What should you know about Sacramento's weather?
- NWS office
- Sacramento (STO)
- Climate
- Hot-summer Mediterranean
- Time zone
- PST/PDT
- Elevation
- 27 ft
- Coordinates
- 38.58° N, 121.49° W
- Nearest radar
- KDAX · Sacramento NEXRAD · 11 mi
- County
- Sacramento County, CA
- Yearly rain
- 19.2 in
- Warmest month
- July · 77.9°F average
- Coldest month
- December · 48.5°F average
- Severe storm peak
- Jan to Mar
How much rain does Sacramento get each month?
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 56.5 | 62.2 | 67.8 | 73.5 | 81.3 | 89.0 | 94.4 | 93.5 | 89.3 | 78.9 | 65.3 | 56.4 |
| Low °F | 41.1 | 43.7 | 46.7 | 49.3 | 54.0 | 58.7 | 61.4 | 61.0 | 58.8 | 52.9 | 45.3 | 40.7 |
| Rain (in) | 3.87 | 3.63 | 2.82 | 1.44 | 0.86 | 0.21 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 0.15 | 0.93 | 1.78 | 3.49 |
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Rain (in) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56.5 | 41.1 | 3.87 |
| Feb | 62.2 | 43.7 | 3.63 |
| Mar | 67.8 | 46.7 | 2.82 |
| Apr | 73.5 | 49.3 | 1.44 |
| May | 81.3 | 54.0 | 0.86 |
| Jun | 89.0 | 58.7 | 0.21 |
| Jul | 94.4 | 61.4 | 0.00 |
| Aug | 93.5 | 61.0 | 0.02 |
| Sep | 89.3 | 58.8 | 0.15 |
| Oct | 78.9 | 52.9 | 0.93 |
| Nov | 65.3 | 45.3 | 1.78 |
| Dec | 56.4 | 40.7 | 3.49 |
SACRAMENTO 5 ESE, CA US · 5 mi away · NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991 to 2020
Can the Sacramento weather radar spot a tornado?
Sometimes, but short-lived or very small circulations can go undetected between low-level radar scans. On Presidents' Day, February 21, 2005, two weak (F0) tornadoes touched down in the Sacramento metro area at Southport and Natomas. Storm Relative Velocity data from the KDAX radar in Davis showed a circulation over the Southport area. The two tornadoes caused nearly one million dollars of damage but no deaths or serious injuries. Most California tornadoes are weak with short paths, so treat every warning seriously even when the loop looks ordinary.
What was Sacramento's wettest day on record?
Its wettest 24-hour period on record came on October 24, 2021, when a Category 5 atmospheric river dropped 5.45 inches of rain on the city. That broke the single-day record of 5.28 inches set in 1880. Only a week earlier, on October 17, Sacramento had ended a record 211-day stretch without measurable rain. On the loop, a storm like this looks like a long, steady band that keeps feeding rain into the same area for hours.
How bad was the Great Flood of 1862 in Sacramento?
It turned the city into what USGS calls a temporary inland sea, with water reaching the second floor of some buildings. The storms battered California for several weeks, mostly between December 1861 and January 1862, and the Central Valley became an immense lake. USGS calls the flood unparalleled in its magnitude and a benchmark for California's vulnerability to extreme weather. On radar, the warning sign is not one storm but a long series of them, so watch the loop and the river forecasts when storms keep lining up.
Why does Sacramento watch its rivers so closely?
The city sits where the American River meets the Sacramento River, and the chief of the Army Corps of Engineers' Sacramento Basin Project Center calls it one of the most at-risk regions in the nation for catastrophic flooding. Folsom Dam sits about 30 miles east of the city on the American River. Levee work from Folsom to Sacramento will let the river channel carry up to 160,000 cubic feet of water per second, nearly 40 percent more than the old design capacity. River levels depend on rain that falls upstream, so watch the loop east of the city, not only over downtown.
How hot has Sacramento ever been?
Sacramento set its all-time high of 116°F on September 6, 2022. All-time highs fell the same day in Santa Rosa, Napa and San Jose. In a normal year July is the warmest month, with an average high of 94.4°F. Radar cannot show heat, so check the hourly forecast before outdoor work in late summer.
When should you check the Sacramento radar?
Storm report peak
January to MarchAbout 50% of the county's 1996 to 2025 severe reports fall in these months. Check the loop before driving I-80 or Highway 50 into the Sierra during a storm.
Tule fog season
Late October to FebruaryExceptionally thick fog forms on many nights in the Central Valley, and radar may not show it because fog is made of extremely small particles. It is often visible on satellite, so switch views before an early drive on Highway 99.
What else do people ask about the Sacramento radar?
Which NWS office and radar cover Sacramento?
NWS Sacramento (STO) issues forecasts and warnings for Sacramento. The nearest NEXRAD radar is KDAX, about 11 miles from the city center.
How often does the radar on this page update?
The radar loop on this page updates every 5 minutes.
Is this page an official warning service?
No. It shows radar and forecasts only. For warnings, follow NWS Sacramento and local emergency alerts.
Quick facts
- Radar: KDAX (Sacramento NEXRAD), a new frame every 5 minutes
- Forecasts and warnings: NWS Sacramento (STO)
- Severe storms peak from January to March (NOAA Storm Events, 1996 to 2025)
- Local time: PST/PDT
- Radar: KDAX, a new frame every 5 minutes
- Warnings: NWS Sacramento (STO)
- Severe storms: January to March
- Local time: PST/PDT
Where does this data come from?
- NOAA NEXRAD radar via Iowa Environmental Mesonet
- National Weather Service, Sacramento office
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991 to 2020: SACRAMENTO 5 ESE, CA US
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1996 to 2025
- USGS Elevation Point Query Service
- GOES-East satellite imagery
- Open-Meteo forecast API
- OpenStreetMap contributors
- National Weather Service Technical Memorandum WR-284: The Presidents' Day 2005 tornadoes in the southern Sacramento Valley
- NOAA NCEI: National climate report for October 2021
- USGS California Water Science Center: California's history of large storms and floods
- U.S. Army: Systemwide improvements aim to prepare Sacramento for future storm events
- National Weather Service San Diego office: The 2022 weather year in review (PDF)
- National Weather Service: Radiation fog and tule fog
- NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory: Radar reflectivity