Chico, Washington Weather
Fireweed Ignites. Day 14 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Chico weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJul 4Overcast——65°55°—
- SundayJul 5Overcast——72°56°+7°
- MondayJul 6Overcast——81°48°+9°
- TuesdayJul 7Overcast——82°49°+1°
- WednesdayJul 8Drizzle17%—68°56°-14°
- ThursdayJul 9Overcast——78°51°+10°
- FridayJul 10Clear——82°45°+4°
AQI 30 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI up 6 over the last 6 hours (gradual rise). PM2.5 at 8.2 µg/m³ (AQI 46) with a 0.80 fine-to-coarse ratio and 4 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 8.2 µg/m³ (AQI 46) with a 0.80 fine-to-coarse ratio and 4 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in calm air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.80
- 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
- 11:20 PM
- Moonset
- 10:13 AM
- In sign
- ♓︎ Pisces
Fireweed Ignites
Chico at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 8°F below the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: June 1 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jul 1–5
- Planting window: Harvest early potatoes. Begin drying onions on the surface.
16-Day Forecast — Chico
- Sat65°55°5%
- Sun72°56°0%
- Mon81°48°0%
- Tue82°49°3%
- Wed68°56°17%
- Thu78°51°8%
- Fri82°45°4%
- Sat80°49°15%
- Sun73°48°12%
- Mon71°44°7%
- Tue80°43°5%
- Wed86°48°11%
- Thu91°56°9%
- Fri97°59°3%
- Sat94°57°6%
- Sun93°55°3%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of July 4, 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
Fireweed Ignites
Magenta fireweed spires surge from burned and cleared slopes, their blooms climbing from base upward. July's signature color claims the disturbed ground.
Day 185 of 365 · Wedge 37 of 72
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | — | — |
| February | — | — |
| March | — | — |
| April | — | — |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| June | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| August | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| September | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| October | — | winter squash, tomatoes (last) |
| November | — | — |
| December | — | — |
A year in weather
In Chico, August runs warmest near 66°F and December coldest around 40°F, while December is the wettest month (9.9 inches) and July the driest (0.8 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 9.3″ | 14 |
| February | 42° | 5.8″ | 10 |
| March | 46° | 6.4″ | 12 |
| April | 50° | 3.9″ | 9 |
| May | 56° | 2.4″ | 6 |
| June | 61° | 1.6″ | 5 |
| July | 66° | 0.8″ | 2 |
| August | 66° | 1.1″ | 2 |
| September | 62° | 1.8″ | 5 |
| October | 53° | 5.1″ | 9 |
| November | 45° | 8.8″ | 13 |
| December | 40° | 9.9″ | 14 |
Regional context
Chico swings from 41°F in January to 66°F in July (24°F) per NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals; precipitation in Chico runs about 56.9 inches on roughly 102 measurable days.
Cool-season fronts carry Chico's rain: December logs 9.9 inches on 13.6 days, against July's 0.8 inches on 2.3 — winter does the heavy lifting in Chico. That groups Chico with places like Erlands Point, WA, Kitsap Lake, WA and Tracyton, WA on the same cool-season storm track.
Chico reaches its last hard frost near late-May; that is the cue for peas, lettuce, spinach, and radishes. Chico's heat-lovers — tomatoes, peppers, squash — hold off until Chico's frost risk clears, 10-14 days on. The season ends by early-October in Chico, once hard frosts set back in. A creek-bottom lot in Chico can lag Chico's last frost 7-10 days behind a south slope.
Similar climates: Erlands Point, WA, Kitsap Lake, WA, Tracyton, WA, Rocky Point, WA, Silverdale, WA.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Chico?
- Frost typically leaves Chico by mid-May and returns to Chico near mid-October.
- What is the rainy season in Chico?
- Rainfall in Chico peaks in December near 9.9 inches, out of about 57 inches annually.
- What is the warmest month in Chico?
- August is Chico's warmest month, averaging about 66°F.
- What is the coldest month in Chico?
- Chico bottoms out in December, with a mean near 40°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Chico?
- Chico's last frost (mid-May) cues hardy greens; in Chico, hold heat-lovers two weeks past.
- How many rainy days does Chico get?
- Chico records around 102 days of measurable precipitation annually.
- What hardiness zone is Chico?
- Chico's hardiness zone tracks its winter low; with December near 40°F, check the USDA ZIP map for the exact zone.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Chico?
- Chico'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 Chico?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Chico in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Chico?
- Current conditions for Chico and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Chico forecast updated?
- The Chico forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Chico?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Chico 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 Chico?
- The next few days in Chico's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Climate
Chico, Washington occupies a warm-summer Mediterranean zone, with January means near 41°F and July around 66°F — a 25°F swing.
Across the year, Chico collects about 57 inches of precipitation over roughly 102 days with measurable rain or snow.
The 25°F gap between Chico's summer and winter, at 47.6°N, shapes Chico's frost calendar.
ZIP codes in Chico
- 98312
- 98383