Empire, California Weather
Summer heat deepens across the valleys. Day 15 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Empire weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJul 5Overcast10%—93°63°—
- MondayJul 6Overcast——92°60°-1°
- TuesdayJul 7Clear——95°58°+3°
- WednesdayJul 8Clear——101°57°+6°
- ThursdayJul 9Clear——104°62°+3°
- FridayJul 10Overcast——106°65°+2°
- SaturdayJul 11Overcast——112°69°+6°
AQI 36 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 10.7 µg/m³ (AQI 54) with a 0.71 fine-to-coarse ratio and 3 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in calm air, not road dust.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 10.7 µg/m³ (AQI 54) with a 0.71 fine-to-coarse ratio and 3 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in calm air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.71
- Wind
- calm
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- stagnant smoke
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
If the first of July be rainy weather, 'twill rain more or less for four weeks together.
- Moonrise
- 11:22 PM
- Moonset
- 11:22 AM
- In sign
- ♓︎ Pisces
Summer heat deepens across the valleys
Empire at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 76°F — typical for the season
- Last frost: April 2 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jul 1–5
- Planting window: Harvest early potatoes. Begin drying onions on the surface.
ZIP code: 95319
16-Day Forecast — Empire
- Sun93°63°10%
- Mon92°60°0%
- Tue95°58°0%
- Wed101°57°0%
- Thu104°62°0%
- Fri106°65°0%
- Sat112°69°0%
- Sun95°75°1%
- Mon104°70°4%
- Tue110°71°5%
- Wed110°72°0%
- Thu111°73°1%
- Fri114°75°0%
- Sat110°76°6%
- Sun106°75°3%
- Mon106°69°6%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of July 5, the growing season is at its peak — frost is months away. Continue succession-planting beans and summer squash. Start fall brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) from seed indoors for transplanting in late summer.
Microseason · July 1–5
Summer heat deepens across the valleys
Inland temperatures exceed 95°F regularly; fire danger reaches moderate to high across most of the region.
Day 186 of 365 · Wedge 37 of 72
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | — | — |
| February | — | — |
| March | — | — |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| August | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| September | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| October | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | winter squash, tomatoes (last) |
| November | — | — |
| December | — | — |
A year in weather
Empire's warmest month is July (~79°F mean) and its coldest is December (~48°F). Rainfall peaks in January (3.5 inches) and bottoms out in August (0.0 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 3.5″ | 12 |
| February | 51° | 3.2″ | 11 |
| March | 54° | 2.9″ | 12 |
| April | 60° | 1.4″ | 8 |
| May | 68° | 0.5″ | 4 |
| June | 74° | 0.0″ | 1 |
| July | 79° | 0.0″ | 0 |
| August | 78° | 0.0″ | 0 |
| September | 73° | 0.1″ | 1 |
| October | 65° | 0.6″ | 3 |
| November | 54° | 2.3″ | 8 |
| December | 48° | 3.1″ | 11 |
Regional context
Per NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals, Empire runs from a 48°F January mean to 79°F in July, a 31°F seasonal spread, with near 17.7 inches of precipitation across about 71 wet days.
Precipitation in Empire peaks in the cool season: January averages 3.5 inches across 12.4 storm-fed days, while August bottoms out at 0.0 inches over just 0.1 rainy days. That groups Empire with places like Airport, CA, Hughson, CA and Bystrom, CA on the same cool-season storm track.
With a coldest-month mean of 48°F, Empire stays mostly frost-free and grows year-round. The July peak near 79°F is Empire's real limit, pushing cool-season vegetables to spring and fall. Empire's coastal lots stay 4-7°F milder overnight than Empire's inland parcels.
Similar climates: Airport, CA, Hughson, CA, Bystrom, CA, Ceres, CA, Parklawn, CA.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Empire?
- Empire's last spring frost lands near mid-April, and in Empire the first fall frost follows around mid-November.
- What is the rainy season in Empire?
- Rainfall in Empire peaks in January near 3.5 inches, out of about 18 inches annually.
- What is the warmest month in Empire?
- July is Empire's warmest month, averaging about 79°F.
- What is the coldest month in Empire?
- Empire bottoms out in December, with a mean near 48°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Empire?
- Empire's last frost (mid-April) cues hardy greens; in Empire, hold heat-lovers two weeks past.
- How many rainy days does Empire get?
- Empire records around 71 days of measurable precipitation annually.
- What hardiness zone is Empire?
- Empire sits in the USDA zone set by December lows near 48°F; the USDA ZIP tool gives the band.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Empire?
- Empire's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Empire?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Empire in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Empire?
- Current conditions for Empire and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Empire forecast updated?
- The Empire forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Empire?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Empire are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Empire?
- The next few days in Empire's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Climate
Empire, California occupies a hot-summer Mediterranean zone, with January means near 48°F and July around 79°F — a 31°F swing.
Yearly precipitation in Empire totals around 18 inches, spread over about 71 days of rain or snow.
The 31°F gap between Empire's summer and winter, at 37.6°N, shapes Empire's frost calendar.
ZIP codes in Empire
- 95319
- 95357