Climateby Month

Chico, CA climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 198 ft elevation

Chico has hot summers and cool winters. Highs peak at 94°F in July and fall to 57°F in December. The wettest month is January (about 12 wet days) and the driest is July (about 0). Snow is rare. By our comfort score the best month is April.

Warmest month
94°F
July normal high
Coldest month
37°F
December normal low
Wet days a year
63
21.4 in of precipitation
Muggy days a year
0
dew point 65°F or higher

How warm is Chico?

Normal highs range from 57°F in December to 94°F in July.

20°40°60°80°100° January: normal high 57°F (14°C), low 38°F (3°C) 57° 38° February: normal high 62°F (17°C), low 40°F (4°C) March: normal high 67°F (19°C), low 43°F (6°C) April: normal high 73°F (23°C), low 47°F (8°C) May: normal high 81°F (27°C), low 53°F (12°C) June: normal high 89°F (32°C), low 60°F (16°C) July: normal high 94°F (34°C), low 63°F (17°C) 94° 63° August: normal high 93°F (34°C), low 61°F (16°C) September: normal high 90°F (32°C), low 58°F (14°C) October: normal high 80°F (27°C), low 51°F (11°C) November: normal high 65°F (18°C), low 43°F (6°C) December: normal high 57°F (14°C), low 37°F (3°C) JFMAMJJASOND

Bars run from the normal low to the normal high for each month.

How rainy is Chico?

January has the most wet days (about 12); the year brings about 21 in of precipitation.

January: 12 wet days 12 February: 9 wet days March: 9 wet days April: 6 wet days May: 4 wet days June: 1 wet days July: 0 wet days 0 August: 0 wet days September: 1 wet days October: 4 wet days November: 7 wet days December: 11 wet days JFMAMJJASOND

Wet day: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow, counted from daily records 1991-2020.

How humid is Chico?

Muggy days (dew point 65°F or higher) are rare in any month.

January: 0 muggy days 0 February: 0 muggy days March: 0 muggy days April: 0 muggy days May: 0 muggy days June: 0 muggy days July: 0 muggy days 0 August: 0 muggy days September: 0 muggy days October: 0 muggy days November: 0 muggy days December: 0 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at Red Bluff Municipal Arpt, 37 mi NW of the city center (the nearest airport with complete hourly records).

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.4 hours in December to 14.9 hours in June.

January: 9.7 hours of daylight February: 10.7 hours of daylight March: 12.0 hours of daylight April: 13.3 hours of daylight May: 14.4 hours of daylight June: 14.9 hours of daylight 14.9 July: 14.7 hours of daylight August: 13.7 hours of daylight September: 12.4 hours of daylight October: 11.2 hours of daylight November: 10.0 hours of daylight December: 9.4 hours of daylight 9.4 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Chico, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysMuggy daysDaylight
January 57°F38°F 4.5 in12 0 9.7 h
February 62°F40°F 4.1 in9 0 10.7 h
March 67°F43°F 2.8 in9 0 12.0 h
April 73°F47°F 1.4 in6 0 13.3 h
May 81°F53°F 1.1 in4 0 14.4 h
June 89°F60°F 0.4 in1 0 14.9 h
July 94°F63°F 0.02 in0 0 14.7 h
August 93°F61°F 0.08 in0 0 13.7 h
September 90°F58°F 0.2 in1 0 12.4 h
October 80°F51°F 0.9 in4 0 11.2 h
November 65°F43°F 2.0 in7 0 10.0 h
December 57°F37°F 3.8 in11 0 9.4 h

High and low: NOAA 1991-2020 normal daily high and low. Wet days: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow. Muggy days: daily mean dew point 65°F or higher.

Best months to visit Chico

By our comfort score, the best month is April.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 46580
Feb 581070
Mar 691660
Apr 751731
May 681336
Jun 555115
Jul 440024
Aug 421023
Sep 464118
Oct 641424
Nov 631540
Dec 45470

Score = 40 × share of comfortable days + 25 × share of days without notable rain + 20 × share of days neither hot (90°F+) nor cold (high 40°F or below) + 15 × daylight. How the score works.

Frost dates in Chico

The last spring frost typically comes around Mar 4, and the first fall frost around Nov 17, leaving 257 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Chico
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Mar 4after Apr 2
First fall frost (32°F)Nov 17before Nov 1
Last hard freeze (28°F)Feb 5after Mar 1
First hard freeze (28°F)Dec 3before Nov 13
Frost-free season257 daysunder 223 days

"Typical" is the date with a 50% chance of a later spring frost (or earlier fall frost). Planting after the "1 year in 10" spring date gives a 90% chance of no further frost. The Old Farmer's Almanac publishes 30% dates, which fall between our typical and 1-in-10 dates.

Station: Chico Univ Farm (USC00041715), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in California.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 114°F (July 4, 2013); the lowest was 18°F (December 21, 1998).

From the temperature station's daily records with NOAA quality flags removed. Not an all-time record.

Near Chico

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, snowfall and snow depth: Orland (USC00046506), 19 mi W of the city center, 254 ft (56 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Frost dates: Chico Univ Farm (USC00041715), 2.7 mi SSE of the city center, 185 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Humidity and wind by hour and cloud cover: Red Bluff Muni Airport (USW00024216), 37 mi NW of the city center, 353 ft (155 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Red Bluff Municipal Arpt (725910-24216), 37 mi NW of the city center, 355 ft (157 ft higher than the city). Hourly observations, 1991-2020.

Distances from the city center (USGS). Methodology · Report an error