Lancaster climate — normals and trends
Lancaster (United States) has a cold semi-arid climate (BSk) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 16.0 °C and it receives 196 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 (25.8 °C on average) and the coldest is January (7.3 °C). Rainfall peaks in February.
Lancaster averages 14 frost days, 93 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 26 rainy days per year.
Lancaster has warmed by +2.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.30 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 27 to 1 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 42.5 °C (on 7 July 2024) and the coldest -11.0 °C (on 17 January 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
LancasterCalifornia
- coords
- 34.70°, -118.14°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
16.0°C
Average daily high
22.7°C
Average daily low
10.2°C
Annual rainfall
196mm
Sunshine / day
11.4h
Mean relative humidity
47%
Average peak wind
18.6km/h
Seasonal range
18.5°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
14 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
93 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
26 d/yr
Annual snowfall
9.2 cm
Average feels-like high
20.0 °C
Average feels-like low
7.5 °C
Average peak gust
38.8 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
24 d/yr
Solar radiation
21.3 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.5 °C
since 1940
+0.3 °C per decade · r² = 0.63 · 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
42.5 °C
7 July 2024
Coldest day
-11.0 °C
17 January 1949
Wettest day
79 mm
1 March 1983
Windiest day
46.5 km/h
19 January 2021
Strongest gust
92.5 km/h
6 February 1969
Hottest feels-like
43.7 °C
4 July 1991
Coldest feels-like
-16.2 °C
17 January 1949
Snowiest day
27.7 cm
4 January 1974
Sunniest day
14.0 h
3 June 1940
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 | 14.2 °C | +1.3 °C | 24 mm | -13 mm |
| Feb | 18.0 °C | +3.4 °C | 28 mm | -14 mm |
| Mar | 17.5 °C | +0.4 °C | 40 mm | +7 mm |
| Apr | 22.3 °C | +1.3 °C | 5 mm | -8 mm |
| May | 27.1 °C | +1.8 °C | 4 mm | -0 mm |
| Jun | 32.1 °C | +2.1 °C | 0 mm | -1 mm |
| Jul | 32.5 °C | -1.0 °C | 0 mm | -2 mm |
| Aug | 34.6 °C | +1.6 °C | 2 mm | -2 mm |
| Sep | 29.5 °C | -0.4 °C | 14 mm | +9 mm |
| Oct | 23.8 °C | -0.3 °C | 37 mm | +30 mm |
| Nov | 18.8 °C | +1.4 °C | 93 mm | +75 mm |
| Dec | 16.4 °C | +3.3 °C | 80 mm | +49 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 Lancaster?
Lancaster has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 16.0 °C and it receives 196 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Lancaster?
The hottest day measured in Lancaster between 1940 and 2025 was 7 July 2024, reaching 42.5 °C.
What is the coldest day in Lancaster?
The coldest day measured in Lancaster between 1940 and 2025 was 17 January 1949, at -11.0 °C.
Does it snow in Lancaster?
Yes. Lancaster gets on average 9.2 cm of snow per year and has around 14 frost days.
Has the climate of Lancaster warmed?
Yes: Lancaster warmed by +2.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Lancaster?
The wettest day measured in Lancaster between 1940 and 2025 was 1 March 1983, with 79 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Lancaster?
The windiest day measured in Lancaster between 1940 and 2025 was 19 January 2021, with winds reaching 46.5 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Lancaster?
The warmest month in Lancaster is July (25.8 °C on average); the coldest is January (7.3 °C).
How much does it rain in Lancaster?
Lancaster receives on average 196 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 26 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Lancaster?
Lancaster gets on average 11.4 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 4,161 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Lancaster?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Lancaster between 1940 and 2025 was 4 January 1974, with 27.7 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Lancaster?
Yes: Lancaster has on average 24 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Lancaster?
In Lancaster, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 43.7 °C on 4 July 1991, and the lowest was -16.2 °C on 17 January 1949.
Compare Lancaster with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Lancaster