Climate and average weather in Ukiah

In Ukiah, the summers are hot, dry, and clear and the winters are cool, snowy, and partly cloudy.

Best: early August to late October

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Ukiah typically varies from 36°F to 85°F, and is rarely below 28°F or above 95°F. July is the hottest month of the year, while December is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Ukiah for warm-weather activities are from early May to mid July and early August to late October.

Hottest
Jul
85°
Coldest
Dec
36°
Wettest
Dec
7.8 in
Driest
Jul
0.0 in
Rain / yr
40.3 in
78 wet days
Daylight
9.2–14.8 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
633 ft
39.2°N
Clearest
Jul
10% cloud

Ukiah is city in and county seat of Mendocino County, California, United States.

Density
1,301/km²
people per km²
Founded
1876

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Ukiah weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early August to late October.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Ukiah, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

The hot season lasts 3.6 months, from June 14 to September 30, with daily high temperatures above 78°F. The hottest month of the year in Ukiah is July, with an average high of 85°F and low of 57°F.

The cool season lasts 3.7 months, from November 18 to March 10, with daily high temperatures below 59°F. The coldest month of the year in Ukiah is December, with an average low of 36°F and high of 53°F.

Days typically run about 22°F warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 28°F) in August.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
Jan5437
Feb5638
Mar5940
Apr6342
May7047
Jun7853
Jul8557
Aug8557
Sep8254
Oct7347
Nov6040
Dec5336

How hot and cold Ukiah really feels

Feels-like highFeels-like lowactual air temp

The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.

On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about 32°F (around December 22), with roughly 13 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 32°F), worst in December.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Feels-like high (°F)Air high (°F)Feels-like low (°F)Air low (°F)
Jan54543337
Feb56563438
Mar59593740
Apr63633942
May70704547
Jun78785353
Jul85855757
Aug85855757
Sep81825454
Oct72734647
Nov60603840
Dec53533336

Average hourly temperature in Ukiah

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on July afternoons, near 85°F, and coldest before dawn in December, near 36°F.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Ukiah weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan54° / 37°7.212.41.99.63.0
Feb56° / 38°6.710.82.310.53.6
Mar59° / 40°6.011.8211.74.5
Apr63° / 42°3.18.30.5135.9
May70° / 47°1.95.4014.17.5
Jun78° / 53°0.62.2014.78.6
Jul85° / 57°0.00.3014.57.1
Aug85° / 57°0.10.4013.57.2
Sep82° / 54°0.31.4012.38.3
Oct73° / 47°2.24.60118.1
Nov60° / 40°4.38.50.39.95.0
Dec53° / 36°7.812.21.39.32.9

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Ukiah gets about 40.3 in of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is some rain, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 5.8 months, from around Nov 2 to Apr 28, peaking in February at about 42% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jul 16.

December is the wettest month by volume, with 7.8 in over about 12 wet days; July is the driest, with 0.0 in. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwetterdrierwettermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetFeb 23 · 42%Jul 16 · 1%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan4012
Feb3911
Mar3712
Apr288
May175
Jun72
Jul10
Aug10
Sep51
Oct145
Nov299
Dec3912

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Ukiah collects about 40.3 in of rain across 78 wet days — roughly 3.4 in in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. December is the wettest month with 7.8 in, while July is the driest at just 0.0 in. The three wettest months alone bring about 54% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0123456789JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec7.26.76.03.11.90.60.00.10.32.24.37.8
Rainfall (in)Rain daysSnow days
Jan7.2122
Feb6.7112
Mar6.0122
Apr3.181
May1.950
Jun0.620
Jul0.000
Aug0.100
Sep0.310
Oct2.250
Nov4.390
Dec7.8121

Snow in Ukiah

Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.

Ukiah averages about 8 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Nov 30 to Apr 17 — about 4.6 months.

February is snowiest, with roughly 3 days of snow and an estimated 4 in of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 12 in of snow.

01234JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsnow seasonFeb 19
Snow daysSnowfall (in)
Jan22
Feb24
Mar23
Apr11
May00
Jun00
Jul00
Aug00
Sep00
Oct00
Nov01
Dec12

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Ukiah, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around May 16 and lasts for 5.6 months, ending around October 31. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 95% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around November 1 and lasts for 6.4 months, ending around May 15. The cloudiest month is January, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 61% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJul 12 · 95%Jan 6 · 38%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan3961
Feb4258
Mar4555
Apr5347
May6634
Jun8317
Jul946
Aug955
Sep919
Oct7525
Nov5347
Dec4159

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 19, brings about 14 h 48 min of light; the shortest, around December 19, only 9 h 12 min — a swing of roughly 5 h 36 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan9.67:365:08
Feb10.57:135:42
Mar11.76:326:13
Apr13.05:426:44
May14.15:057:13
Jun14.74:517:35
Jul14.55:037:33
Aug13.55:317:03
Sep12.36:006:15
Oct11.06:295:27
Nov9.97:044:53
Dec9.37:314:47

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Ukiah averages about 17 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 9 and 28 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 5.3 months, from around May 22 to Oct 30. The sunniest month is July, with roughly 27 sunny days (brilliant).

