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February Weather in Alta Sierra California, United States

Daily high temperatures increase by 2°F, from 55°F to 57°F, rarely falling below 46°F or exceeding 67°F.

Daily low temperatures increase by 2°F, from 41°F to 43°F, rarely falling below 34°F or exceeding 50°F.

For reference, on July 27, the hottest day of the year, temperatures in Alta Sierra typically range from 67°F to 89°F, while on December 26, the coldest day of the year, they range from 39°F to 52°F.

Average High and Low Temperature in February in Alta Sierra

Average High and Low Temperature in February in Alta SierraFeb1122334455667788991010111112121313141415151616171718181919202021212222232324242525262627272828292930°F30°F35°F35°F40°F40°F45°F45°F50°F50°F55°F55°F60°F60°F65°F65°F70°F70°F75°F75°FJanMarFeb 155°FFeb 155°F41°F41°FFeb 2957°FFeb 2957°F43°F43°FFeb 1155°FFeb 1155°F41°F41°FFeb 2156°FFeb 2156°F42°F42°FNowNow
The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the hourly average temperatures for the quarter of the year centered on February. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.

Average Hourly Temperature in February in Alta Sierra

Average Hourly Temperature in February in Alta SierraFeb1122334455667788991010111112121313141415151616171718181919202021212222232324242525262627272828292912 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMJanMarNowNowvery coldvery coldcoldcool
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

Zaragoza, Spain (5,715 miles away) and Rome, Italy (6,132 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Alta Sierra (view comparison).

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The month of February in Alta Sierra experiences essentially constant cloud cover, with the percentage of time that the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy remaining about 59% throughout the month. The highest chance of overcast or mostly cloudy conditions is 60% on February 26.

The clearest day of the month is February 1, with clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy conditions 42% of the time.

For reference, on February 26, the cloudiest day of the year, the chance of overcast or mostly cloudy conditions is 60%, while on July 28, the clearest day of the year, the chance of clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy skies is 90%.

Cloud Cover Categories in February in Alta Sierra

Cloud Cover Categories in February in Alta SierraFeb112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829290%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanMarJul 2890%Jul 2890%Feb 142%Feb 142%Feb 2940%Feb 2940%Feb 1142%Feb 1142%Feb 2140%Feb 2140%NowNowclearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercast
0% clear 20% mostly clear 40% partly cloudy 60% mostly cloudy 80% overcast 100%
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. In Alta Sierra, the chance of a wet day over the course of February is gradually increasing, starting the month at 32% and ending it at 35%.

For reference, the year's highest daily chance of a wet day is 35% on February 28, and its lowest chance is 0% on July 20.

Probability of Precipitation in February in Alta Sierra

Probability of Precipitation in February in Alta SierraFeb112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829290%0%5%5%10%10%15%15%20%20%25%25%30%30%35%35%JanMarFeb 2835%Feb 2835%Feb 132%Feb 132%Feb 1132%Feb 1132%NowNowrain
The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).

Rainfall

To show variation within the month and not just the monthly total, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day.

The average sliding 31-day rainfall during February in Alta Sierra is essentially constant, remaining about 5.6 inches throughout, and rarely exceeding 11.2 inches or falling below 1.2 inches.

The highest average 31-day accumulation is 5.8 inches on February 17.

Average Monthly Rainfall in February in Alta Sierra

Average Monthly Rainfall in February in Alta SierraFeb112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829290 in0 in2 in2 in4 in4 in6 in6 in8 in8 in10 in10 in12 in12 inJanMarFeb 175.8 inFeb 175.8 inFeb 15.4 inFeb 15.4 inFeb 295.6 inFeb 295.6 inNowNow
The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average snowfall.

Over the course of February in Alta Sierra, the length of the day is rapidly increasing. From the start to the end of the month, the length of the day increases by 1 hour, 6 minutes, implying an average daily increase of 2 minutes, 20 seconds, and weekly increase of 16 minutes, 23 seconds.

The shortest day of the month is February 1, with 10 hours, 14 minutes of daylight and the longest day is February 29, with 11 hours, 19 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in February in Alta Sierra

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in February in Alta SierraFeb112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829290 hr24 hr4 hr20 hr8 hr16 hr12 hr12 hr16 hr8 hr20 hr4 hr24 hr0 hrJanMarnightnightdaydayFeb 110 hr, 14 minFeb 110 hr, 14 minFeb 2911 hr, 19 minFeb 2911 hr, 19 minNowNow
The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.

