Sacramento climate
Sacramento (California, United States) has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa). The average temperature over the year is 17 °C63 °F, and about 567 mm22 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Sacramento climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1458 | 541 | 1049 | 923.6 | 2 |
| Feb | 1660 | 642 | 1151 | 943.7 | 2 |
| Mar | 1865 | 745 | 1355 | 893.5 | 0 |
| Apr | 2171 | 847 | 1559 | 502.0 | 0 |
| May | 2780 | 1152 | 1966 | 230.9 | 0 |
| Jun | 3391 | 1457 | 2374 | 50.2 | 0 |
| Jul | 3798 | 1661 | 2679 | 10.0 | 0 |
| Aug | 3696 | 1660 | 2678 | 10.0 | 0 |
| Sep | 3391 | 1559 | 2475 | 40.2 | 0 |
| Oct | 2780 | 1254 | 1967 | 301.2 | 0 |
| Nov | 1966 | 846 | 1456 | 602.4 | 0 |
| Dec | 1457 | 541 | 1049 | 1184.7 | 2 |
| Year | 3798 | 541 | 1763 | 56722 | 7 |
“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 | 74% | 59% | 2.2 | 9:45 |
| Feb | 75% | 53% | 3.3 | 10:42 |
| Mar | 75% | 50% | 4.6 | 11:51 |
| Apr | 70% | 42% | 6.2 | 13:10 |
| May | 61% | 30% | 7.5 | 14:15 |
| Jun | 48% | 18% | 8.3 | 14:51 |
| Jul | 41% | 11% | 8.2 | 14:36 |
| Aug | 42% | 12% | 7.4 | 13:39 |
| Sep | 42% | 15% | 6.0 | 12:23 |
| Oct | 47% | 30% | 4.3 | 11:07 |
| Nov | 60% | 47% | 2.8 | 10:01 |
| Dec | 71% | 60% | 2.0 | 9:29 |
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 Sacramento is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 37 °C98 °F and a low of 16 °C61 °F. The coldest is December, when highs average 14 °C57 °F and lows 5 °C41 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 16.8 °C30.2 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 567 mm22 in. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 54% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: June–September. The wettest month is December (118 mm4.7 in), the driest is July (1 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 41% in July to 75% in March. 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 9 km/h (6 mph) in July. Daylight lasts from about 9.5 hours in December to 14.8 hours in June.
Best time to visit Sacramento
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April and May and October and November: average highs of 19 °C66 °F to 27 °C80 °F with 23 mm0.9 in to 60 mm2.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is July, which is hot, with average highs of 37 °C98 °F.
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 Sacramento
- Winter (December–February) — highs 1457 to 16 °C60 °F, lows 541 to 6 °C42 °F, about 101 mm4.0 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 1865 to 27 °C80 °F, lows 745 to 11 °C52 °F, about 54 mm2.1 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 3391 to 37 °C98 °F, lows 1457 to 16 °C61 °F, about 2 mm0.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1966 to 33 °C91 °F, lows 846 to 15 °C59 °F, about 31 mm1.2 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 Sacramento compares
Compared with San Francisco, about 121 km to the southwest, Sacramento is on average 3.4 °C6.1 °F warmer and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in July (9 °C16.3 °F warmer).
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Sacramento is the 75th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 157th 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: Khemisset (Morocco, Csa), İzmir (Turkey, Csa) and Meknes (Morocco, Csa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Elk Grove (pop. 166,913). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Sacramento, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Roseville 26 km · 18 °C64 °F · 704 mm28 in
- Fairfield 60 km · 15 °C60 °F · 467 mm18 in
- Antioch 70 km · 15 °C60 °F · 467 mm18 in
- Stockton 72 km · 17 °C63 °F · 449 mm18 in
- Concord 82 km · 15 °C59 °F · 467 mm18 in
- Vallejo 85 km · 14 °C57 °F · 586 mm23 in
- Santa Rosa 107 km · 16 °C61 °F · 688 mm27 in
- Modesto 113 km · 17 °C63 °F · 421 mm17 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Sacramento?
July is the warmest month in Sacramento, with an average high of 37 °C (98 °F) and an average low of 16 °C (61 °F).
What is the coldest month in Sacramento?
December is the coldest month, with an average high of 14 °C (57 °F) and an average low of 5 °C (41 °F).
When does it rain the most in Sacramento?
December is the wettest month with about 118 mm (4.7 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 1 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Sacramento?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April and May and October and November.
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.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 128 m, while Sacramento lies at about 9 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.8 °C1.4 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.