Climateby Month

Modesto, CA climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 88 ft elevation

Summers in Modesto are hot; winters are cool. Highs peak at 95°F in July and fall to 56°F in January. The wettest month is January (about 10 wet days) and the driest is July (about 0). Snow is rare. The most comfortable time to visit is April.

Warmest month
95°F
July normal high
Coldest month
39°F
December normal low
Wet days a year
53
12.3 in of precipitation
Muggy days a year
0
dew point 65°F or higher

How warm is Modesto?

Normal highs range from 56°F in January to 95°F in July.

20°40°60°80°100° January: normal high 56°F (13°C), low 39°F (4°C) 56° 39° February: normal high 62°F (17°C), low 42°F (6°C) March: normal high 68°F (20°C), low 45°F (7°C) April: normal high 74°F (23°C), low 48°F (9°C) May: normal high 82°F (28°C), low 54°F (12°C) June: normal high 90°F (32°C), low 59°F (15°C) July: normal high 95°F (35°C), low 63°F (17°C) 95° 63° August: normal high 94°F (34°C), low 62°F (17°C) September: normal high 89°F (32°C), low 59°F (15°C) October: normal high 79°F (26°C), low 52°F (11°C) November: normal high 66°F (19°C), low 43°F (6°C) December: normal high 56°F (13°C), low 39°F (4°C) JFMAMJJASOND

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

How rainy is Modesto?

January has the most wet days (about 10); the year brings about 12 in of precipitation.

January: 10 wet days 10 February: 9 wet days March: 8 wet days April: 5 wet days May: 3 wet days June: 1 wet days July: 0 wet days 0 August: 0 wet days September: 0 wet days October: 2 wet days November: 6 wet days December: 9 wet days JFMAMJJASOND

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

How humid is Modesto?

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 August: 0 muggy days September: 0 muggy days 0 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 Mdsto Cty-Co H Sham Fd Apt, 2.5 mi ESE of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.6 hours in December to 14.7 hours in June.

January: 9.9 hours of daylight February: 10.8 hours of daylight March: 12.0 hours of daylight April: 13.2 hours of daylight May: 14.2 hours of daylight June: 14.7 hours of daylight 14.7 July: 14.5 hours of daylight August: 13.6 hours of daylight September: 12.4 hours of daylight October: 11.2 hours of daylight November: 10.2 hours of daylight December: 9.6 hours of daylight 9.6 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Modesto, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysMuggy daysDaylight
January 56°F39°F 2.6 in10 0 9.9 h
February 62°F42°F 2.2 in9 0 10.8 h
March 68°F45°F 1.8 in8 0 12.0 h
April 74°F48°F 1.0 in5 0 13.2 h
May 82°F54°F 0.7 in3 0 14.2 h
June 90°F59°F 0.1 in1 0 14.7 h
July 95°F63°F 0.0 in0 0 14.5 h
August 94°F62°F 0.01 in0 0 13.6 h
September 89°F59°F 0.06 in0 0 12.4 h
October 79°F52°F 0.6 in2 0 11.2 h
November 66°F43°F 1.1 in6 0 10.2 h
December 56°F39°F 2.2 in9 0 9.6 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 Modesto

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 46360
Feb 591060
Mar 731950
Apr 771931
May 691327
Jun 533016
Jul 420026
Aug 420023
Sep 484015
Oct 701713
Nov 671630
Dec 44260

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 Modesto

The last spring frost typically comes around Jan 31, and the first fall frost around Dec 5, leaving 312 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Modesto
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Jan 31after Feb 25
First fall frost (32°F)Dec 5before Nov 20
Last hard freeze (28°F)Jan 8after Feb 6
First hard freeze (28°F)Dec 21before Dec 1
Frost-free season312 daysunder 279 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: Modesto City Co Airport (USW00023258), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in California.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 113°F (July 24, 2006, and 1 other day); the lowest was 21°F (December 23, 1998).

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

Near Modesto

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain and frost dates: Modesto City Co Airport (USW00023258), 2.7 mi ESE of the city center, 73 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Snowfall and snow depth: Turlock #2 (USC00049073), 13 mi SE of the city center, 103 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Humidity and wind by hour and cloud cover: Stockton Metro Airport (USW00023237), 21 mi NW of the city center, 26 ft (62 ft lower than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Mdsto Cty-Co H Sham Fd Apt (724926-23258), 2.5 mi ESE of the city center, 87 ft . Hourly observations, 1991-2020.

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