Alturas, CA climate
Alturas has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 22 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Alturas feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Alturas weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 20° | 1.4" | 6.1" | 9 | 10 | 24° – 40° |
| February | 47° | 22° | 1.2" | 3.3" | 8 | 4 | 27° – 42° |
| March | 53° | 26° | 1.4" | 2.3" | 9 | 2 | 34° – 46° |
| April | 59° | 30° | 1.4" | 0.8" | 9 | 1 | 40° – 50° |
| May | 68° | 37° | 1.5" | 0 | 9 | 0 | 45° – 59° |
| June | 78° | 42° | 0.7" | 0 | 5 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| July | 89° | 48° | 0.2" | 0 | 2 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| August | 87° | 46° | 0.3" | 0 | 2 | 0 | 63° – 71° |
| September | 80° | 39° | 0.4" | 0 | 3 | 0 | 56° – 64° |
| October | 66° | 31° | 0.8" | 0.3" | 5 | 0 | 44° – 54° |
| November | 51° | 25° | 1.3" | 2.8" | 9 | 2 | 28° – 43° |
| December | 42° | 20° | 1.6" | 6.6" | 10 | 8 | 25° – 35° |
| Year | 64° | 32° | 12.3" | 22.2" | 80 | 26 |
“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.
Rain and snow in Alturas
Alturas gets 12 inches of rain and melted snow a year. December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 80 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 26 days of the year.
About 97 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 3 and the first one by September 12. That leaves about 97 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 99% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Alturas
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Alturas, 97% of that work is heating and 3% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.
Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.
How Alturas compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Alturas averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.6°). The shift is larger than in 73% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Alturas’s spot on NOAA’s grid
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. January swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 24° to 40°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Common questions about Alturas’s climate
What is the coldest month in Alturas?
December, with a typical high of 42° and a low of 20°.
What is the hottest month in Alturas?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 48°. About 40 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Alturas get?
About 22 inches in a normal winter, most of it in December.
When is the first frost in Alturas?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by September 12, and the last spring frost by June 3.
What is the rainiest month in Alturas?
December, with 1.6 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 12 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Alturas itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Cedarville, CA (19 mi, snow) and Alturas Municipal Airport, CA (1 mi, frost, heat and degree days). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.