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Death Valley, California climate
BWh Hot desert
Death Valley has a strongly seasonal tropical climate (Hot desert, Köppen BWh). The hottest month is July with an average daily high near 115°F, while the coldest is December averaging around 41°F at night. Precipitation totals about 2 inches a year and is strongly seasonal — February alone averages 0.6 inches while June barely receives 0.04 inches.
Temperature & precipitation
Daily high–low temperature range with the monthly average, plus monthly precipitation · 1991–2020 normals · hover a month for the exact figuresHours of sunshine per day
Estimated sunny hours each month — daylight length × clear-sky fraction · 1991–2020 monthly cloud cover (NASA POWER)Death Valley climate normals (1991–2020)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 65 | 71 | 79 | 88 | 98 | 109 | 115 | 113 | 105 | 89 | 74 | 63 |
| Avg temp (°F) | 54 | 60 | 68 | 76 | 86 | 96 | 102 | 100 | 92 | 77 | 62 | 52 |
| Avg low (°F) | 42 | 49 | 57 | 64 | 73 | 83 | 90 | 87 | 79 | 65 | 51 | 41 |
| Precipitation (in) | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 65 | 71 | 79 | 88 | 98 | 109 |
| Avg temp (°F) | 54 | 60 | 68 | 76 | 86 | 96 |
| Avg low (°F) | 42 | 49 | 57 | 64 | 73 | 83 |
| Precipitation (in) | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 115 | 113 | 105 | 89 | 74 | 63 |
| Avg temp (°F) | 102 | 100 | 92 | 77 | 62 | 52 |
| Avg low (°F) | 90 | 87 | 79 | 65 | 51 | 41 |
| Precipitation (in) | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
How often — frequency of weather events
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Days with high ≥ 90°F (days) | — | — | 3 | 13 | 25 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 28 | 14 | 0.8 | — |
| Days with low ≤ 32°F (days) | 1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0.1 | 2 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Days with high ≥ 90°F (days) | — | — | 3 | 13 | 25 | 30 |
| Days with low ≤ 32°F (days) | 1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | — | — | — |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 2 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Days with high ≥ 90°F (days) | 31 | 31 | 28 | 14 | 0.8 | — |
| Days with low ≤ 32°F (days) | — | — | — | — | 0.1 | 2 |
Sky & atmosphere
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 49 | 48 | 48 | 42 | 40 | 28 | 31 | 27 | 24 | 30 | 39 | 46 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 46 | 44 | 37 | 30 | 24 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 26 | 34 | 44 |
| Wind speed (mph) | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.0 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 4.0 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 49 | 48 | 48 | 42 | 40 | 28 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 46 | 44 | 37 | 30 | 24 | 17 |
| Wind speed (mph) | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 5.3 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 31 | 27 | 24 | 30 | 39 | 46 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 19 | 19 | 21 | 26 | 34 | 44 |
| Wind speed (mph) | 5.3 | 5.0 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 4.0 |
Methodology & sources
Temperature & precipitation — the official 1991–2020 climate normals from NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals, measured at Stovepipe Wells 1 SW (NOAA GHCN station USW00053139), about 50 km from the city centre.
Cloud, humidity, wind & sunshine — modelled estimates from NASA POWER, NASA's satellite-and-reanalysis climatology. This is the standard global source for atmospheric variables, which are not measured at most weather stations.