Willows, California climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Willows's normal year runs from 39°F December nights to 95°F July afternoons, with 21.9 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 17.6°C, December lows of 4°C, July highs of 35°C, 556 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationWillows (6 mi W)
- Station IDUSC00049699
- Location39.52°N 122.30°W
- Elevation234 ft (71 m)
- Population6,079
On October 23, the normal high in Willows is 79°F and the normal low 51°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Willows.
- Jan 58° 40°
- Feb 63° 42°
- Mar 68° 44°
- Apr 75° 47°
- May 83° 54°
- Jun 90° 60°
- Jul 95° 63°
- Aug 94° 61°
- Sep 91° 58°
- Oct 82° 53°
- Nov 67° 44°
- Dec 58° 39°
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 Willows each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 95°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 39°F. The most precipitation falls in January (4.40 in), the least in July (0.03 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 58°F | 40°F | 49.2°F | 4.40 | – | <1 | 6 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 63°F | 42°F | 52.3°F | 4.19 | – | <1 | 4 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 68°F | 44°F | 56.0°F | 2.77 | – | <1 | 2 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 75°F | 47°F | 61.0°F | 1.53 | – | 1 | 1 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 83°F | 54°F | 68.2°F | 1.20 | – | 7 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 90°F | 60°F | 75.1°F | 0.46 | – | 16 | <1 | 15 h |
| July | 95°F | 63°F | 78.8°F | 0.03 | – | 25 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 94°F | 61°F | 77.5°F | 0.07 | – | 25 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 91°F | 58°F | 74.7°F | 0.22 | – | 18 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 82°F | 53°F | 67.1°F | 1.08 | – | 5 | <1 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 67°F | 44°F | 55.6°F | 2.35 | – | <1 | 2 | 10 h |
| December | 58°F | 39°F | 48.7°F | 3.58 | – | <1 | 8 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 77°F | 50°F | 63.7°F | 21.88 | – | 98 | 23 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15°C | 4°C | 9.6°C | 112 mm |
| February | 17°C | 5°C | 11.3°C | 106 mm |
| March | 20°C | 7°C | 13.3°C | 70 mm |
| April | 24°C | 8°C | 16.1°C | 39 mm |
| May | 28°C | 12°C | 20.1°C | 30 mm |
| June | 32°C | 16°C | 23.9°C | 12 mm |
| July | 35°C | 17°C | 26.0°C | 1 mm |
| August | 34°C | 16°C | 25.3°C | 2 mm |
| September | 33°C | 15°C | 23.7°C | 6 mm |
| October | 28°C | 11°C | 19.5°C | 27 mm |
| November | 20°C | 7°C | 13.1°C | 60 mm |
| December | 15°C | 4°C | 9.3°C | 91 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Stony Gorge Reservoir (13 miles away), gets 0 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00049699; 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 Willows?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in March, April, May, October and November.
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 USC00049699.
When is the last frost in Willows?
In Willows, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after February 21 in half of years and after April 9 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before December 6 in half of years and before November 16 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
- February 211 year in 10 after April 9; 9 in 10 after January 4
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- December 61 year in 10 before November 16; 9 in 10 before December 29
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 289 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 348 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after January 5 in half of springs and before December 18 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Willows in zone 9b in ZIP code 95988, 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 USC00049699; 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 Willows?
In a normal year in Willows, 98 days a year reach 90°F (18 of them 100°F or more) and 23 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 98a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 18a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 23a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- fewer than 1high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1906) is 117°F, on July 15, 1972; the lowest is 11°F, on December 22, 1990.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1941, with 36.23 in; the snowiest season is 1972–73, with 8.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00049699; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00049699. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Willows?
Over a year 88% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Willows, 5.2 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (98%) and December the cloudiest (70%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 72% | 2.2 |
| February | 76% | 3.2 |
| March | 78% | 4.5 |
| April | 83% | 6.0 |
| May | 88% | 7.3 |
| June | 94% | 8.2 |
| July | 98% | 8.3 |
| August | 97% | 7.3 |
| September | 95% | 5.9 |
| October | 89% | 4.2 |
| November | 80% | 2.6 |
| December | 70% | 1.9 |
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 Willows need?
A normal year in Willows brings 2,185 heating degree days, 59% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,732 cooling degree days, 91% more than 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 5,247 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 490 | 0 |
| February | 355 | 0 |
| March | 284 | 5 |
| April | 155 | 35 |
| May | 47 | 148 |
| June | 7 | 311 |
| July | 0 | 429 |
| August | 0 | 386 |
| September | 3 | 294 |
| October | 53 | 118 |
| November | 287 | 5 |
| December | 505 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 2,185 | 1,732 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00049699. 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 Willows been warmer than normal lately?
2024 averaged 64.5°F, 0.8°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 63.7°F. 4 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 66.1°F | +2.4°F | 14.80 |
| 2022 | 64.8°F | +1.1°F | 6.71 |
| 2023 | 64.1°F | +0.4°F | 21.20 |
| 2024 | 64.5°F | +0.8°F | 22.38 |
Over 60 complete years from 1931 to 2024, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 1.9°F per century (+0.11°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00049699; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Willows's climate compare?
Willows is warmer than 163 of the other 218 places with their own NOAA record in California, and wetter than 144. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 63.7°F is warmer than 85%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Willows is Csa: temperate, dry-summer, hot 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.
Questions about Willows's climate
What is the coldest month in Willows?
December, with a normal high of 58°F and a normal low of 39°F. The warmest is July (95°F by day, 63°F at night).
Does it snow in Willows?
Rarely. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Willows's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Stony Gorge Reservoir (13 miles away), records 0 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Willows?
January, with 4.40 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is July with 0.03 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Willows in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Willows in zone 9b in ZIP code 95988, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Willows?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after February 21; in one year in ten it comes after April 9. Waiting until April 9 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- California climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Stony Gorge Reservoir, CA13 miles from this station, 59.9°F a year
- East Park Reservoir, CA16 miles from this station, 59.3°F a year
- Orland, CA16 miles from this station, 62.5°F a year
- Colusa, CA27 miles from this station, 61.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made