Riverside, California Weather
Summer heat deepens across the valleys. Day 15 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Riverside weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJul 5Partly Cloudy——91°64°—
- MondayJul 6Clear——93°61°+2°
- TuesdayJul 7Clear——96°65°+3°
- WednesdayJul 8Clear——100°76°+4°
- ThursdayJul 9Clear——101°79°+1°
- FridayJul 10Overcast——99°78°-2°
- SaturdayJul 11Overcast——94°78°-5°
AQI 36 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 8.4 µg/m³ (AQI 47) with a 0.71 fine-to-coarse ratio and 5 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
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 35 now. With UV 12 peaking around 1 PM under clear skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 56 around 1 PM.
- Present
- AQI 35
- UV peak
- 12.0 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- clear
- Projected peak
- AQI 56
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 8.4 µg/m³ (AQI 47) with a 0.71 fine-to-coarse ratio and 5 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in calm air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.71
- Wind
- light
- 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
- 11:05 PM
- Moonset
- 11:08 AM
- In sign
- ♓︎ Pisces
Summer heat deepens across the valleys
Riverside at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 9°F above the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: March 11 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jul 1–5
- Planting window: Harvest early potatoes. Begin drying onions on the surface.
ZIP codes: 92501, 92503, 92504, 92505, 92506, 92507, 92508, 92521
16-Day Forecast — Riverside
- Sun91°64°1%
- Mon93°61°1%
- Tue96°65°0%
- Wed100°76°0%
- Thu101°79°0%
- Fri99°78°0%
- Sat94°78°1%
- Sun90°75°1%
- Mon102°78°7%
- Tue105°84°14%
- Wed104°84°7%
- Thu106°84°19%
- Fri103°86°19%
- Sat100°85°9%
- Sun105°85°10%
- Mon106°84°6%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Riverside
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 | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | — |
| May | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| July | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| August | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| September | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| October | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | winter squash, tomatoes (last) |
| November | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | — |
| December | — | — |
A year in weather
Riverside peaks at about 80°F in August and bottoms near 52°F in January; February brings the heaviest rain (3.4 inches) and August the least (0.0 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 52° | 3.3″ | 11 |
| February | 54° | 3.4″ | 10 |
| March | 57° | 3.0″ | 13 |
| April | 62° | 1.5″ | 10 |
| May | 67° | 0.5″ | 7 |
| June | 73° | 0.1″ | 3 |
| July | 79° | 0.1″ | 1 |
| August | 80° | 0.0″ | 1 |
| September | 76° | 0.1″ | 2 |
| October | 69° | 0.5″ | 5 |
| November | 59° | 1.6″ | 8 |
| December | 53° | 2.6″ | 10 |
Regional context
Drawing on NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals, Riverside's January averages 52°F and July 79°F — 27°F apart — while precipitation totals roughly 16.7 inches over some 82 days.
Precipitation in Riverside peaks in the cool season: February averages 3.4 inches across 9.9 storm-fed days, while August bottoms out at 0.0 inches over just 0.9 rainy days. That groups Riverside with places like Woodcrest, CA, El Sobrante, CA and Jurupa Valley, CA on the same cool-season storm track.
Riverside rarely sees a hard freeze — its coldest month sits near 52°F — so planting spans most of the calendar. Heat peaks in August around 80°F, which confines cool-season crops to the shoulders of summer. Riverside's coastal lots stay 4-7°F milder overnight than Riverside's inland parcels.
Similar climates: Woodcrest, CA, El Sobrante, CA, Jurupa Valley, CA, Highgrove, CA, March ARB, CA.
Naturalist notes
Late May brings the sweet fragrance of California orange blossoms across Riverside's citrus groves.
House finches begin their second nesting cycle around mid-June as summer heat settles over the valley.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Riverside?
- Riverside's last spring frost lands near mid-March, and in Riverside the first fall frost follows around mid-December.
- What is the rainy season in Riverside?
- Riverside sees its heaviest rain in February (around 3.4 inches), part of roughly 17 inches a year.
- What is the warmest month in Riverside?
- On average August tops the year in Riverside at about 80°F.
- What is the coldest month in Riverside?
- The coldest stretch in Riverside falls in January, around 52°F on average.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Riverside?
- In Riverside, sow peas and hardy greens around mid-March; Riverside's tomatoes and peppers wait two weeks more.
- How many rainy days does Riverside get?
- Expect roughly 82 wet days a year in Riverside.
- What hardiness zone is Riverside?
- With January around 52°F, Riverside's zone reflects that minimum — the USDA ZIP map confirms Riverside's band.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Riverside?
- Riverside'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 Riverside?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Riverside in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Riverside?
- Current conditions for Riverside and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Riverside forecast updated?
- The Riverside forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Riverside?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Riverside 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 Riverside?
- The next few days in Riverside's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Climate
In Riverside, California, the hot-summer Mediterranean climate runs from about 52°F in January to 79°F in July, a 27°F seasonal range.
Across the year, Riverside collects about 17 inches of precipitation over roughly 82 days with measurable rain or snow.
Riverside's 27°F range, set by its 33.9°N position, drives frost timing and what thrives in Riverside.
ZIP codes in Riverside
- 92508
- 92503
- 92501
- 92506
- 92505
- 92504
- 92507
- 92521
- 92502
- 92513
- 92514
- 92516
- 92517
- 92522