October brings 23°C daytime highs, 42mm of precipitation across about 3 wet days and 11 hours of daylight — best for hiking, cycling and reliable sunshine. The strongest run of the year is August to October. February is the quietest month: quiet and local, and still good for low-angle light and quiet and local.
Long-run climate normals for Yosemite. Month ratings compare months within Yosemite only — they are not a ranking of Yosemite against other destinations, and they are not a forecast for a specific year.
Last updated: · Live forecast data refreshes hourly.
| Best month | October — Hiking, Cycling, Reliable sunshine |
| Best 3-month window | August–October |
| Quietest month | February — Quiet and local |
| Driest month | August — 3mm |
| Wettest month | January — 163mm |
| Warmest / coolest | July 32°C / February 9°C |
| Seasonality | Strongly seasonal — the months feel like different places |
| Annual rainfall | 914mm over roughly 62 rain days |
February gets roughly 269% more precipitation than October — 155mm against 42mm. That difference, more than temperature, is what changes how a day here feels.
Yosemite swings 23°C between July (32°C) and February (9°C) — the month you pick changes what you pack more than where you go.
June gives you 14.6 hours of daylight against just 9.4 in December — a 5-hour difference in how much you can actually fit into a day.
August is the driest month at 3mm across roughly 1 wet days, while January peaks at 163mm.
September is almost as good as October, but usually quieter and cheaper. If your dates are flexible, it is the easier trip.
Yosemite changes character completely through the year — October and February are effectively two different destinations. Pick the month that matches what you want to do, not the highest-rated one.
Ratings compare months within Yosemite, not against destinations worldwide: five stars means the best time to be here, not that Yosemite beats anywhere else. Tags describe what the conditions actually suit.
| Month | Rating | High / Low | Precipitation | Wet days | Sun | Daylight | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | ★★☆☆☆ | 9°C / -1°C | 163mm (rain/snow) | 12 | 5h | 9.7h | Low-angle light · Quiet and local |
| February | ★★☆☆☆ | 9°C / -1°C | 155mm (rain/snow) | 12 | 3h | 10.6h | Low-angle light · Quiet and local |
| March | ★★☆☆☆ | 12°C / 2°C | 131mm | 10 | 3h | 11.8h | Spring greenery · Quiet and local |
| April | ★★★★☆ | 18°C / 6°C | 80mm | 6 | 4h | 13h | Hiking · Cycling · Spring greenery |
| May | ★★★★★ | 23°C / 10°C | 33mm | 2 | 4h | 14.1h | Hiking · Cycling |
| June | ★★★★★ | 29°C / 14°C | 12mm | 1 | 5h | 14.6h | Beach days · Swimming |
| July | ★★★★★ | 32°C / 17°C | 5mm | 1 | 11h | 14.3h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| August | ★★★★★ | 32°C / 17°C | 3mm | 1 | 11h | 13.4h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| September | ★★★★★ | 29°C / 14°C | 8mm | 1 | 11h | 12.2h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| October | ★★★★★ | 23°C / 10°C | 42mm | 3 | 10h | 11h | Hiking · Cycling · Reliable sunshine |
| November | ★★★★☆ | 18°C / 6°C | 80mm | 6 | 6h | 9.9h | Hiking · Cycling · Autumn colour |
| December | ★★☆☆☆ | 12°C / 2°C | 110mm | 8 | 3h | 9.4h | Festive season · Low-angle light · Quiet and local |
| You are planning | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sun & beach days | September | 11h daily sunshine, 29°C highs and only 1 rain days. |
| City walking & sightseeing | May | 23°C highs with 14.1h of daylight — long days without heat fatigue. |
| Photography & light | July | 11h of sun and 14.3h daylight give the widest window for golden-hour work. |
| Value & fewer crowds | July | Scores 84/100 — close to peak conditions but outside the busiest window. |
| Cooler-weather travel | April | 18°C highs and 6°C nights suit anyone who dislikes heat. |
Each month in Yosemite 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.
October is the best all-round month in Yosemite: 23°C highs, 42mm of precipitation and 11 hours of daylight, which suits hiking, cycling and reliable sunshine. The strongest three-month window is August to October.
February — 9°C highs, 155mm of precipitation over roughly 12 days and 10.6 hours of daylight. It is the cheapest and least crowded time to go, and it still works for low-angle light and quiet and local.
August is the driest month at 3mm over about 1 rain days, against 163mm in January. Across the year Yosemite records around 914mm.
Yes, but the months are genuinely different trips. October suits hiking, cycling and reliable sunshine, while February suits low-angle light and quiet and local. Pick the month that matches what you want to do.
Daylight ranges from 9.4 hours in December to 14.6 hours in June, calculated from the city's latitude.