, 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 on the 38th parallel, about 130 km (80 mi) away from the sea, in the valley that takes its name from the city itself and is closed between the coastal chains (California Coast Ranges) to the west and the Sierra Nevada to the east.
ranges from around 8.5 °C (47 °F) in December and January to 24.5 °C (76 °F) in July.
is not abundant: it amounts to 460 mm (18 in) per year, and most of it falls from November to March.
, in periods of good weather, the night temperature can drop to around freezing or slightly below. At night, fog can form, sometimes even dense, which dissolves during the warmest hours, though the weather remains cool and humid. When there is no fog, the temperature range is high, so that during the day the temperature can reach 18/20 °C (64/68 °F) even in winter.
Cold spells are rare. The temperature drops very rarely below -4 °C (25 °F). The coldest record is -7.8 °C (18 °F) and was set in December 1990.
Snow in Sacramento is very rare: the last time, it snowed in February 1976, when 5 cm (2 in) of snow fell; more recently, there was a slight snowfall in December 2009.
, from June to mid-September, it is hot and sunny. There are several very hot days, with highs around 37/38 °C (99/100 °F). Sometimes, they can exceed 40 °C (104 °F). The highest record is 45 °C (113 °F) and was set in July 1972.
Fortunately, in the afternoon there is usually a bit of breeze from the ocean, called "
" because it comes from the San Joaquin river delta, in San Francisco bay, where the coastal chains are interrupted.
Furthermore, the temperature range is considerable, so that the temperature almost always drops below 20 °C (68 °F) at night. Actually, sometimes at night, it can get cool even in the height of summer.
amount in Sacramento is exceptional in summer, when in practice, the sky is always clear (in July, the sun shines as high as 98% of the time), while in winter, despite the aforementioned fog and bad weather periods, there is an acceptable number of sunshine hours. In one year, there are 3,600 hours of sunshine.
to visit Sacramento 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.
. Here are the average temperatures.
January is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
8.6 °C, with a minimum of
4 °C and a maximum of
13.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-2 °C. However, it dropped to
-6.1 °C in January 2007.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
18.5 °C. However, it reached
24.4 °C in January 2014.
Precipitation amounts to
95 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 50 minutes.
There are on average 4.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 48% of the time.
The average humidity is 82%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
8.3 kph.
February is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
10.8 °C, with a minimum of
5.3 °C and a maximum of
16.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-0.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-2.2 °C in February 2006.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
21.5 °C. However, it reached
25.6 °C in February 2016.
Precipitation amounts to
90 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 50 minutes.
There are on average 7 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 66% of the time.
The average humidity is 74%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
9.5 kph.
March is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
13 °C, with a minimum of
6.9 °C and a maximum of
19.1 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
1.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-0.6 °C in March 2002.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
25.5 °C. However, it reached
28.9 °C in March 2015.
Precipitation amounts to
70 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 9 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 75% of the time.
The average humidity is 69%.
The average wind speed is of
10.2 kph.
April is generally a very mild month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
15.3 °C, with a minimum of
8.3 °C and a maximum of
22.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
3.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-1 °C in April 1999.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
30.5 °C. However, it reached
35 °C in April 2004.
Precipitation amounts to
30 mm, distributed over 5 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 20 minutes.
There are on average 11 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 82% of the time.
The average humidity is 62%.
The average wind speed is of
11.4 kph.
May is generally a warm month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
19 °C, with a minimum of
11.1 °C and a maximum of
26.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
6.5 °C. However, it dropped to
3.3 °C in May 2010.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
35 °C. However, it reached
39.4 °C in May 2020.
Precipitation amounts to
20 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 20 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 13 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 91% of the time.
The average humidity is 56%.
The average wind speed is of
12.1 kph.
June is generally a warm month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
22.4 °C, with a minimum of
13.6 °C and a maximum of
31.1 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
9.5 °C. However, it dropped to
7.8 °C in June 1999.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
39.5 °C. However, it reached
42.2 °C in June 2009.
Precipitation amounts to only
5.8 mm, and all occurs in one day.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 50 minutes. So the days are long. June 21, the summer solstice, is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 14 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 94% of the time.
The average humidity is 51%.
The average wind speed is of
12.3 kph.
July, the warmest month of the year, is generally a warm to hot month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
24.4 °C, with a minimum of
15.1 °C and a maximum of
33.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
12.5 °C. However, it dropped to
10 °C in July 1999.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
40.5 °C. However, it reached
43.9 °C in July 1991.
Precipitation amounts to only
0 mm, so on average it never rains in the whole month.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 30 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 14 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 98% of the time.
The average humidity is 51%.
The average wind speed is of
11.9 kph.
August is generally a warm to hot month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
24.1 °C, with a minimum of
14.9 °C and a maximum of
33.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
12 °C. However, it dropped to
11 °C in August 1998.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
40 °C. However, it reached
44.4 °C in August 2020.
Precipitation amounts to only
1 mm, distributed over 0 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 35 minutes.
There are on average 13 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 97% of the time.
The average humidity is 52%.
The average wind speed is of
10.9 kph.
September is generally a warm month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
22.5 °C, with a minimum of
13.6 °C and a maximum of
31.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
10 °C. However, it dropped to
5.6 °C in September 2007.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
38 °C. However, it reached
42.8 °C in September 2017.
Precipitation amounts to only
2.3 mm, and all occurs in one day.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 25 minutes.
There are on average 11.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 93% of the time.
The average humidity is 52%.
The average wind speed is of
9.1 kph.
October is generally a warm month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
18.1 °C, with a minimum of
10.2 °C and a maximum of
26 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
5.5 °C. However, it dropped to
2 °C in October 2002.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
33.5 °C. However, it reached
40 °C in October 2001.
Precipitation amounts to
20 mm, distributed over 3 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 5 minutes.
There are on average 9.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 86% of the time.
The average humidity is 57%.
The average wind speed is of
8.3 kph.
November is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
12.1 °C, with a minimum of
5.9 °C and a maximum of
18.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
0.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-3.4 °C in November 1993.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
25 °C. However, it reached
29 °C in November 1997.
Precipitation amounts to
40 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 5 minutes.
There are on average 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 64% of the time.
The average humidity is 72%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
7.1 kph.
December, the coldest month of the year, is generally a quite mild month. The average temperature is of
8.5 °C, with a minimum of
3.6 °C and a maximum of
13.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-2 °C. However, it dropped to
-6.7 °C in December 1998.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
18.5 °C. However, it reached
23.3 °C in December 2020.
Precipitation amounts to
85 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 30 minutes. December 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 4.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 48% of the time.
The average humidity is 79%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
8.5 kph.