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The climate of Chico can be defined as
Mediterranean, given that winters are mild and rainy, and summers are hot and sunny. However, there are some differences in comparison with the typical Mediterranean climate: in winter, fog can form at night and in the early morning; in summer, there are strong diurnal temperature variations, so it is quite cool at night and hot during the day; the rainy period is shorter, so in autumn, in September and October, it still rarely rains.
The city is located in the northern part of Sacramento valley.
During the coldest nights of the year, the temperature generally drops a few degrees below freezing. In December 2009 and in January 2012, it dropped to -7 °C (19.5 °F).
On the hottest days of the year, it reaches or exceeds 40 °C (104 °F). In 2013, it reached 44 °C (111 °F) in June and July.
The
average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 7.9 °C (46.1 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 25.6 °C (78.1 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Chico - Average temperatures (1991-2020) | Month | Min (°C) | Max (°C) | Mean (°C) | Min (°F) | Max (°F) | Mean (°F) |
|---|
| January | 2 | 13 | 7.9 | 36 | 56 | 46.1 |
|---|
| February | 4 | 17 | 10.1 | 38 | 62 | 50.3 |
|---|
| March | 5 | 19 | 12.3 | 42 | 67 | 54.1 |
|---|
| April | 7 | 23 | 15 | 45 | 73 | 59.1 |
|---|
| May | 11 | 27 | 19.3 | 52 | 81 | 66.7 |
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| June | 14 | 32 | 23 | 57 | 89 | 73.3 |
|---|
| July | 16 | 35 | 25.6 | 61 | 95 | 78.1 |
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| August | 15 | 35 | 24.8 | 59 | 94 | 76.6 |
|---|
| September | 13 | 33 | 22.7 | 55 | 91 | 72.9 |
|---|
| October | 9 | 26 | 17.5 | 47 | 80 | 63.6 |
|---|
| November | 4 | 18 | 11.3 | 40 | 65 | 52.4 |
|---|
| December | 2 | 14 | 8 | 36 | 57 | 46.5 |
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| Year | 8.6 | 24.4 | 16.45 | 47.5 | 75.9 | 61.5 |
|---|
amounts to 675 millimeters (26.5 inches) per year: so, it is at an intermediate level. The rainiest period is from December to March, while in July and August it never rains. Here is the average precipitation.
Chico - Average precipitation| Month | Millimeters | Inches | Days |
|---|
| January | 125 | 4.9 | 12 |
|---|
| February | 110 | 4.3 | 11 |
|---|
| March | 110 | 4.3 | 10 |
|---|
| April | 45 | 1.8 | 7 |
|---|
| May | 25 | 1 | 5 |
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| June | 10 | 0.4 | 2 |
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| July | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|---|
| August | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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| September | 10 | 0.4 | 2 |
|---|
| October | 35 | 1.4 | 5 |
|---|
| November | 85 | 3.3 | 8 |
|---|
| December | 115 | 4.5 | 11 |
|---|
| Year | 675 | 26.6 | 73 |
|---|
Best Time
The
best times to visit Chico are spring and autumn, to avoid the night-time cold, the fog and the rain of winter, as well as the summer heat. In particular, you can choose the months of April and October, bearing in mind that it is necessary to dress in layers because there are strong temperature differences between night and day.
Back to
California.