Data: 2023 USDA zones (PRISM/OSU) · NOAA 1991–2020 normals · updated Oct 30, 2026

Planting zone for Sacramento, CA

Sacramento, CA is in USDA zone 9b across its 98 ZIP codes.

Sacramento on the zone map

Outlined: its 28 ZIP code areas · tap the map for the zone at any spot · scroll or pinch to zoom

Not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Zones come from the 2023 USDA hardiness-zone data by the PRISM Group, Oregon State University; we re-mapped and recolored them. The official map is at planthardiness.ars.usda.gov.

Zone9b25 to 30 °F

ZIP codes98

Last frostrare

First frostrare

Growing seasonall year

9b 98 ZIPs

Frost forecast — next 7 nights

live from the National Weather Service

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Forecast data: National Weather Service (api.weather.gov), public domain. This is not a warning service — for official frost and freeze warnings see weather.gov.

Frost dates

A 32 °F frost doesn't happen here in most winters. At the nearest station (NOAA station Sacramento 5 Ese, CA, elevation 39 ft) the median growing season is 341 days. When frost does come, it is a midwinter night or two; cover tender plants when a freeze is forecast.

Frost data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

When spring arrived in 2026

In 2026, spring leaf-out near 95816 came on Jan 31 — about the same time as the 1991–2020 average (Jan 31).

average
Jan 312026
Jan 31

JanFebMarAprMayJun

The Spring Index marks the day when accumulated warmth is enough for lilac and honeysuckle to leaf out — a widely used signal that the growing season has started. Source: USA National Phenology Network, www.usanpn.org — Spring Indices, first leaf, 2026 (data as of 2026-09-08) and 30-year average 1991–2020 (CC BY 4.0).

Soil in Sacramento, CA

The soil mapped at the center of ZIP 95816 is Columbia — sandy loam, somewhat poorly drained.

TextureSandy loamdrains and warms fast; dries out and needs more feeding

pH7.0neutral; most vegetables like 6.0–7.0

DrainageSomewhat poorly drainedconsider raised beds

Organic matter1.25%low — add compost

Hydrologic groupA/Ddrains fast once dried out; wet otherwise

Farmland classNot prime farmlandUSDA classification

Map unit: Columbia-Urban land complex, drained, 0 to 2 percent slopes.

Soil Survey Staff, Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA. Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) Database, via Soil Data Access, accessed 2026-10-29. The soil at the center point of ZIP 95816; soils change within a few hundred feet, so a home soil test (pH, nutrients) is still the best guide.

Climate in Sacramento, CA

Summer high94 °Faverage high, July

Winter low41 °Faverage low, January

Hot days90days a year at 90 °F or more

Freezing nights4nights a year at 32 °F or less

Growing degree days5,115base 50 °F — the season’s usable heat

Longest day14 h 52 mindaylight on June 21

Shortest day9 h 28 mindaylight on December 21

Onions to growIntermediateday-neutral types bulb best; long-day varieties may not bulb fully

Precipitation20.4 inper year, rain and melted snow

Average high and low, by month

Precipitation by month inches

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 — temperature: Sacramento 5 Ese, CA (3 mi away); precipitation: Sacramento 2.0 Se, CA (2 mi away). Daylight is calculated from latitude.