The latest sunrise of the month in Alta Sierra is 7:11 AM on February 1 and the earliest sunrise is 34 minutes earlier at 6:37 AM on February 29.

The earliest sunset is 5:24 PM on February 1 and the latest sunset is 32 minutes later at 5:56 PM on February 29.

Daylight saving time is observed in Alta Sierra during 2024, but it neither starts nor ends during February, so the entire month is in daylight saving time.

For reference, on June 20, the longest day of the year, the Sun rises at 5:38 AM and sets 14 hours, 55 minutes later, at 8:33 PM, while on December 21, the shortest day of the year, it rises at 7:20 AM and sets 9 hours, 25 minutes later, at 4:45 PM.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time in February in Alta Sierra

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time in February in Alta SierraFeb112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829292 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMJanMar6:37 AM6:37 AMFeb 295:56 PMFeb 295:56 PM7:11 AM7:11 AMFeb 15:24 PMFeb 15:24 PM7:00 AM7:00 AMFeb 115:36 PMFeb 115:36 PMSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunsetNowNow
The solar day over the course of February. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray.

The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation.

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in February in Alta Sierra

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in February in Alta SierraFeb1122334455667788991010111112121313141415151616171718181919202021212222232324242525262627272828292912 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMJanMar0010102020203030405000010102020303040NowNow
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of February 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for February 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases. The label associated with each bar indicates the date and time that the phase is obtained, and the companion time labels indicate the rise and set times of the Moon for the nearest time interval in which the moon is above the horizon.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in February in Alta Sierra

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in February in Alta SierraFeb1122334455667788991010111112121313141415151616171718181919202021212222232324242525262627272828292912 AM12 AM4 AM4 AM8 AM8 AM12 PM12 PM4 PM4 PM8 PM8 PM12 AM12 AMJanMarJan 113:58 AMJan 113:58 AMJan 259:55 AMJan 259:55 AMFeb 93:00 PMFeb 93:00 PMFeb 244:31 AMFeb 244:31 AMMar 101:01 AMMar 101:01 AMMar 2512:01 AMMar 2512:01 AM8:00 AM8:00 AM5:18 PM5:18 PM4:13 PM4:13 PM7:41 AM7:41 AM7:16 AM7:16 AM5:28 PM5:28 PM5:12 PM5:12 PM7:07 AM7:07 AM7:43 AM7:43 AM7:53 PM7:53 PM7:03 PM7:03 PM7:13 AM7:13 AM
The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.
Feb 2024IlluminationMoonriseMoonsetMoonriseMeridian PassingDistance
1
64%-10:24 AMWSW-4:51 AMS248,848 mi
2
50%12:18 AMESE10:48 AMWSW-5:34 AMS246,290 mi
3
44%1:23 AMESE11:18 AMWSW-6:20 AMS243,062 mi
4
33%2:30 AMESE11:54 AMWSW-7:12 AMS239,311 mi
5
23%3:38 AMSE12:41 PMSW-8:09 AMS235,270 mi
6
14%4:45 AMSE1:39 PMSW-9:12 AMS231,255 mi
7
7%5:44 AMSE2:49 PMSW-10:17 AMS227,638 mi
8
2%6:35 AMESE4:07 PMWSW-11:21 AMS224,795 mi
9
0%7:16 AMESE5:28 PMWSW-12:22 PMS223,029 mi
10
1%7:50 AMESE6:48 PMWSW-1:18 PMS222,510 mi
11
6%8:19 AME8:05 PMW-2:11 PMS223,250 mi
12
13%8:46 AME9:20 PMW-3:01 PMS225,108 mi
13
22%9:11 AME10:34 PMWNW-3:49 PMS227,831 mi
14
33%9:38 AMENE11:47 PMWNW-4:39 PMS231,109 mi
15
44%10:08 AMENE--5:29 PMS234,631 mi
16
50%-1:00 AMWNW10:42 AMENE6:22 PMS238,126 mi
17
66%-2:10 AMNW11:22 AMNE7:16 PMS241,387 mi
18
75%-3:15 AMNW12:10 PMNE8:11 PMS244,281 mi
19
84%-4:13 AMNW1:05 PMNE9:05 PMS246,738 mi
20
90%-5:02 AMNW2:05 PMNE9:57 PMS248,736 mi
21
95%-5:43 AMWNW3:08 PMENE10:46 PMS250,289 mi
22
99%-6:16 AMWNW4:11 PMENE11:31 PMS251,418 mi
23
100%-6:43 AMWNW5:12 PMENE--
24
100%-7:07 AMWNW6:13 PMENE12:13 AMS252,141 mi
25
99%-7:28 AMW7:12 PME12:53 AMS252,457 mi
26
97%-7:48 AMW8:10 PME1:32 AMS252,343 mi
27
93%-8:07 AMW9:09 PME2:10 AMS251,759 mi
28
87%-8:28 AMWSW10:09 PMESE2:49 AMS250,651 mi
29
80%-8:51 AMWSW11:12 PMESE3:30 AMS248,969 mi

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

The chance that a given day will be muggy in Alta Sierra is essentially constant during February, remaining around 0% throughout.

