Climateby Month

Riverside, CA climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 829 ft elevation · also covers Jurupa Valley

Summers in Riverside are hot; winters are mild. Highs peak at 95°F in August and fall to 67°F in December. The wettest month is February (about 6 wet days) and the driest is June (about 0). Snow is rare. The most comfortable time to visit is March, April and May.

Warmest month
95°F
August normal high
Coldest month
43°F
December normal low
Wet days a year
28
10.0 in of precipitation
Muggy days a year
2
dew point 65°F or higher

How warm is Riverside?

Normal highs range from 67°F in December to 95°F in August.

40°60°80°100° January: normal high 68°F (20°C), low 44°F (7°C) February: normal high 68°F (20°C), low 45°F (7°C) March: normal high 72°F (22°C), low 47°F (8°C) April: normal high 76°F (24°C), low 50°F (10°C) May: normal high 80°F (27°C), low 55°F (13°C) June: normal high 87°F (31°C), low 59°F (15°C) July: normal high 93°F (34°C), low 64°F (18°C) August: normal high 95°F (35°C), low 65°F (18°C) 95° 65° September: normal high 91°F (33°C), low 62°F (17°C) October: normal high 83°F (28°C), low 55°F (13°C) November: normal high 75°F (24°C), low 47°F (8°C) December: normal high 67°F (19°C), low 43°F (6°C) 67° 43° JFMAMJJASOND

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

How rainy is Riverside?

February has the most wet days (about 6); the year brings about 10 in of precipitation.

January: 5 wet days February: 6 wet days 6 March: 5 wet days April: 2 wet days May: 1 wet days June: 0 wet days 0 July: 1 wet days August: 0 wet days September: 0 wet days October: 1 wet days November: 2 wet days December: 4 wet days JFMAMJJASOND

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

How humid is Riverside?

Muggy days peak in July, at about 1 days.

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: 1 muggy days 1 August: 0 muggy days September: 1 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 March Air Reserve Base, 9.2 mi ESE of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.9 hours in December to 14.4 hours in June.

January: 10.2 hours of daylight February: 11.0 hours of daylight March: 12.0 hours of daylight April: 13.0 hours of daylight May: 13.9 hours of daylight June: 14.4 hours of daylight 14.4 July: 14.2 hours of daylight August: 13.4 hours of daylight September: 12.4 hours of daylight October: 11.3 hours of daylight November: 10.4 hours of daylight December: 9.9 hours of daylight 9.9 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Riverside, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysMuggy daysDaylight
January 68°F44°F 2.2 in5 0 10.2 h
February 68°F45°F 2.5 in6 0 11.0 h
March 72°F47°F 1.6 in5 0 12.0 h
April 76°F50°F 0.6 in2 0 13.0 h
May 80°F55°F 0.2 in1 0 13.9 h
June 87°F59°F 0.08 in0 0 14.4 h
July 93°F64°F 0.1 in1 1 14.2 h
August 95°F65°F 0.1 in0 0 13.4 h
September 91°F62°F 0.1 in0 1 12.4 h
October 83°F55°F 0.4 in1 0 11.3 h
November 75°F47°F 0.7 in2 0 10.4 h
December 67°F43°F 1.4 in4 0 9.9 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 Riverside

By our comfort score, the best months are March, April and May.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 671740
Feb 641350
Mar 721831
Apr 741713
May 741616
Jun 597012
Jul 430024
Aug 400025
Sep 454019
Oct 591119
Nov 691722
Dec 671730

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 Riverside

The last spring frost typically comes around Jan 9, and the first fall frost around Dec 30, leaving 362 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Riverside
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Jan 9after Feb 21
First fall frost (32°F)Dec 30before Dec 5
Hard freeze (28°F)in about 7% of years; no typical date
Frost-free season362 daysunder 319 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: Riverside Muni Airport (USW00003171), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in California.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 118°F (July 6, 2018); the lowest was 24°F (January 17, 2007, and 1 other day).

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

Near Riverside

Similar climates elsewhere

Also covers

Jurupa Valley uses the same temperature and rain stations as Riverside, so its monthly numbers are the ones on this page.

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature and frost dates: Riverside Muni Airport (USW00003171), 2.4 mi W of the city center, 805 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Rain, snowfall and snow depth: Riverside Fire Stn 3 (USC00047470), 0.5 mi ESE of the city center, 840 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Humidity and wind by hour and cloud cover: March AFB (USW00023119), 9.2 mi ESE of the city center, 1,516 ft (687 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: March Air Reserve Base (722860-23119), 9.2 mi ESE of the city center, 1,536 ft (707 ft higher than the city). Hourly observations, 1991-2020.

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