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Selma has a hot semi-arid climate.
Dry country, big sun, modest rain — here's what that means in plain terms.
What this climate feels like
The four things a regular visitor actually wants to know:
Highs near 102°F in July. About 111 days a year above 90 °F.
Lows near 38°F in December. About 12 freezing nights a year.
About 12 in of rain a year. Wettest in January.
More sun than cloud through the year.
What "hot semi-arid" means
Climate scientists sort every place on Earth into about 30 climate types, based on how hot, cold, wet and dry it is across the year. Selma's type — hot semi-arid — sits in the broad family of dry climates — deserts and steppes.
Researchers write climate types as a short letter code. Here is what each letter means:
Cities with the same climate as Selma
A hot semi-arid climate (BSh) — these recognizable cities share it. If you know one of them, you know roughly what to expect.
Has Selma's climate type changed?
A climate type is a coarse bucket. It can hold steady for years while the weather inside it shifts — or tip into the next bucket.
What this climate means for you
Native grasses, drought-tolerant shrubs and hardy fruit trees (figs, pomegranate, olives) do well. Vegetable gardens need irrigation.
Cool half of the year is comfortable; summer is hot and dusty. Watch for wet-season storms during the short rainy stretch.
Hot, dry and dusty — drought is a recurring issue. Comfortable winters; tough, sun-blasted summers.
Where these numbers come from
The climate type and the month-by-month figures on this page are computed from Selma's measured 30-year climate normals (1991–2020) — the same official records behind Selma's main climate page, so the two always agree.
Long-range climate maps measure things slightly differently and can place a city in a neighbouring category. Where they differ, this page uses the measured station record as the climate today.
Methodology & sources
Temperature & precipitation — the official 1991–2020 climate normals from NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals, measured at Fresno 5 NE (NOAA GHCN station USC00043256), about 24 km from the city centre.