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Other Stations in Sacramento

About this Station

Sacramento, and the lower Sacramento Valley, has a mild climate with abundant sunshine most of the year. A nearly cloud-free sky prevails throughout the summer months, and in much of the spring and fall. The summers are usually dry with warm to hot afternoons and mostly mild nights. The rainy season generally is November through March. About 75 percent of the annual precipitation occurs then, but measurable rain falls only on an average of nine days per month during that period. The shielding effect of mountains to the north, east, and west usually modifies winter storms. The Sierra Nevada snow fields, only 70 miles east of Sacramento, usually provide an adequate water supply during the dry season, and an important recreational area in winter. Heavy snowfall and torrential rains frequently fall on the western Sierra slopes, and may produce flood conditions along the Sacramento River and its tributaries. In the valley, however, excessive rainfall as well as damaging winds are rare.

The prevailing wind at Sacramento is southerly every month but November, when it is northerly. Topographic effects, the north-south alignment of the valley, the coast range, and the Sierra Nevada strongly influence the wind flow in the valley. A sea level gap in the coast range permits cool, oceanic air to flow, occasionally, into the valley during the summer season with a marked lowering of temperature through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to the capital. In the spring and fall, a large north-to-south pressure gradient develops over the northern part of the state. Air flowing over the Siskiyou mountains to the north warms and dries as it descends to the valley floor. This gusty, blustery north wind is a local variation of the chinook. It apparently carries a form of pollen which may cause allergic responses by susceptible individuals. As is well known, relative humidity has a marked influence on the reactions of plants and animals to temperature. The extremely low relative humidity that ordinarily accompanies high temperatures in this valley should be considered when comparing temperatures here with those of cities in more humid regions. The extreme hot spells, with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, are usually caused by air flow from a sub-tropical high pressure area that brings light to nearly calm winds and humidities below 20 percent.

Thunderstorms are few in number, usually mild in character, and occur mainly in the spring. An occasional thunderstorm may drift over the valley from the Sierra Nevada in the summer. Snow falls so rarely, and in such small amounts, that its occurrence may be disregarded as a climatic feature. Heavy fog occurs mostly in midwinter, never in summer, and seldom in spring or autumn. An occasional winter fog, under stagnant atmospheric conditions, may continue for several days. Light and moderate fogs are more frequent, and may come anytime during the wet, cold season. The fog is the radiational cooling type, and is usually confined to the early morning hours.

Sacramento is the geographical center of the great interior valley of California that reaches from Red Bluff in the north to Bakersville in the south. This predominantly agricultural region produces an extremely wide and abundant variety of fruits, grains, and vegetables ranging from the semi-tropical to the hardier varieties.

Based on the 1951-1980 period, the average first occurrence of 32 degrees Fahrenheit in the fall is December 1 and the average last occurrence in the spring is February 14.

Data Inventories

Please note that additional data (digital and non-digital) may be available for this station. Contact NCDC if additional details are needed.


Click on the following where available:


• DAT to obtain digital ascii data (charges may apply),
  Please do not order these data if you do not know what a Digital ASCII File is.
  
• INV to view inventory, or
  
• DOC to view documentation

Surface
DAT INV DOC 3200 -Cooperative Summary Of The Day
DAT INV DOC 3210 -Summary Of The Day - First Order
DAT INV DOC SOD -Daily Surface Data (TD3200/3210 combined)
DAT INV DOC 3220 -Summary Of The Month (SOM) Cooperative
DAT INV DOC 3240 -Hourly Precipitation Data
DAT INV DOC 3280 -Surface Airways Hourly And Airways Solar Radiation
DAT INV DOC 3290 -Summary Observation
DAT INV DOC 9950 -DATSAV 2 Surface (see Global Surface Station Information).


Upper Air
DAT INV DOC 6301 -
DAT INV DOC 6302 -

DATA

Additional data products may be available for this station. If you can't find what you are looking for here, please try our Most Popular Products page.

Forms, Publications, and Web Pages
Graphs and Other Images
Digital ASCII Files


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Forms, Publications, and Web Pages

Most of these products are publications that have been converted to on-line access. As such, these documents have column headings and are displayed in an easy-to-read format.

For additional information and product samples, click on the icon next to the desired product.

Hourly Precipitation Data for California
Daily/Monthly/Annual California Climatological Data
Record of Climatological Observations
Annual Climatological Summary
Storm Data Publication


Miscellaneous Storm Events in Sacramento County
    *All Drought Dust Storm Flood Fog Hail Hurricane & Tropical Storm Lightning Tornado Wild/Forest Fire Ocean/lake Surf Precipitation Snow & Ice Temperature Extremes Thunderstorm & High Wind

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Graphs and Other Images

Includes contour maps, time series, NEXRAD radar mosaics, and satellite images.

For additional information and product samples, click on the icon next to the desired product.

National Mosaic Reflectivity Images
Miscellaneous Satellite Images


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Digital ASCII Files

These files may or may not contain column headers. In order to use these files, you will need to import them into a spreadsheet or database package for presentation. Please do not order these data if you do not know what a Digital ASCII File is. A sample Digital ASCII File is available for viewing but content varies a great deal depending on your request. Other digital files are available Offline that may contain data for this station.

For additional information and product samples, click on the icon next to the desired product.

SOD -Daily Surface Data (TD3200/3210 combined)
3220 -Summary Of The Month (SOM) Cooperative
3240 -Hourly Precipitation Data

Station History

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