The greyest month is January, down near 9 sunny days — about 67% fewer than the July peak.

051015202530JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedbrightbrilliantJul 1628 daysJan 69 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan9Mixed
Feb9Mixed
Mar10Mixed
Apr12Mixed
May16Bright
Jun22Bright
Jul28Brilliant
Aug28Brilliant
Sep25Brilliant
Oct20Bright
Nov12Mixed
Dec10Mixed

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

In Ukiah, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in May, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 0% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccomfortabledry
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
Jan1000
Feb1000
Mar1000
Apr1000
May982
Jun928
Jul8218
Aug8713
Sep964
Oct991
Nov1000
Dec1000

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Wind in Ukiah is steady company: average speeds sit near 4 mphcalm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.

0510JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccalmlight breezeJun 10 · 5 mphOct 19 · 4 mph
Wind speed (mph)Feels
Jan4calm
Feb4calm
Mar4calm
Apr5calm
May5calm
Jun5calm
Jul4calm
Aug4calm
Sep4calm
Oct4calm
Nov4calm
Dec4calm

Hazard calendar for Ukiah

In seasonPeak

When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.

Ukiah's rainy season runs November–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Best time to visit Ukiah

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Ukiah throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around mid August, Ukiah is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 64°F and 82°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Ukiah for general outdoor tourist activities run from early May to mid July and again from early August to late October, with a peak score in the second week of June.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationJun 14 · 8.7

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan3.0poor
Feb3.6fair
Mar4.5fair
Apr5.9good
May7.5ideal
Jun8.5ideal
Jul7.2good
Aug7.2good
Sep8.3ideal
Oct8.1ideal
Nov5.0fair
Dec2.9poor

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 75°F and 93°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Ukiah for hot-weather activities is from mid June to early October, with a peak score in the last week of August.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationAug 27 · 9.4

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for Ukiah, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

For a warm-season trip around July (highs near 85°F), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around December (highs near 53°F), pack a warm layer and rain gear.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In July, Ukiah sees daytime highs around 85°F and nights near 57°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

Sea temperature near Ukiah

Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 29 mi away) is warmest in September at about 55°F and coldest in April near 52°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

50°52°54°56°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan53Bracing
Feb53Bracing
Mar53Bracing
Apr52Bracing
May52Bracing
Jun52Bracing
Jul53Bracing
Aug54Bracing
Sep55Bracing
Oct55Bracing
Nov55Bracing
Dec54Bracing

UV index (midday) in Ukiah by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ukiah peaks around July 10 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateLowJul 10UV 10Dec 15UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Average hourly UV index in Ukiah

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in July the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan00
Feb2.50
Mar50
Apr6.52
May85
Jun96
Jul8.56
Aug85
Sep60.5
Oct4.50
Nov00
Dec00

Air quality in Ukiah by month

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.

Air quality in Ukiah is worst in September — around 31 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 5.8× the cleanest month (June, 5 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1031 µg/m³Jun 106 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar9Good
Apr8Good
May6Good
Jun5Good
Jul14Moderate
Aug29Moderate
Sep31Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov8Good
Dec6Good
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayReliably frost-free (≥90%)

Ukiah is mild enough that a frost-free day stays more likely than not even in midwinter. Nights are reliably above freezing from about March 14 to November 15 (247 days); outside that window a hard frost is an occasional risk.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecreliably frost-freeMar 1490%Nov 1590%
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan7731
Feb8328
Mar9013
Apr960
May1000
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct1000
Nov9017
Dec7331

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 50°F)Frost-free shaded

Growing degree days tally heat above 50°F: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Ukiah banks about 2,996 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.

01,0002,0003,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°F·days)
Jan0
Feb0
Mar1
Apr77
May272
Jun465
Jul659
Aug655
Sep525
Oct306
Nov35
Dec0

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Ukiah receives about 5.1 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.9 and 8.3 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.0 months, from around Mar 31 to Sep 30. The brightest month is July, averaging about 8.2 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is December, down near 1.9 kWh/m² — roughly 76% less than the July peak.

0123456789JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseJul 68.3 kWhDec 161.9 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan2.1Moderate
Feb3.0Moderate
Mar4.3Bright
Apr5.9Bright
May7.1Intense
Jun8.0Intense
Jul8.2Intense
Aug7.4Intense
Sep6.0Bright
Oct4.1Bright
Nov2.6Moderate
Dec1.9Dim

Where is Ukiah?

Ukiah sits at 39.2°N, 123.2°W, 633 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Clearlake, 34 mi away.

Topography around Ukiah

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Ukiah.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Ukiah has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,765 ft around an average of 827 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,415 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,362 ft.

The land around Ukiah is covered by trees (51%), artificial surfaces (25%) and grassland (20%) within 2 miles, trees (72%) and grassland (24%) within 10 miles, and trees (59%) and water (21%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,765 ft
10 miles
3,415 ft
50 miles
7,362 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Nearby: Clearlake 34 mi · Windsor 47 mi · Santa Rosa 56 mi · Rohnert Park 62 mi · Agua Caliente 69 mi · Petaluma 70 mi · Napa 77 mi · Novato 80 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Ukiah (39.1502°, -123.2078°, elevation 633 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).