Are you wondering what the coldest month in California is? If so, keep reading!
If you’re visiting California soon, you might be asking yourself the question, what is the coldest month in California? California is a big place – so the temperatures can vary depending on where you’re visiting. For the sake of this article, we’re using Los Angeles and San Francisco as prime examples.
So, what is the coldest month in California?
Your answer: December is the coldest month in California, closely followed by January and February.
Taking averages across the state, December, January and February are the coldest months in California.
What is the coldest month in California? December is considered the coldest month in California, closely followed by January and February. However, it’s worth bearing in mind, that temperatures in California can vary depending on location, especially as California is a state with both beaches and snowy mountains.
A key takeaway – California doesn’t tend to get that cold in it’s cities- California is actually one of the most pleasant states to visit during the winter months, and offers mild temperatures (even during the winter months). Even in December, the coldest average temperatures tend to be around the 49°F mark – which can feel cold (sure!) but not below freezing, and certainly not unpleasant to be in.
Read more about California: Top 10 Christmas tree farms in California
But remember! California is a big place…
When researching what is the coldest month of the year in California – you might need to know a little more about the monthly averages too. These lists (below) of the average monthly temperatures in Californian locations is really useful as an overview of the different monthly temperatures and as a comparison of the month to month averages.
However, it’s hard to find an average comparison for the state as a whole – because the state is so big, and the climate does vary widely from location to location. For example, from the beaches to the mountains – you’ll see big differences in temperatures.
Because of this (and to provide the most useful information possible), I’ve pulled various data from 2 of the main cities in California. The data below is the average monthly temperatures using a 10-year average from 2010 to 2019 in both Los Angeles and San Francisco. So hopefully this information proves useful!
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Let’s start with Los Angeles in California!
| High °F | Low °F | Month | High °C | Low °C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | 49 | January | 21 | 10 |
| 69 | 50 | February | 20 | 10 |
| 70 | 54 | March | 21 | 12 |
| 74 | 56 | April | 23 | 13 |
| 74 | 58 | May | 23 | 14 |
| 78 | 62 | June | 25 | 17 |
| 83 | 65 | July | 28 | 19 |
| 84 | 66 | August | 29 | 19 |
| 84 | 65 | September | 29 | 19 |
| 81 | 61 | October | 27 | 16 |
| 74 | 54 | November | 23 | 12 |
| 68 | 49 | December | 20 | 9 |
Here are the averages for San Francisco in California!
| High °F | Low °F | Month | High °C | Low °C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59 | 48 | January | 15 | 9 |
| 61 | 48 | February | 16 | 9 |
| 62 | 50 | March | 17 | 10 |
| 64 | 51 | April | 18 | 10 |
| 63 | 51 | May | 17 | 11 |
| 67 | 53 | June | 19 | 12 |
| 66 | 55 | July | 19 | 13 |
| 67 | 56 | August | 19 | 13 |
| 70 | 56 | September | 21 | 14 |
| 70 | 55 | October | 21 | 13 |
| 64 | 51 | November | 18 | 11 |
| 58 | 48 | December | 15 | 9 |
| 64 | 52 | Year | 18 | 11 |
Does California reach freezing temperatures?
As we’ve mentioned already, California is a big place, and so the temperatures do vary depending on where you within the state. In most of the cities in California, you won’t experience below freezing temperatures. The cities tend to stay mild and managable.
However, if you plan to visit the mountains, you will most likely experience freezing temperatures (and snow). So if you’re looking to experience some of the state’s colder locations and you’re looking for snow, it’s worth looking specifically for places in California where it snows.
So, is December a bad time to visit California?
Now you know that the coldest month of the year in California is December – you may be wondering if December is a bad time to visit the city.
The answer, is no! December is a great time of year to visit California. Sure, it won’t be as warm as you’re used to in the summer time (and you might not necessarily catch a tan!) but you’ll certainly be able to enjoy the city’s attractions in December.
Also, December is a festive time of year in December too – so you can expect to experience lots of lovely Christmas-themed events and occasions during December. This (in our opinion, at least) makes this a wonderful time of year to visit California.
Read more US travel ideas: Top 15 best places to visit in March in the USA
What is the coldest month in California? Hopefully this post has answered all your questions!
So, when it comes to knowing what is the coldest month in California, hopefully this post has given you all the information you need! The most important thing to remember, is that (in general) California is a really mild place to visit during the winter, and even the coldest month in California isn’t too harsh or cold.
Even during the coldest month in California, you’ll find people still enjoying time outdoors, hiking, swimming at the beach, etc. So it’s definitely one of the easiest places to spend time in the winter months, without sacrificing outdoor activities and hobbies!
The coldest month in California is December, followed by January and February – but it’s still a wonderful place to visit during these months because of the mild and manageable temperatures.
