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Weather

Temperature varies by elevation. Because the parks range from 1,500 feet to 14,494 feet in elevation (457 m to 4,418 m), conditions change drastically depending on where you are! Continue to the bottom of this page if you need links to weather forecasts.

THE FOOTHILLS (chaparral shrubs and oak woodlands), below ~4,000':
These lower elevations are characterized by mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. Precipitation usually occurs from January to mid-May; rain in the summer is rare. Average rainfall is about 26" (66 cm). During the winter, low-hanging clouds often drift in from the west, obscuring the countryside for several days at a time.

*FOOTHILLS TEMPERATURES	JAN	FEB	MAR	APR	MAY	JUN	JUL	AUG	SEP	OCT	NOV	DEC
Extreme Low	20° -7C	22° -6C	26° -3C	29° -2C	31° 1C	38° 3C	42° 6C	46° 8C	37° 3C	30° -1C	26° -3C	18° -8C
Average Low	36° 2C	39° 4C	41° 5C	46° 8C	52° 11C	61° 16C	68° 20C	67° 20C	52° 11C	43° 6C	37° 3C	36° 2C
Average High	57° 14C	61° 16C	64° 18C	70° 21C	79° 26C	89° 32C	97° 36C	96° 36C	91° 33C	80° 27C	67° 19C	58° 14C
Extreme High	84° 29C	85° 29C	85° 29C	92° 33C	104° 40C	114° 46C	113° 45C	111° 44C	112° 44C	103° 39C	93° 34C	82° 28C

*(Fahrenheit over Celsius)

THE MIDDLE ELEVATIONS (the conifer forest belt, including giant sequoia groves), ~4,000' to 7,000':
Summer in this forested area of the parks offers warm days and cool evenings. These elevations receive an average of 40-45" (102-114 cm) of precipitation annually. Much of this falls during the winter, resulting in a deep blanket of snow from December to May. Sub-zero temperatures are rare. In the summer, occasional afternoon thundershowers may occur.

In fall and winter, Lodgepole Campground is generally 10-15 degrees F (6-9°C) colder than the average middle-elevation temperature shown on the chart.

Summer temperatures in Cedar Grove are generally hotter than the average for the middle elevations, and cooler than the foothills. Mid-summer temperatures may reach the 90°s (35-40°C). Cedar Grove is closed in the winter due to frequent rockfalls on the road.

*MIDDLE ELEVATION TEMPERATURES	JAN	FEB	MAR	APR	MAY	JUN	JUL	AUG	SEP	OCT	NOV	DEC
Extreme Low	-6° -21C	-4° -21C	0°18C	8° -13C	13° -11C	22° -6C	34° 1C	28° -2C	23° -5C	11° -12C	4° -20C	-4° -20C
Average Low	24° -4C	25° -4C	26° -3C	30° -1C	36° 2C	44° 7C	51°11C	50°10C	45° 7C	38° 3C	31° -1C	27° -3C
Average High	42° 6C	44° 7C	46° 8C	51° 11C	58° 14C	68°20C	76°24C	76°24C	71°22C	61°16C	50°10C	44° 7C
Extreme High	68°20C	70°21C	76°24C	77° 25C	83°28C	91° 33C	92°33C	94°34C	90°32C	82°28C	96°36C	73°23C

*(Fahrenheit over Celsius)

 

Click National Weather Service: Parks of the Southern Sierra for a written current forecast for Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Yosemite national parks.
Or, click National Weather Service map, which gives you a map of south-central California. Click anywhere on that map to get a point forecast for a specific elevation. (For the Giant Forest area of Sequoia National Park, click the dot labelled "Sequoia National Park" on the right side of the map. The weather given for that point is usually a few degrees cooler than the weather in the Grant Grove area of Kings Canyon).

For recordings of current park weather and road conditions, call 559-565-3341.

For the current view west from the Giant Forest sequoia grove, click Giant Forest Webcam.

For California road conditions, click Caltrans or call 1-800-427-7623.

Interested in the snowpack and water resources of the Sierra Nevada? Click here.