monument publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Pinnacles National Monument, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 73/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Snowfall burden | 0.1 inches/year | 89/100 · A |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 96 calendar days | 77/100 · B |
| Annual temperature balance | 59.6°F · 7.9° from 67.5°F | 75/100 · B |
| Frost-free season | 194 days/year | 60/100 · C |
| Precipitation balance | 16.6 in · 18.4 from 35 in | 34/100 · F |
Pinnacles National Monument · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Pinnacles National Monument is a temperate Köppen climate: Csa
Coldest-month mean 47.7°F and warmest-month mean 73.2°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
- 73.2°F
- Coldest month
- 47.7°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 Pinnacles National Monument sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Pinnacles National Monument's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Top 26% warmest
- Among 6,861 stations, Pinnacles National Monument sits in the warmer third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 79%
- Pinnacles National Monument's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 94%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Pinnacles National Monument is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Pinnacles National Monument compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Pinnacles National Monument's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
73 Top 34% score exceeds 66% 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%). This entry sits in this band.
- 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
Pinnacles National Monument's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 43 complete annual observations from 1937 to 2025, PINNACLES NM warmed at a fitted rate of 0.11°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Pinnacles National Monument primary station fitted change +0.11 °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 | 63°F (17°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 3.5" | 0.1" | 15.6 | 0.0 |
| February | 64°F (18°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 3.5" | 0.0" | 11.1 | 0.0 |
| March | 68°F (20°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 53°F (11°C) | 2.8" | 0.0" | 7.6 | 0.1 |
| April | 72°F (22°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 1.0" | 0.0" | 4.4 | 1.3 |
| May | 80°F (27°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 62°F (16°C) | 0.6" | 0.0" | 0.9 | 5.6 |
| June | 89°F (32°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 0.1" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 15.5 |
| July | 96°F (36°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 25.8 |
| August | 96°F (35°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 25.8 |
| September | 92°F (33°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 0.1" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 19.1 |
| October | 83°F (28°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 0.7" | 0.0" | 1.5 | 8.4 |
| November | 70°F (21°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 1.3" | 0.0" | 8.2 | 0.7 |
| December | 62°F (17°C) | 33°F (1°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 3.1" | 0.0" | 17.3 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
The year in Pinnacles National Monument runs from a mild 33°F around December 13 to 97°F at the peak near July 23, and the normal low never reaches freezing on any date in the record.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from June 20 through September 23, covering 96 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs April 4 to November 16.
This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.
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 33°F around December 13.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is February 18, when 40% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is July 29 at 1%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 66 wet dates a year.
The widest day
July 23 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 46°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Pinnacles National Monument.
Where Pinnacles National Monument Stands Nationally
Summers here run among the most heat-heavy normals calendars in the country: on about 96 days a year the normal daily high itself reaches 90°F — a count fewer than one station in ten exceeds.
Day-to-night contrast is extreme by national standards — the widest normal daily swing reaches about 46°F, sharper than nine in ten ranked stations see.
Pinnacles National Monument earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 0.1"
12.2 days with precipitation
11.2 days with precipitation
10.1 days with precipitation
5.7 days with precipitation
3.3 days with precipitation
0.7 days with precipitation
0.3 days with precipitation
0.3 days with precipitation
0.6 days with precipitation
2.9 days with precipitation
7.2 days with precipitation
12.0 days with precipitation
Pinnacles National Monument's wet season runs through the cold months
December, January and February carry 60% 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 25.5°F seasonal spread.
- Wettest month
- January, 3.5"
- Driest month
- August, 0.0"
- Wettest three months
- January, February, December (60% 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 Pinnacles National Monument's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 67 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 16.6" between them, or roughly 0.25 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 Pinnacles National Monument, but rarely amounts to much
The normals record 0.1 inches of snow a year here, most likely in January. 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 0 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
November 3
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 23
50% probability date
Growing Season
194 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
2,857
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
920
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside CA closest to Pinnacles National Monument 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 (60°F here).
- Addison, AL 60°F · 0.0°F off
- Clarksville, VA 60°F · 0.0°F off
- Enid, OK 60°F · 0.0°F off
- Erick, OK 60°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (16.6" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Tierra Amarilla, NM 16.6" · 0.0" off
- Capitan, NM 16.6" · 0.0" off
- Grenville, NM 16.6" · 0.0" off
- Campo, CO 16.6" · 0.0" off
Data-derived climate profile
How Pinnacles National Monument's climate pattern fits together
heating led · dry · low swing
Heating is the larger measured load in Pinnacles National Monument, at 2,857 degree days versus 920 for cooling. Unlike a strongly continental record, however, its 25.5°F month-to-month range is compact; persistent cool-season demand matters more than a dramatic summer-to-winter reversal.
Pinnacles National Monument's frost-free season lasts about 194 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
The calendar stays thermally compact and dry. July and December mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar, only 25.5°F apart, while the annual precipitation total remains below PlainClimate's dry threshold. The annual average is 60°F. The monthly rows show whether that limited precipitation is spread through the year or concentrated in a shorter interval.
Pinnacles National Monument's cold-season load does not imply a wet climate. Annual precipitation is 16.6 inches, which places the station in PlainClimate's dry range. Recorded annual snowfall is negligible. The snowfall and rainfall fields should be read separately rather than inferred from temperature.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Pinnacles National Monument'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 Pinnacles National Monument, not an official NOAA class or a year-ahead forecast.
Questions about Pinnacles National Monument's climate
How much rain does Pinnacles National Monument get? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Pinnacles National Monument get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Pinnacles National Monument? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Pinnacles National Monument's primary station: PINNACLES NM (USC00046926). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The conservative exact name-and-state crosswalk finds no Census place match, so PlainClimate treats this as a station-mapped location and does not claim it is a municipality. No exact Gazetteer row for Pinnacles National Monument; facility counts that depend on place identity are therefore an upper bound, not a municipal census.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Pinnacles National Monument 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.