Taft, California climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Taft's normal year runs from 41°F December nights to 99°F July afternoons, with 6.0 inches of precipitation and less than an inch of snow (0.2 in) a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 18.7°C, December lows of 5°C, July highs of 37°C, 152 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationTaft
- Station IDUSC00048752
- Location35.15°N 119.43°W
- Elevation773 ft (236 m)
- Population6,988
On October 23, the normal high in Taft is 78°F and the normal low 52°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 8%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Taft.
- Jan 59° 41°
- Feb 63° 44°
- Mar 70° 48°
- Apr 76° 50°
- May 84° 56°
- Jun 93° 60°
- Jul 99° 68°
- Aug 98° 66°
- Sep 92° 62°
- Oct 81° 54°
- Nov 67° 47°
- Dec 59° 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 Taft each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 99°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 41°F. The most precipitation falls in February (1.21 in), the least in August (0.01 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 59°F | 41°F | 49.8°F | 1.09 | 9 | <1 | 2 | 10 h |
| February | 63°F | 44°F | 53.4°F | 1.21 | 8 | <1 | 1 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 70°F | 48°F | 59.2°F | 0.97 | 5 | <1 | <1 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 76°F | 50°F | 62.8°F | 0.58 | 4 | 2 | <1 | 13 h |
| May | 84°F | 56°F | 70.3°F | 0.41 | 2 | 9 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 93°F | 60°F | 76.2°F | 0.04 | <1 | 20 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 99°F | 68°F | 83.3°F | 0.02 | <1 | 29 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 98°F | 66°F | 81.9°F | 0.01 | <1 | 29 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 92°F | 62°F | 77.3°F | 0.06 | 1 | 19 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 81°F | 54°F | 67.5°F | 0.32 | 2 | 4 | <1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 67°F | 47°F | 56.8°F | 0.39 | 4 | <1 | <1 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 59°F | 41°F | 49.6°F | 0.88 | 6 | <1 | 3 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 78°F | 53°F | 65.7°F | 5.98 | 42 | 113 | 7 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15°C | 5°C | 9.9°C | 28 mm |
| February | 17°C | 7°C | 11.9°C | 31 mm |
| March | 21°C | 9°C | 15.1°C | 25 mm |
| April | 24°C | 10°C | 17.1°C | 15 mm |
| May | 29°C | 14°C | 21.3°C | 10 mm |
| June | 34°C | 15°C | 24.6°C | 1 mm |
| July | 37°C | 20°C | 28.5°C | 1 mm |
| August | 37°C | 19°C | 27.7°C | 0 mm |
| September | 34°C | 17°C | 25.2°C | 2 mm |
| October | 27°C | 12°C | 19.7°C | 8 mm |
| November | 19°C | 8°C | 13.8°C | 10 mm |
| December | 15°C | 5°C | 9.8°C | 22 mm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00048752; 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 Taft?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in March, April, May, October and November. Of those, October has the fewest days with rain (2).
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 USC00048752.
When is the last frost in Taft?
In Taft, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after January 24 in half of years and after March 12 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before December 17 in half of years and before December 1 in one year in ten. A night at 32°F or colder comes at all in 91% 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 241 year in 10 after March 12; 9 in 10 after December 25
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- December 171 year in 10 before December 1; 9 in 10 before January 15
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 330 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 365 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after January 3 in half of springs and before December 27 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Taft in zone 9b in ZIP code 93268.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in California · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00048752; 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 Taft?
In a normal year in Taft, 113 days a year reach 90°F (34 of them 100°F or more), 7 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 42 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 113a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 34a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 7a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- fewer than 1high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 42a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00048752.
How sunny is Taft?
Over a year 91% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Taft, 5.6 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (98%) and January the cloudiest (74%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 74% | 2.7 |
| February | 81% | 3.8 |
| March | 85% | 5.2 |
| April | 88% | 6.6 |
| May | 93% | 7.8 |
| June | 97% | 8.5 |
| July | 97% | 8.1 |
| August | 98% | 7.5 |
| September | 97% | 6.3 |
| October | 92% | 4.7 |
| November | 85% | 3.3 |
| December | 77% | 2.5 |
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 Taft need?
A normal year in Taft brings 1,935 heating degree days, 64% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 2,206 cooling degree days, 2.4 times the median (908). Three months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 5,940 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 471 | 0 |
| February | 324 | 1 |
| March | 199 | 19 |
| April | 125 | 59 |
| May | 33 | 195 |
| June | 4 | 340 |
| July | 0 | 565 |
| August | 0 | 524 |
| September | 1 | 368 |
| October | 48 | 127 |
| November | 254 | 7 |
| December | 476 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 1,935 | 2,206 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00048752. 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 Taft's climate compare?
Taft is warmer than 190 of the other 218 places with their own NOAA record in California, and wetter than 19. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 65.7°F is warmer than 89%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Taft is BWh: hot desert. 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 Taft share this climate record?
9 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.
- Ford City, CA4,310 people · 2 mi NW
- Pine Mountain Club, CA2,661 people · 26 mi SE
- South Taft, CA2,534 people · 2 mi SW
- Taft Heights, CA1,588 people · 3 mi SW
- Maricopa, CA1,012 people · 7 mi S
- Dustin Acres, CA628 people · 5 mi NE
- Valley Acres, CA437 people · 4 mi N
- Derby Acres, CA335 people · 12 mi NW
- Fellows, CA72 people · 7 mi W
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 Taft's climate
What is the coldest month in Taft?
December, with a normal high of 59°F and a normal low of 41°F. The warmest is July (99°F by day, 68°F at night).
Does it snow in Taft?
Rarely: NOAA's normal is 0.2 inch a year.
What is the rainiest month in Taft?
February, with 1.21 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is August with 0.01 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Taft in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Taft in zone 9b in ZIP code 93268.
How late can frost come in Taft?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after January 24; in one year in ten it comes after March 12. Waiting until March 12 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- California climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Buttonwillow, CA17 miles from this station, 64.5°F a year
- New Cuyama, CA20 miles from this station, 59.4°F a year
- Shafter, CA28 miles from this station, 62.9°F a year
- Oildale, CA29 miles from this station, 65.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made