Lake Charles climate — normals and trends
Lake Charles (United States) has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 19.9 °C and it receives 1,292 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is July (27.5 °C on average) and the coldest is January (10.7 °C). Rainfall peaks in January.
Lake Charles averages 11 frost days, 112 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 136 rainy days per year.
Lake Charles has warmed by +1.4 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.17 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 43.1 °C (on 27 August 2023) and the coldest -12.2 °C (on 1 February 1949).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
Lake CharlesLouisiana
- coords
- 30.21°, -93.20°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
19.9°C
Average daily high
25.0°C
Average daily low
15.4°C
Annual rainfall
1,292mm
Sunshine / day
9.6h
Mean relative humidity
76%
Average peak wind
16.3km/h
Seasonal range
16.8°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
11 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
112 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
136 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.9 cm
Average feels-like high
26.5 °C
Average feels-like low
15.7 °C
Average peak gust
33.9 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
141 d/yr
Solar radiation
17.0 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.4 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.34 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
43.1 °C
27 August 2023
Coldest day
-12.2 °C
1 February 1949
Wettest day
357 mm
8 August 1940
Windiest day
78.3 km/h
24 September 2005
Strongest gust
161.6 km/h
24 September 2005
Hottest feels-like
46.5 °C
24 August 2023
Coldest feels-like
-18.1 °C
23 December 1989
Snowiest day
10.1 cm
30 January 1949
Sunniest day
13.8 h
9 June 1944
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14.1 °C | -1.7 °C | 133 mm | +11 mm |
| Feb | 19.8 °C | +2.0 °C | 124 mm | +24 mm |
| Mar | 24.5 °C | +3.1 °C | 123 mm | +16 mm |
| Apr | 27.3 °C | +2.2 °C | 93 mm | -16 mm |
| May | 29.3 °C | +0.6 °C | 155 mm | +42 mm |
| Jun | 31.7 °C | +0.3 °C | 150 mm | +38 mm |
| Jul | 33.0 °C | +0.9 °C | 100 mm | -14 mm |
| Aug | 33.4 °C | +1.0 °C | 117 mm | +4 mm |
| Sep | 33.1 °C | +2.6 °C | 49 mm | -55 mm |
| Oct | 29.7 °C | +3.0 °C | 58 mm | -27 mm |
| Nov | 24.7 °C | +3.6 °C | 38 mm | -60 mm |
| Dec | 19.1 °C | +1.7 °C | 139 mm | +23 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Lake Charles?
Lake Charles has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 19.9 °C and it receives 1,292 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Lake Charles?
The hottest day measured in Lake Charles between 1940 and 2025 was 27 August 2023, reaching 43.1 °C.
What is the coldest day in Lake Charles?
The coldest day measured in Lake Charles between 1940 and 2025 was 1 February 1949, at -12.2 °C.
Does it snow in Lake Charles?
Almost never: Lake Charles sees virtually no snow, with about 11 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Lake Charles warmed?
Yes: Lake Charles warmed by +1.4 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Lake Charles?
The wettest day measured in Lake Charles between 1940 and 2025 was 8 August 1940, with 357 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Lake Charles?
The windiest day measured in Lake Charles between 1940 and 2025 was 24 September 2005, with winds reaching 78.3 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Lake Charles?
The warmest month in Lake Charles is July (27.5 °C on average); the coldest is January (10.7 °C).
How much does it rain in Lake Charles?
Lake Charles receives on average 1,292 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 136 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Lake Charles?
Lake Charles gets on average 9.6 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,504 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Lake Charles?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Lake Charles between 1940 and 2025 was 30 January 1949, with 10.1 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Lake Charles?
Yes: Lake Charles has on average 141 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Lake Charles?
In Lake Charles, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 46.5 °C on 24 August 2023, and the lowest was -18.1 °C on 23 December 1989.
Compare Lake Charles with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Lake Charles