Chico climate
Chico (California, United States) has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa). The average temperature over the year is 18 °C64 °F, and about 791 mm31 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Chico climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1356 | 439 | 947 | 1224.8 | 3 |
| Feb | 1559 | 540 | 1050 | 1335.2 | 2 |
| Mar | 1864 | 744 | 1254 | 1164.6 | 0 |
| Apr | 2169 | 947 | 1558 | 612.4 | 0 |
| May | 2780 | 1254 | 2067 | 361.4 | 0 |
| Jun | 3493 | 1762 | 2577 | 100.4 | 0 |
| Jul | 39102 | 2068 | 2985 | 10.0 | 0 |
| Aug | 38100 | 1966 | 2883 | 20.1 | 0 |
| Sep | 3493 | 1763 | 2678 | 60.2 | 0 |
| Oct | 2780 | 1254 | 2067 | 431.7 | 0 |
| Nov | 1965 | 745 | 1355 | 843.3 | 1 |
| Dec | 1356 | 439 | 847 | 1787.0 | 3 |
| Year | 39102 | 439 | 1864 | 79131 | 9 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 78% | 60% | 2.1 | 9:39 |
| Feb | 77% | 57% | 3.1 | 10:39 |
| Mar | 76% | 55% | 4.3 | 11:50 |
| Apr | 71% | 47% | 5.9 | 13:12 |
| May | 59% | 35% | 7.3 | 14:21 |
| Jun | 42% | 20% | 8.3 | 14:58 |
| Jul | 29% | 11% | 8.3 | 14:43 |
| Aug | 28% | 13% | 7.4 | 13:43 |
| Sep | 30% | 19% | 5.9 | 12:23 |
| Oct | 41% | 32% | 4.1 | 11:04 |
| Nov | 59% | 50% | 2.6 | 9:55 |
| Dec | 74% | 62% | 1.9 | 9:22 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Chico is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 39 °C102 °F and a low of 20 °C68 °F. The coldest is December, when highs average 13 °C56 °F and lows 4 °C39 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 20.8 °C37.5 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 791 mm31 in. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 55% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: June–September. The wettest month is December (178 mm7.0 in), the driest is July (1 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 28% in August to 78% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 11%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in November to 8 km/h (5 mph) in July. Daylight lasts from about 9.4 hours in December to 15.0 hours in June.
Best time to visit Chico
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April and May and October: average highs of 21 °C69 °F to 27 °C80 °F with 36 mm1.4 in to 61 mm2.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is December, which is very wet (178 mm7.0 in).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Chico
- Winter (December–February) — highs 1356 to 15 °C59 °F, lows 439 to 5 °C40 °F, about 144 mm5.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1864 to 27 °C80 °F, lows 744 to 12 °C54 °F, about 71 mm2.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 3493 to 39 °C102 °F, lows 1762 to 20 °C68 °F, about 4 mm0.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1965 to 34 °C93 °F, lows 745 to 17 °C63 °F, about 44 mm1.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Chico compares
Compared with Roseville, about 118 km to the southeast, Chico has practically the same average temperature and receives 12% more precipitation (791 mm31 in vs 704 mm28 in). The difference is largest in January (1.1 °C2 °F cooler).
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Chico is the 71st warmest by annual mean temperature and the 143rd wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: İzmir (Turkey, Csa), Bornova (Turkey, Csa) and Aleppo (Syria, Csa).
Nearby places
- Roseville 118 km · 18 °C64 °F · 704 mm28 in
- Sacramento 131 km · 17 °C63 °F · 567 mm22 in
- Santa Rosa 162 km · 16 °C61 °F · 688 mm27 in
- Fairfield 165 km · 15 °C60 °F · 467 mm18 in
- Reno 175 km · 11 °C53 °F · 534 mm21 in
- Vallejo 184 km · 14 °C57 °F · 586 mm23 in
- Antioch 192 km · 15 °C60 °F · 467 mm18 in
- Concord 195 km · 15 °C59 °F · 467 mm18 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Chico?
July is the warmest month in Chico, with an average high of 39 °C (102 °F) and an average low of 20 °C (68 °F).
What is the coldest month in Chico?
December is the coldest month, with an average high of 13 °C (56 °F) and an average low of 4 °C (39 °F).
When does it rain the most in Chico?
December is the wettest month with about 178 mm (7.0 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 1 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Chico?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April and May and October.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.