Placerville, Colorado climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Placerville's normal year runs from 13°F January nights to 83°F July afternoons, with 21.5 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.4°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 28°C, 547 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationPlacerville
- Station IDUSC00056520
- Location38.02°N 108.05°W
- Elevation7,383 ft (2,250 m)
- Population (census place)336
On October 23, the normal high in Placerville is 59°F and the normal low 27°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Placerville.
- Jan 40° 13°
- Feb 43° 16°
- Mar 52° 22°
- Apr 58° 28°
- May 68° 35°
- Jun 80° 45°
- Jul 83° 50°
- Aug 80° 49°
- Sep 74° 42°
- Oct 62° 30°
- Nov 50° 19°
- Dec 40° 12°
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 Placerville each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 83°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 13°F. The most precipitation falls in August (2.56 in), the least in June (0.81 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40°F | 13°F | 26.3°F | 1.42 | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 43°F | 16°F | 29.2°F | 1.53 | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 52°F | 22°F | 36.9°F | 1.83 | – | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 58°F | 28°F | 43.2°F | 1.61 | – | <1 | 22 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 68°F | 35°F | 51.4°F | 1.83 | – | <1 | 11 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 80°F | 45°F | 62.2°F | 0.81 | – | 2 | 1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 83°F | 50°F | 66.7°F | 2.47 | – | 3 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 80°F | 49°F | 64.4°F | 2.56 | – | 1 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 74°F | 42°F | 57.9°F | 2.52 | – | <1 | 2 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 62°F | 30°F | 45.8°F | 2.17 | – | <1 | 18 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 50°F | 19°F | 34.3°F | 1.62 | – | <1 | 29 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 40°F | 12°F | 26.4°F | 1.15 | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 61°F | 30°F | 45.4°F | 21.52 | – | 7 | 202 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5°C | −11°C | −3.2°C | 36 mm |
| February | 6°C | −9°C | −1.6°C | 39 mm |
| March | 11°C | −5°C | 2.7°C | 46 mm |
| April | 15°C | −2°C | 6.2°C | 41 mm |
| May | 20°C | 2°C | 10.8°C | 46 mm |
| June | 27°C | 7°C | 16.8°C | 21 mm |
| July | 28°C | 10°C | 19.3°C | 63 mm |
| August | 27°C | 10°C | 18.0°C | 65 mm |
| September | 23°C | 5°C | 14.4°C | 64 mm |
| October | 17°C | −1°C | 7.7°C | 55 mm |
| November | 10°C | −7°C | 1.3°C | 41 mm |
| December | 5°C | −11°C | −3.1°C | 29 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Telluride (11 miles away), gets 131 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00056520; 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 Placerville?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September.
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 USC00056520.
When is the last frost in Placerville?
In Placerville, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 26 in half of years and after June 6 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 29 in half of years and before September 17 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
- May 261 year in 10 after June 6; 9 in 10 after May 14
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 291 year in 10 before September 17; 9 in 10 before October 10
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 125 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 146 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 13 in half of springs and before October 6 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Placerville in zone 5b in ZIP code 81430, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Colorado · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00056520; 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 Placerville?
In a normal year in Placerville, 7 days a year reach 90°F and 202 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 7a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 202a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 18high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00056520.
How sunny is Placerville?
Over a year 81% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Placerville, 5.1 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (88%) and December the cloudiest (75%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 78% | 2.7 |
| February | 76% | 3.6 |
| March | 78% | 4.9 |
| April | 79% | 6.1 |
| May | 81% | 7.1 |
| June | 88% | 8.0 |
| July | 82% | 7.1 |
| August | 81% | 6.3 |
| September | 85% | 5.5 |
| October | 83% | 4.2 |
| November | 81% | 3.0 |
| December | 75% | 2.3 |
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 Placerville need?
A normal year in Placerville brings 7,280 heating degree days, 36% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 154 cooling degree days, 83% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,781 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,200 | 0 |
| February | 1,004 | 0 |
| March | 870 | 0 |
| April | 653 | 0 |
| May | 423 | 1 |
| June | 117 | 32 |
| July | 26 | 77 |
| August | 57 | 38 |
| September | 218 | 5 |
| October | 595 | 0 |
| November | 921 | 0 |
| December | 1,198 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,280 | 154 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00056520. 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.
Has Placerville been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 47.6°F, 2.2°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 45.4°F. 2 of the 4 complete years since 2022 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 44.9°F | −0.5°F | 18.90 |
| 2023 | 44.8°F | −0.6°F | 19.29 |
| 2024 | 46.8°F | +1.4°F | 21.43 |
| 2025 | 47.6°F | +2.2°F | 16.21 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00056520. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Placerville's climate compare?
Placerville is warmer than 43 of the other 124 places with their own NOAA record in Colorado, and wetter than 111. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 45.4°F is warmer than 21%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Placerville is Dfb: continental, no dry season, 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 Placerville share this climate record?
Sawpit has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its 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.
- Sawpit, CO39 people · 3 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 Placerville's climate
What is the coldest month in Placerville?
January, with a normal high of 40°F and a normal low of 13°F. The warmest is July (83°F by day, 50°F at night).
Does it snow in Placerville?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Placerville's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Telluride (11 miles away), records 131 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Placerville?
August, with 2.56 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is June with 0.81 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Placerville in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Placerville in zone 5b in ZIP code 81430, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Placerville?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 26; in one year in ten it comes after June 6. Waiting until June 6 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Colorado climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Telluride, CO11 miles from this station, 38.1°F a year
- Norwood, CO15 miles from this station, 46.8°F a year
- Ridgway, CO19 miles from this station, 44.1°F a year
- Ouray, CO21 miles from this station, 45.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made