December brings 22°C daytime highs, 4mm of precipitation across about 1 wet days and 9.5 hours of daylight — best for hiking, cycling and low-angle light. The strongest run of the year is November to January. August is the quietest month: hot and slow-paced, and still good for beach days, swimming and reliable sunshine.
Long-run climate normals for Death Valley. Month ratings compare months within Death Valley only — they are not a ranking of Death Valley against other destinations, and they are not a forecast for a specific year.
Last updated: · Live forecast data refreshes hourly.
| Best month | December — Hiking, Cycling, Low-angle light |
| Best 3-month window | November–January |
| Quietest month | August — Hot and slow-paced |
| Driest month | May — 1mm |
| Wettest month | February — 8mm |
| Warmest / coolest | July 47°C / February 18°C |
| Seasonality | Fairly even across the year |
| Annual rainfall | 48mm over roughly 4 rain days |
August gets roughly 25% less precipitation than December — 3mm against 4mm. That difference, more than temperature, is what changes how a day here feels.
Death Valley swings 29°C between July (47°C) and February (18°C) — the month you pick changes what you pack more than where you go.
June gives you 14.5 hours of daylight against just 9.5 in December — a 5-hour difference in how much you can actually fit into a day.
May is the driest month at 1mm across roughly 1 wet days, while February peaks at 8mm.
March is almost as good as December, but usually quieter and cheaper. If your dates are flexible, it is the easier trip.
Death Valley stays fairly consistent all year, so there is no month you need to avoid. What you plan to do matters more than when you go.
Ratings compare months within Death Valley, not against destinations worldwide: five stars means the best time to be here, not that Death Valley beats anywhere else. Tags describe what the conditions actually suit.
| Month | Rating | High / Low | Precipitation | Wet days | Sun | Daylight | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | ★★★★☆ | 18°C / 4°C | 7mm | 1 | 5h | 9.8h | Hiking · Cycling · Low-angle light |
| February | ★★★★☆ | 18°C / 4°C | 8mm | 1 | 5h | 10.6h | Hiking · Cycling · Low-angle light |
| March | ★★★★★ | 22°C / 8°C | 6mm | 1 | 3h | 11.8h | Hiking · Cycling |
| April | ★★★★☆ | 29°C / 14°C | 3mm | 1 | 4h | 13h | Beach days · Swimming |
| May | ★★★★☆ | 36°C / 21°C | 1mm | 1 | 10h | 14h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| June | ★★★☆☆ | 43°C / 27°C | 1mm | 1 | 11h | 14.5h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| July | ★★☆☆☆ | 47°C / 31°C | 2mm | 1 | 11h | 14.2h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| August | ★★☆☆☆ | 47°C / 31°C | 3mm | 1 | 11h | 13.4h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| September | ★★☆☆☆ | 43°C / 27°C | 2mm | 1 | 11h | 12.2h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| October | ★★★★☆ | 36°C / 21°C | 2mm | 1 | 10h | 11h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| November | ★★★★★ | 29°C / 14°C | 3mm | 1 | 9h | 10h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| December | ★★★★★ | 22°C / 8°C | 4mm | 1 | 8h | 9.5h | Hiking · Cycling · Low-angle light |
| You are planning | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sun & beach days | December | 8h daily sunshine, 22°C highs and only 1 rain days. |
| City walking & sightseeing | March | 22°C highs with 11.8h of daylight — long days without heat fatigue. |
| Photography & light | June | 11h of sun and 14.5h daylight give the widest window for golden-hour work. |
| Value & fewer crowds | February | Scores 77/100 — close to peak conditions but outside the busiest window. |
| Cooler-weather travel | January | 18°C highs and 4°C nights suit anyone who dislikes heat. |
Each month in Death Valley is described from long-run climate normals and then rated relative to the other eleven months in the same city. A five-star January in a cold destination means January is one of the best times to be there — not that it beats a Mediterranean summer.
| Factor | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Described | Average daytime high and overnight low for the month, shown as measured rather than judged. |
| Precipitation | Described | Monthly millimetres and wet-day count, labelled as snow or rain/snow where temperatures make that the likely phase. |
| Sunshine & daylight | Described | Average daily sunshine hours and astronomical daylight length at mid-month, from the city’s latitude. |
| “Best for” tags | Derived | Applied only when the conditions genuinely support the activity — snow depth-friendly cold for skiing, 13–24°C and low rain risk for hiking, dark evenings at high latitude for aurora. A month with few strong use cases gets fewer tags rather than padded ones. |
| Star rating | Relative | Ranks the month against the other eleven months in the same city. Never a comparison between cities. |
Figures are long-run climate averages, not a forecast for a specific year. Where a month lacks sourced rainfall or humidity, the value is modelled from temperature range and rain frequency.
December is the best all-round month in Death Valley: 22°C highs, 4mm of precipitation and 9.5 hours of daylight, which suits hiking, cycling and low-angle light. The strongest three-month window is November to January.
August — 47°C highs, 3mm of precipitation over roughly 1 days and 13.4 hours of daylight. It is the cheapest and least crowded time to go, and it still works for beach days, swimming and reliable sunshine.
May is the driest month at 1mm over about 1 rain days, against 8mm in February. Across the year Death Valley records around 48mm.
Yes — conditions in Death Valley stay fairly even all year, so there is no month you need to avoid. What you plan to do matters more than when you go.
Daylight ranges from 9.5 hours in December to 14.5 hours in June, calculated from the city's latitude.