Climateby Month

Yosemite Valley, CA climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 3,966 ft elevation

Summers in Yosemite Valley are hot; winters are chilly and snowy. Highs peak at 89°F in July and fall to 46°F in December. The wettest month is March (about 11 wet days) and the driest is August (about 1). Normal snowfall is about 51 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is May.

Warmest month
89°F
July normal high
Coldest month
28°F
December normal low
Wet days a year
65
36.5 in of precipitation
Snow a year
51.4 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Yosemite Valley?

Normal highs range from 46°F in December to 89°F in July.

20°40°60°80°100° January: normal high 48°F (9°C), low 29°F (-2°C) February: normal high 51°F (11°C), low 30°F (-1°C) March: normal high 57°F (14°C), low 34°F (1°C) April: normal high 63°F (17°C), low 38°F (3°C) May: normal high 71°F (22°C), low 45°F (7°C) June: normal high 81°F (27°C), low 51°F (11°C) July: normal high 89°F (32°C), low 57°F (14°C) 89° 57° August: normal high 89°F (32°C), low 57°F (14°C) September: normal high 83°F (28°C), low 51°F (11°C) October: normal high 71°F (22°C), low 41°F (5°C) November: normal high 56°F (13°C), low 33°F (1°C) December: normal high 46°F (8°C), low 28°F (-2°C) 46° 28° JFMAMJJASOND

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

How rainy is Yosemite Valley?

March has the most wet days (about 11); the year brings about 37 in of precipitation.

January: 9 wet days February: 9 wet days March: 11 wet days 11 April: 7 wet days May: 6 wet days June: 2 wet days July: 1 wet days August: 1 wet days 1 September: 2 wet days October: 3 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 much does it snow?

Normal snowfall is 51.4 in a year, most of it in February.

January: 9.7 in of snow February: 13.5 in of snow 13.5 March: 10.8 in of snow April: 4.3 in of snow May: 0.1 in of snow June: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 July: 0.0 in of snow August: 0.0 in of snow September: 0.0 in of snow October: 0.0 in of snow November: 3.0 in of snow December: 10.0 in of snow JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Yosemite Valley?

Humidity data is not available for this location.

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 Yosemite Valley, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowDaylight
January 48°F29°F 7.0 in9 9.7 in 9.9 h
February 51°F30°F 6.5 in9 13.5 in 10.8 h
March 57°F34°F 5.5 in11 10.8 in 12.0 h
April 63°F38°F 3.2 in7 4.3 in 13.2 h
May 71°F45°F 1.9 in6 0.1 in 14.2 h
June 81°F51°F 0.5 in2 0.0 in 14.7 h
July 89°F57°F 0.3 in1 0.0 in 14.5 h
August 89°F57°F 0.2 in1 0.0 in 13.6 h
September 83°F51°F 0.4 in2 0.0 in 12.4 h
October 71°F41°F 1.6 in3 0.0 in 11.2 h
November 56°F33°F 4.0 in6 3.0 in 10.2 h
December 46°F28°F 5.6 in9 10.0 in 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 Yosemite Valley

By our comfort score, the best month is May.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 38076
Feb 44374
Mar 55982
Apr 721651
May 791940
Jun 691015
Jul 512116
Aug 472017
Sep 59816
Oct 721821
Nov 52641
Dec 36077

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. Comfortable days here are judged by temperature only (no humidity station nearby). How the score works.

Frost dates in Yosemite Valley

The last spring frost typically comes around Apr 21, and the first fall frost around Oct 27, leaving 186 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Yosemite Valley
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Apr 21after May 13
First fall frost (32°F)Oct 27before Oct 12
Last hard freeze (28°F)Apr 2after Apr 22
First hard freeze (28°F)Nov 9before Oct 20
Frost-free season186 daysunder 160 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: Yosemite Park Hq (USC00049855), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in California.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 104°F (August 18, 2001); the lowest was -7°F (January 1, 2009).

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

Near Yosemite Valley

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain and frost dates: Yosemite Park Hq (USC00049855), 0.8 mi NW of the city center, 4,018 ft (52 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Snowfall and snow depth: Hetch Hetchy (USC00043939), 19 mi NW of the city center, 3,870 ft (96 ft lower than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Not available for this location: humidity and wind by hour, cloud cover and daily humidity and wind (no station close enough or similar enough in elevation).

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