Dirt Flat

El Portal, Sierra National Forest, California

Tonight: low 68 °F, calm and dry.

Nights by month

Night lows from 2016 to 2025: a typical night, and the cold one that comes 1 night in 10.

The mildest nights are in July, typically 62°F. The coldest are in January, when 1 night in 10 drops to 21°F. Frost is common in January, February, March, April, November and December.

Typical nightCold night (1 in 10)
  1. Jan30°F 21°FBag comfortable to 20°F · frost 63% · rain or snow 34% of days
  2. Feb31°F 17°FBag comfortable to 20°F · frost 58% · rain or snow 31% of days
  3. Mar31°F 22°FBag comfortable to 25°F · frost 55% · rain or snow 43% of days
  4. Apr37°F 27°FBag comfortable to 25°F · frost 22% · rain or snow 27% of days
  5. May44°F 35°FBag comfortable to 35°F · frost 4% · rain or snow 24% of days
  6. Jun55°F 46°FBag comfortable to 45°F · frost 0% · rain or snow 6% of days
  7. Jul62°F 55°FBag comfortable to 55°F · frost 0% · rain or snow 0% of days
  8. Aug61°F 55°FBag comfortable to 55°F · frost 0% · rain or snow 7% of days
  9. Sep (this month)55°F 46°FBag comfortable to 45°F · frost 0% · rain or snow 12% of days
  10. Oct45°F 37°FBag comfortable to 35°F · frost 2% · rain or snow 9% of days
  11. Nov37°F 26°FBag comfortable to 25°F · frost 27% · rain or snow 24% of days
  12. Dec33°F 22°FBag comfortable to 25°F · frost 48% · rain or snow 29% of days

| = 32°F

History: ERA5 and ERA5-Land reanalysis via Open-Meteo, corrected to the site's elevation. Bag rating: the comfort rating that keeps you warm in a tent on 9 of 10 nights that month.

Tonight

Good nightFriday, September 25, 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Warm enough at the coldest hour

Your selected gear looks warm enough

About 25 °F to spare at the coldest hour.

This is based on typical values for the gear types you picked, so treat it as an estimate.

  • Low outside68°F
  • Moisturedry
  • Windcalm

Your night

  1. 10 p.m. until morningComfortableAir around you 68 to 64°F.
Every hour
  • 10 p.m.67°Fcomfortable
  • 11 p.m.65°Fcomfortable
  • midnight64°Fcomfortable
  • 1 a.m.65°Fcomfortable
  • 2 a.m.66°Fcomfortable
  • 3 a.m.67°Fcomfortable
  • 4 a.m.68°Fcomfortable
  • 5 a.m.67°Fcomfortable
  • 6 a.m.64°Fcomfortable
  • 7 a.m.64°Fcomfortable

This spot sits about 118 m below the land around it. On clear, calm nights cold air pools here, so expect it colder and wetter than the forecast.

Times are local time at your spot (GMT-7).

What works tonight

The gear this night calls for, for someone who sleeps like you.

  • You have this

    Sleeping bag

    Comfort 60°F or colder

    Usually sold as a 51° bag. The number in a bag's name is the limit, not the comfort.

  • You have this

    Underneath you

    R1 or more

    The R-value says how well a pad keeps the cold ground out.

Before you sleep

  • Your spot sits lower than the ground around it. On a clear, calm night cold air drains into spots like this, so expect it colder and wetter than the forecast. If you can, move a little higher up, away from the creek or valley floor.
How we estimated this

At the coldest hour (7 a.m.):

Outside at your spot
70°F
Warmth your shelter holds
+2 °F
Clear-sky cooling
−2 °F
Low spot
−7 °F
Air around you
63°F
Your bag's comfort rating
39°F
Your comfort limit
39°F

24 °F to spare, so warm enough.

Assumptions

  • Bag categories use typical ratings as sold: summer about 50 °F (10 °C), 3-season about 30 °F (-1 °C), winter about 15 °F (-9 °C). The number in a bag's name is usually its lower limit, so its comfort rating is about 9 °F (5 °C) warmer.
  • What you lie on: foam mat about R2, thin air pad about R1.5, insulated pad about R3.5, winter pad R5 and up, van bed about R4, air mattress about R0.5. Colder ground needs a higher R-value.
  • Shelters hold a few degrees early in the night and less towards morning. Wind and clear, calm skies take warmth away.
  • Weather: Open-Meteo forecast for your spot, on a grid of a few kilometers, corrected to its height.
  • These are rules of thumb, not measurements. People and gear vary.

A forecast, not a promise. Mountains, valleys and water make their own weather, so trust what you see and feel on site. Terms and liability

Checked for a double-wall tent, a 3-season bag and a thin air pad. Check your own gear here.

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