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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 46°C, while the coldest is December averaging around 5°C at night. Precipitation totals about 50 mm a year and is strongly seasonal — February alone averages 14 mm while June barely receives 1 mm.
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 (°C) | 18 | 21 | 26 | 31 | 37 | 43 | 46 | 45 | 40 | 32 | 23 | 17 |
| Avg temp (°C) | 12 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 30 | 35 | 39 | 38 | 33 | 25 | 17 | 11 |
| Avg low (°C) | 6 | 9 | 14 | 18 | 23 | 28 | 32 | 31 | 26 | 18 | 10 | 5 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 6 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 18 | 21 | 26 | 31 | 37 | 43 |
| Avg temp (°C) | 12 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 30 | 35 |
| Avg low (°C) | 6 | 9 | 14 | 18 | 23 | 28 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 6 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 46 | 45 | 40 | 32 | 23 | 17 |
| Avg temp (°C) | 39 | 38 | 33 | 25 | 17 | 11 |
| Avg low (°C) | 32 | 31 | 26 | 18 | 10 | 5 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
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 ≥ 32°C (days) | — | — | 3 | 13 | 25 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 28 | 14 | 0.8 | — |
| Days with low ≤ 0°C (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 ≥ 32°C (days) | — | — | 3 | 13 | 25 | 30 |
| Days with low ≤ 0°C (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 ≥ 32°C (days) | 31 | 31 | 28 | 14 | 0.8 | — |
| Days with low ≤ 0°C (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 (km/h) | 6.2 | 7.1 | 7.7 | 8.4 | 8.3 | 8.6 | 8.5 | 8.1 | 7.1 | 6.6 | 6.3 | 6.4 |
| 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 (km/h) | 6.2 | 7.1 | 7.7 | 8.4 | 8.3 | 8.6 |
| 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 (km/h) | 8.5 | 8.1 | 7.1 | 6.6 | 6.3 | 6.4 |
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.