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Riverside weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Average temperatures in Riverside follow a clear seasonal rhythm, rising and falling by 26.7°F over the course of the year. This is a dry climate by most measures, though not a rainless one. Riverside weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, extremes and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

−1.7°Fhigh near average

79° / 61°Today
81° / 57°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+4.2°Faverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–490frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 4 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 4 in the 1940s138days above 86°F a year now (2016–2025) · 118 in the 1940sdays above 86°F · 118 in the 1940s+4.2°F vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 3.6 incheshigh 65°low 44°February, rain 3.9 incheshigh 67°low 45°March, rain 3.3 incheshigh 69°low 48°April, rain 1.6 incheshigh 74°low 52°May, rain 0.6 incheshigh 79°low 56°June, rain 0.1 incheshigh 87°low 62°July, rain 0.1 incheshigh 93°low 68°August, rain 0.1 incheshigh 94°low 68°September, rain 0.4 incheshigh 91°low 65°October, rain 0.8 incheshigh 82°low 58°November, rain 1.9 incheshigh 73°low 50°December, rain 2.8 incheshigh 66°low 44°wettest month February, 3.9 inches · 19.3 inches a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Overcast

Right now

75.2°

73°feels like
49%humidity
55°dew point
8 mphfrom SW
UV index1.2
sunrise06:59sunset18:08day length11h 09m
TodayClear79°61°
ThuOvercast67°56°
FriOvercast68°55°
SatClear77°62°
SunClear82°65°
MonClear85°69°
TueOvercast85°70°

On this date: October 21

Today (forecast)
79° / 61°
Average for October 21
81° / 57°

High near average · −1.7°F

  • Highest since 1940: 98.7° · 2003
  • Lowest since 1940: 39.2° · 1949
  • One year ago: 88° / 54°

Every October 21 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 21 on record (n = 87). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Riverside is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 33.95°N, 117.40°W, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
33.95°N, 117.40°W
Time zone
America/Los Angeles
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

25 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +5.9°F.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

The warmest month is August, with typical afternoon highs of 93.6°F and nights around 68.3°F. Roughly 140 days a year now top 86°F. At the other extreme, January brings afternoon highs of about 65.2°F and typical overnight lows of 43.8°F. Freezing temperatures almost never occur.

Riverside picks up roughly 19.3 inches a year, with a peak of 3.9 inches in February and as little as 0.1 inches in July.

Comparing the record's first decade with its most recent one, Riverside now averages 4.2°F warmer than it did in the 1940s. The year-by-year charts below trace that shift in detail.

Climate graph (climograph)

August is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 27°F. Wettest month: February (~3.9 in). Whole year averages ~19.3 inches of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Rainy days by month

About 38 rainy days a year: most in March (~7), fewest in July (almost none).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 0.08 in per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Riverside month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Highest and Lowest are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightHighestLowest
January65.2°43.8°3.6 in610.0 h88.0° (2021)19.9° (1949)
February66.9°45.5°3.9 in610.8 h88.9° (2016)26.0° (1957)
March69.4°48.2°3.3 in711.7 h93.6° (1988)29.6° (1951)
April74.3°51.7°1.6 in412.9 h99.9° (1989)35.5° (1945)
May79.4°56.4°0.6 in213.8 h108.1° (1984)41.9° (1964)
June86.6°61.8°0.1 in014.2 h111.8° (1990)47.1° (1967)
July93.3°67.7°0.1 in014.1 h114.9° (2018)55.2° (1944)
August93.6°68.3°0.1 in013.3 h110.5° (1981)54.8° (1941)
September90.5°65.2°0.4 in112.2 h117.8° (2020)49.3° (1948)
October82.4°57.7°0.8 in211.1 h106.5° (1980)34.7° (1971)
November72.9°49.6°1.9 in410.2 h95.0° (2010)31.3° (1964)
December65.9°44.3°2.8 in59.7 h86.5° (1958)27.0° (1978)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +4.2°F.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.46°F per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Dec–Feb is warming fastest: +0.60°F per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 86°F per year: 117.6 early in the record → 137.6 recently. Frost days: 4 → 0.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

Hottest day since 1940 in 2020, coldest in 1949: 117.8°F / 19.9°F.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~19.3 in/year on average. Last decade: +6% vs that average. Long-term trend: +0.07 in per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Riverside

Which is the warmest month in Riverside?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Riverside is August (mean daily temperature of about 79.4°F) and the coolest is January (about 52.7°F).
How does today's temperature in Riverside compare to the historical average?
On October 21, 2026, Riverside is forecast to reach a high of 79.0°F and a low of 61.0°F. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 80.7°F and a low of 56.7°F, so today's high is 1.7°F cooler than that average.
How much has Riverside warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Riverside is about 4.2°F warmer.
How much does it rain in Riverside?
Riverside receives about 19.3 inches of precipitation per year on long-term average, with February typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Riverside?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Riverside is about 65.2°F. The warmest month is August and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Riverside by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Riverside (°F, full record since 1940): January 65°/44°, February 67°/45°, March 69°/48°, April 74°/52°, May 79°/56°, June 87°/62°, July 93°/68°, August 94°/68°, September 91°/65°, October 82°/58°, November 73°/50°, December 66°/44°.
What is the weather like in Riverside in summer?
June to August is summer in Riverside, and it is dry and hot. June starts at 87°F by day and 62°F at night; by August it is 94°F and 68°F. Almost no rain.
What is the weather like in Riverside in winter?
December to February is winter in Riverside, and it is mild. Daytime highs sit at 65–67°F and nights at 44–45°F; January is the coldest month. Rain falls on about 6 days a month, adding up to around 3.5 inches. It is the wettest season of the year.
What is the weather like in Riverside in spring?
Spring in Riverside (March to May) is pleasantly warm. March is still 69°F in the afternoon and 48°F at night, May already 79°F and 56°F. Rain falls off from 3.3 inches on 7 days in March to 0.6 inches on 2 days in May.
What is the weather like in Riverside in autumn?
In autumn, September through November, Riverside is warm. It cools from 91°F by day and 65°F at night in September to 73°F and 50°F in November. Rain rises from 0.4 inches on 1 day in September to 1.9 inches on 4 days in November.
How many days a year does it rain in Riverside?
On long-term average, Riverside has about 38 days a year with at least 0.08 inches of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 19.3 inches.

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