Cloudy, cold and frequent rainy days in Sacramento: What’s typical for February weather?

Weather in Sacramento is always a conversation starter, especially if you’ve lived here for a while.

A reader reached out to The Bee curious how Sacramento’s current weather compares to wet, cloudy winters they experienced as a kid in 1960s. This question inspired us to look at both average temperatures and rainfall for this time of year, plus a glimpse at the weather 57 years ago.

Here’s what we found:

February brings more rain and cool temps to Sacramento

There’s no golden rule to rain in Sacramento, rather some years are more wet than others.

Majority of rain falls in December, January and February — but keep your umbrella on standby — because the region’s wet season can last to May. When there’s rain, said meteorologist Hannah Chandler-Cooley with the National Weather Service, fog and cloudy skies typically follow.

Some good news: Temperatures will start warming up in March, you just have to get through the wet days.

The normal temperature in Sacramento in early February is between 59 degrees and 60 degrees. On average, downtown Sacramento receives a total of 3.53 inches of rain.

By the end of March, temperatures typically increase to a high of 70 degrees.

Until then, expect cold mornings and mild nights. Thursday kicked off to a chilling start of 36 degrees, according to the National Weather Service’s Twitter page.

The Sacramento Valley could see its first substantial amounts of rain for February this weekend.

In an interview with The Bee Wednesday, meteorologist Cory Mueller with the National Weather Service said while rain is forecast to fall Thursday night and Friday, the capital city probably won’t see much of it — besides a few sprinkles.

Rain, snow and cold to hit Sacramento and Tahoe. Here’s what to prepare for this week

Expect stronger rain Saturday night to Sunday.

Sacramento weather in winter of 1966

Reader Samuel M wrote to The Bee, asking:“I grew up as a kid starting elementary school in north Sacramento back in 1966. I remember some sunny but cloudy and frequent rainy days for weeks on end from November to March. Could you compare that to today’s weather in your region?”

January 1966 was dry, compared to January 2023.

The average temperature during January 1966 was a high of 56.2 degrees, Chandler-Cooley said. In February, the average increased to a high of 58.9 degrees.

Roughly 2.1 inches of rain fell in Sacramento during January 1966, compared to 7.54 inches of rain in January 2023.

It rained six days in January 1966 with the most rain — 1.29 inches — falling on Jan. 29, 1966. In January 2023, it rained almost everyday for 18 days.

Nearly 1.58 inches of rain fell across the region in February 1966.

What do you want to know about life in Sacramento? Ask our service journalism team your top-of-mind questions in the module below or email servicejournalists@sacbee.com.