Modesto, California Weather
August begins in scorching stillness. Day 43 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Modesto weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayAug 2Clear——105°67°—
- MondayAug 3Clear——107°67°+2°
- TuesdayAug 4Clear——110°68°+3°
- WednesdayAug 5Clear——109°68°-1°
- ThursdayAug 6Clear——110°67°+1°
- FridayAug 7Clear——112°71°+2°
- SaturdayAug 8Clear——114°72°+2°
AQI 52 (Moderate), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 11.5 µg/m³, PM10 at 13.7 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
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 11.5 µg/m³, PM10 at 13.7 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.84
- Wind
- light
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- background
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).
Red sky at night, sailor's delight.
- Moonrise
- 9:49 PM
- Moonset
- 10:14 AM
- In sign
- ♓︎ Pisces
August begins in scorching stillness
Modesto at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 7°F above the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: April 2 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Aug 1–5
- Planting window: Sow fall peas. Start kale and collard seedlings for fall.
ZIP codes: 95350, 95351, 95354, 95355, 95356, 95357, 95358
16-Day Forecast — Modesto
- Sun105°67°0%
- Mon107°67°0%
- Tue110°68°0%
- Wed109°68°0%
- Thu110°67°0%
- Fri112°71°0%
- Sat114°72°0%
- Sun112°70°1%
- Mon107°64°0%
- Tue104°62°1%
- Wed103°64°5%
- Thu103°63°3%
- Fri105°65°3%
- Sat102°66°0%
- Sun103°61°0%
- Mon107°63°3%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Modesto
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of August 2, 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.
Sun & seasons in Modesto
Modesto sits in Stanislaus County, where the year’s longest day runs 14h 46m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 33m — a swing of +5h 13m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Los Angeles, the state’s largest city, lies about 283 miles to the SSE. The nearest town Modesto tracks is Stockton, roughly 29 miles to the NW.
Air quality in Modesto’s county has trended cleaner since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2025 (median AQI 51). See the full air-quality history for Modesto.
Microseason · August 1–5
August begins in scorching stillness
Calm days dominate early August; temperatures peak; the entire ecosystem is in survival mode.
Day 214 of 365 · Wedge 43 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
July is Modesto's warmest stretch (~79°F) and December its coldest (~48°F); precipitation crests in January at 3.5 inches and ebbs in August to 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
Modesto's climate, from NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 station normals, pairs 48°F Januarys with 79°F Julys — a 31°F swing. About 17.7 inches of precipitation falls over roughly 71 days a year.
Cool-season fronts carry Modesto's rain: January logs 3.5 inches on 12.4 days, against August's 0.0 inches on 0.1 — winter does the heavy lifting in Modesto. That cool-season-wet pattern aligns Modesto with places like Rouse, CA, Bystrom, CA and Airport, CA.
Modesto rarely sees a hard freeze — its coldest month sits near 48°F — so planting spans most of the calendar. Heat peaks in July around 79°F, which confines cool-season crops to the shoulders of summer. Across Modesto, elevation and tree cover drive a 4-7°F spread in Modesto's overnight lows.
Similar climates: Rouse, CA, Bystrom, CA, Airport, CA, West Modesto, CA, Parklawn, CA.
Naturalist notes
Late April brings the blooming of California poppies across the Central Valley, their orange petals opening as soil temperatures warm.
Valley oaks begin dropping their acorns in October, signaling the approach of the region's first frost.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Modesto?
- Frost typically leaves Modesto by mid-April and returns to Modesto near mid-November.
- What is the rainy season in Modesto?
- Modesto sees its heaviest rain in January (around 3.5 inches), part of roughly 18 inches a year.
- What is the warmest month in Modesto?
- On average July tops the year in Modesto at about 79°F.
- What is the coldest month in Modesto?
- The coldest stretch in Modesto falls in December, around 48°F on average.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Modesto?
- Around mid-April, start frost-hardy crops in Modesto; tomatoes and basil belong a fortnight later.
- How many rainy days does Modesto get?
- Modesto records around 71 days of measurable precipitation annually.
- What hardiness zone is Modesto?
- Since December in Modesto averages 48°F, Modesto's USDA zone follows that floor — confirm it by ZIP.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Modesto?
- Modesto'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 Modesto?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Modesto in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Modesto?
- Current conditions for Modesto and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Modesto forecast updated?
- The Modesto forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Modesto?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Modesto 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 Modesto?
- The next few days in Modesto's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Climate
In Modesto, California, the hot-summer Mediterranean climate runs from about 48°F in January to 79°F in July, a 31°F seasonal range.
Rain and snow bring Modesto roughly 18 inches a year across approximately 71 measurable-precipitation days.
Modesto's 31°F range, set by its 37.6°N position, drives frost timing and what thrives in Modesto.
ZIP codes in Modesto
- 95358
- 95356
- 95355
- 95354
- 95351
- 95350
- 95352
- 95353
- 95397