For reference, on May 15, the muggiest day of the year, there are muggy conditions 0% of the time, while on January 1, the least muggy day of the year, there are muggy conditions 0% of the time.

Humidity Comfort Levels in February in Alta Sierra

Humidity Comfort Levels in February in Alta SierraFeb112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829290%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%JanMarFeb 150%Feb 150%Feb 10%Feb 10%Feb 290%Feb 290%NowNowdrydry
dry 55°F comfortable 60°F humid 65°F muggy 70°F oppressive 75°F miserable
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Alta Sierra is essentially constant during February, remaining within 0.1 miles per hour of 6.0 miles per hour throughout.

For reference, on December 17, the windiest day of the year, the daily average wind speed is 6.2 miles per hour, while on September 23, the calmest day of the year, the daily average wind speed is 5.3 miles per hour.

Average Wind Speed in February in Alta Sierra

The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

The wind direction in Alta Sierra during February is predominantly out of the east from February 1 to February 8 and the south from February 8 to February 29.

Wind Direction in February in Alta Sierra

Wind Direction in February in Alta SierraESFeb112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829290%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%JanMarNowNowsoutheastwestnorth
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season in Alta Sierra typically lasts for 10 months (305 days), from around February 15 to around December 17, rarely starting after April 4, or ending before November 19.

During February in Alta Sierra, the chance that a given day is within the growing season is increasing rising from 43% to 61% over the course of the month.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in February in Alta Sierra

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in February in Alta Sierragrowing seasonFeb112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829290%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanMarFeb 143%Feb 143%61%Feb 2961%Feb 29Feb 1147%Feb 1147%54%Feb 2154%Feb 2133%Jan 733%Jan 7NowNowvery coldcoldcoolcomfortablefreezing
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

The average accumulated growing degree days in Alta Sierra are gradually increasing during February, increasing by 54°F, from 34°F to 88°F, over the course of the month.

Growing Degree Days in February in Alta Sierra

Growing Degree Days in February in Alta SierraFeb1122334455667788991010111112121313141415151616171718181919202021212222232324242525262627272828292920°F20°F40°F40°F60°F60°F80°F80°F100°F100°F120°F120°F140°F140°FJanMarFeb 134°FFeb 134°FFeb 2988°FFeb 2988°FFeb 1151°FFeb 1151°FFeb 2170°FFeb 2170°FNowNow
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of February, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy in Alta Sierra is gradually increasing during February, rising by 0.9 kWh, from 2.7 kWh to 3.7 kWh, over the course of the month.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in February in Alta Sierra

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in February in Alta SierraFeb112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829290 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWh7 kWh7 kWhJanMarFeb 12.7 kWhFeb 12.7 kWhFeb 293.7 kWhFeb 293.7 kWhFeb 113.0 kWhFeb 113.0 kWhNowNow
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Alta Sierra are 39.142 deg latitude, -121.054 deg longitude, and 2,300 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Alta Sierra contains very significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 971 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 2,092 feet. Within 10 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (3,205 feet). Within 50 miles contains large variations in elevation (9,331 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Alta Sierra is covered by shrubs (93%), within 10 miles by shrubs (56%) and trees (24%), and within 50 miles by trees (42%) and cropland (19%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in Alta Sierra, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Temperature and Dew Point

There are 3 weather stations near enough to contribute to our estimation of the temperature and dew point in Alta Sierra.

For each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and Alta Sierra according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations.

The estimated value at Alta Sierra is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Alta Sierra and a given station.

The stations contributing to this reconstruction are:

To get a sense of how much these sources agree with each other, you can view a comparison of Alta Sierra and the stations that contribute to our estimates of its temperature history and climate. Please note that each source's contribution is adjusted for elevation and the relative change present in the MERRA-2 data.

Other Data

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus.

All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid.

Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database .

Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site.

We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands.

We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader.

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